Our Favorite Life Lessons

It's back-to-school time once again! At TJM, we support education in all its forms, both formal and informal. In fact, some of our best lessons take place outside of a classroom. Here are a few of the important lessons life has taught some of us:

Shannon Moore

Life lessons ... where to begin. Ha! I guess the biggies for me:

• Make sure to spend as much time with family as possible, because not every day is guaranteed.
• Travel as much as possible (same reason as previous.
• Pee on jellyfish stings. [Editor’s Note: The Cleveland Clinic says this can actually make the sting hurt worse. Try vinegar or rubbing alcohol instead.]
• Loop, swoop, and pull to tie your shoes.
• Cook whatever you want, and if you ruin it, oh well, at least you tried.
• Don't have regrets. Whatever has happened has put you in the time and place you're in right now.
• Almost everything can be considered a "that’s what she said" joke, and it’s almost always hilarious.
• Dad jokes are always welcome in my house. And often appreciated. 

Rick Cundiff

• Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. You might be surprised how well it works out.
• Let sleeping cats lie, even if they’re on your keyboard. [Cat’s Note: sxruf.reufn2efnfjopu8pw]
• Let sleeping dogs lie, too – but take their picture and put it on social media.
• Believe in something. Stand up for what you believe in.
• A life without music is no life.
• A life without coffee is sleep.
• Everyone in your life is there for a reason, whether you know it or not.
• Barefoot and toes-first is NOT the ideal way to discover the cat hacked up a furball on the bedroom floor.
• There is magic and wonder in the universe every day. It’s up to us to see it.
• Measure wealth in love, not dollars.
• Don’t get too nostalgic for the “good old days.” Antibiotics, cell phones and antilock brakes all come in handy sometimes.

Tim Gallagher

Life lessons from a mad man, without a blue box. (Dr Who reference.)

• Don’t sweat the small stuff. The more little things you let bother you, the worse your day will be. Let it go. Everything will be fine.
•  Try to learn something new as often as you can. Random fact:  Google was founded September 4th, 1998. Most of you reading this can literally say you’re older than Google! [Editor’s Note: Tim, some of us can say we’re older than dirt.] Fun facts like this can help to pass the time, as well as be conversation starters.
• Embrace the weird! I am a guy who does not have children, yet my wife says I make a lot of “dad jokes.” Have fun with it. 
• You’re never too old to act childish. Fart loudly. [Editor’s Note: Preferably not in the office.] Draw from time to time, make jokes, and enjoy life. Life is far too short to be serious all the time.
• Spend time with your friends and family. You can take a break from social media for an hour a day at the minimum and spend time with your friends or family. 
• Going to a concert together? Don’t film it, live it! I don’t want to see your video. I want you to tell me how your friend had a run-in with the lead singer after the show. Live your life and enjoy every moment of it.

Matt Fischer

• You have Good, Fast, and Cheap – and you can only choose two. If it’s good and fast, it’s not cheap. If it’s good and cheap, it’s not fast. And …
• If it’s fast and cheap, it’s not good. 

Deanna Thomas

• Wear Sunscreen! I learned this valuable life lesson very recently. No matter how much you think you are not prone to burning under our glorious Florida sun … wear the sunscreen! I don’t care how much you want to test Mother Nature, or how much you think you can survive the Devil’s Fire, wear the sunscreen!
• We learn from our mistakes, and the lesson is, if you don’t wear the sunscreen, then you too shall walk around for weeks wearing your pants rolled up to your knees, and wondering how long one person’s body can peel and heal from such a severe burn. My record currently is 3 weeks. Let’s see if we can hit 4! [Editor’s Note: Let’s not, Deanna! Sounds too painful!]

Matt Maio

• The most important thing is to not get mad about things you can’t change. People pass away, accidents happen, sometimes life sucks. When it’s out of your control, getting mad or sad about it doesn’t help anything at all. Letting an uncontrollable situation get you down just compounds the situation. When life gives you lemons, it’s best to just put those lemons in the compost pile and let them be.

Justin MacDonald

• You don’t lose any light from your candle by lighting another. Too often, especially in a professional or creative setting, people tend to want to safeguard their knowledge. I think the more you share your knowledge, the more people share with you.
• The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. I don’t know how many times I’ve been talking to someone and they’ll say things like “I always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle.” or “I wish I started working out when I was younger.” We can’t go back in time; we can only change what we’re doing today. Don’t let the lack of doing something then keep you from doing something now.
• “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Teddy Roosevelt

I could probably put 50 or more Teddy Roosevelt quotes down that I love, but this is one of the few that I don’t have to look up and is, by far, one of my favorites.  I know there are probably a good percentage of people that may disagree with this quote, but I cannot say enough about the importance of action. 

I know it is especially hard in the “Climate of Make No Mistakes” that we live in now, but progress comes from moving forward.  If you spend too much time analyzing a problem to try to make the perfect decision, there is a good chance your competition has already moved forward with what might be the right decision, or they’re already learning from their bad decision.  Don’t sit idly by, waiting for perfection!