Things That I've Learned (Sometimes the hard way)

1. No matter how much you care, some people just don't care back.
2. It takes years to build up trust, and minutes to destroy it.
3. It's not what you have in your life, it's who you have in your life that counts.
4. You can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you better know something.
5. You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
6. You should always leave loved ones with loving words. It might be the last time you see them.
7. We are responsible for what we do and how we act, no matter how we feel.
8. Either you control your attitude, or it controls you.
9. Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
10. Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
11. You should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed you.
12. People can look at the same thing and see something completely different.
13. No matter how hard you try to protect your child, they will eventually get hurt.
14. No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world will not stop spinning for your grief.
15. Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who and what we become.
16. Heroes are people who do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of circumstances.
17. Credentials on a wall do not make you a decent person.
18. It is hard to draw the line between being nice and not hurting anyone's feelings, and standing up for what you believe.