thirty:lessons&years

thirty:lessons&years

1. being a leader often means being alone.  
2. it’s important to lead by example; words alone aren’t very convincing. (thx:ma/pa.)
3. hope can be lost, held in waiting, regained and rebuilt. 
4. the best laughter has a tell: your knees buckle.
5. falling in love is by another name is simply finding ‘home’.
6. pain is a teacher — it will change your {physical, spiritual or emotional} course passively or actively. 
7. waiting can be destructive or productive; same with silence.  
8. being vulnerable does not make you weak, it makes you honest.
9. caring for others without caring for yourself does not make you brave, it makes you burnt out. 
10. “who are you? who told you?” — ask the One who made you what you’re worth. 
11. there’s nothing like the moment a person’s eyes light up they recognize the truth of their worth.
12. boundaries are a gift you give and receive at the same time. 
13. a first step toward reconciliation often looks like listening.
14. continue extending peace even after it’s slapped out of your hand.
15. going all-in/heart-on-sleeve is vulnerable, scary, and worth it every time. don’t play small. 
16. worship is as much about praise for who God is as it is about reminding ourselves of who God is.
17. you are only as strong as where you get your strength from.
18. good mentors are people who really see you, and then invite (read: “push”) you to commit more fully to who you really are.
19. treat “should” as a red flag and take it out of your vocabulary (dear Type 1s, I just saved you hours in counselling)
20. a good way to teach your heart something true is to sing it. and, repeat.
21. doing conflict doesn’t have to hurt; instead it can feel like being heard, safe, and cared for.
22. God is a miracle-worker who makes beautiful things out of dust. 
23. resilience is a characteristic crafted in pressure and inspiring to witness in its full effect. 
24. you’ve experienced the privileges of the dominant culture if you’ve thought to yourself “why are they changing the status quo?”
25. be wary of rounding out someone’s identity from what you know of a “single story” 
26. i found out i was an introvert when I acknowledged that my favourite activity is going for coffee with a friend.
27. if you consistently smile at people you see, you will have strangers sharing smiles with you all day.  
28. one of my longest waits turned into my greatest love, so… sometimes the wait actually is worth it. 
29. it's okay to cry. 
30. ask better questions, stretch your imagination, make less assumptions, play longer… (Titled: Things I Learn from Jordan)