I Have Learned That

A few days ago, I received a post from a friend who was honoring the importance of friends in her life and she had forwarded a list from the late Andy Rooney about the things he had learned while living.

Andrew Aitken “Andy” Rooney was an American radio and television writer. He was best known for his weekly broadcast “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney,” a part of the CBS News program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011.

Here is an interesting tidbit about him. He was emphatically against becoming involved in WWII.  Then later, he was one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps and one of the first to write about them. During a segment on Tom Brokaw’s, The Greatest Generation, Rooney stated that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether “just wars” exist.

I admire someone who can not only change his or her mind, but also make the change public.

His list is worth reading and this link will take you to it.

Here is my favorite one from the ones I read of his.  “I learned….That love, not time, heals all wounds.”

Knowing the value of friends (from a recent snippet of research from Julianne Lunstad, who reports that a low level of social interaction is as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day) I decided to create my own list of what I have learned so far from this life to share with my friends.  Here are some thoughts:

I have learned:

…that I get into trouble when I do not operate from a framework of kindness.

…that I need to work harder to question my thoughts rather than simply to confirm them.

…that sometimes I create a more appropriate memory, than the real one, to justify my words or my actions.

…that empathy is the bridge upon which all relationships are built.

…that often in making a decision, I rely on the emotional pull of a situation, rather than the reality of the hard data.

…that I often confuse issues with my private perceptions, wants, and expectations; I need to listen more to the perceptions, wants, and expectation of others.

…that I make a better choice, if I recognize and defeat old allegiances.

…that even if I know what the appropriate choice is; this does not guarantee the appropriate action.

…that when reviewing or reflecting on an accomplishment, or the completion of a task, I should question “how much effort” I put into getting the job done vs. admiring the “end product.”

…that revenge is a dish better not served at all.

…that my life is neither a horror movie nor a romance novel, but what I make it.

…that the road to past mistakes does not need to be taken.

…that every bend in the day, brings danger and adversity; only the promise of the future brings sweetness.

…that compassion requires careful listening and skillful questioning.

…that no community can survive unless, the skills of caring for others flourish.

…that social and emotional learning are in the “uncommon” core of learning, but should be the essential core of education.

…that the highest level of moral development, demands anonymous giving, with absolutely no expectation of recognition and/or reward.

…that no matter what my expertise level, the only person I can fix is myself.

…that when in doubt about what action I should take, in response to another’s behavior; playing the empathy card has produced the best response.

I noticed that in reviewing my list, many of my statements are related to emotional intelligence.  Nonetheless, I have decided that if in my old age, I am going to rigid about some one thing, I want to be stuck on the value and importance of EQ.

Therefore, I am sticking with my list.

I think it would be both intriguing and entertaining to add to the list.  I am challenging all of you to add just six thoughts (for Six Seconds) of your own.  Let us see how many we can produce.

Love,

Anabel

P.S. If you found this information useful, please do me a favor and share it on social media.  The more we can do to spread the information, the more those that really need it, can benefit. You’ll find sharing buttons below. Also, please consider ‘liking’ my Facebook page for more valuable information about emotional intelligence.

I would so appreciate it!

Thank you.