Some Things I Learned the Hard Way
Take care to get what you want — time flies faster than you could ever imagine. Know what you want and work toward it every minute, every second. You can recover lost money, lost property and sometimes even lost love and friendship, but not lost time. Go for exactly what you want — don't work your way up to it, don't work your way around it — go right to it.

Joy and contentment can be yours if you look for it on your own terms instead of listening to what others claim will make you happy. There is always an opportunity to learn more, no matter how old you are. The best classroom is life itself — a patron at the corner bar may teach you more truths than a college professor.

"The Past and Present" by Iris - Genevieve Lahens Esper

Minimize your exposure to toxic people — sometimes those with the loudest voices have the least to say. Their influence can taint you years after they have disappeared from your life.

No matter what your past mistakes are, there is always a way to transcend them and achieve your goals. Depending on the severity of your problems, the road can be hard and painful, but where there is willpower there is always hope. Willpower — and faith — can make up for such worldly deficits as lack of money and status, and can work wonders that prescription antidepressants cannot.

Change is a good thing; stagnation is not. Habits and companions that worked wonderfully for us at twenty-five could destroy us at forty-five. Rare is the high school graduate who is exactly the same person as a senior citizen. Life is a journey with several chapters, not one continuously looping rerun.

The ability to forgive is a sign of strength, not of capitulation. The burden of carrying hatred, jealousy, anger and regret is great and takes up psychic energy that could be better spent on positive works and thoughts.

To give up when things get rough is foolhardy. To pursue outdated goals (or people) when a change in course would serve you better is even worse.

The superficial things (and people) in this world lose their sparkle when you get close to them and see that what you thought were diamonds are actually cheap rhinestones. Decadent behavior is often not the result of a "free" spirit, but of a deeply sad one.

Dealing with Other People
If you work a "regular" job, keep in mind that, if someone is your friend in the office, the friendship is not "real" unless you socialize out of the office. Many office "friends" tend to forget about you the second you leave the job (or fall out of favor with the boss). One of the things that always turned me off about many corporate 9-to-5 jobs I had was the way co-workers would talk about each other behind their backs. Since you are around co-workers on a daily basis as much (or more) than friends or family, I found this ultimately depressing and am much happier temping and freelancing.

Ever notice that when you get older you are not content to merely describe a person's peccadilloes, but rather psychoanalyze and ponder the reasons for their behaviors? When we are young or inexperienced (some 20-year-olds have more experience than many older folks), it's enough to see things as they are and not look for explanations. When we are older, the why may not temper the blow, but it lets us know that the universe isn't against us. (i.e., the boss was in a sour mood because she got in a fight with her husband, not because I did something wrong.)

Journaling Out the Old Year
So often, when November and December roll around, we concentrate on what we're going to do in the New Year and neglect the "pat on the back" we ought to give ourselves for feats accomplished. So get out a notebook and jot down your achievements for the past year, no matter how small. Whether they are creative, financial or emotional, our little triumphs (and the big ones, too) add up to a year well spent. Even our mistakes and disasters are signposts that show us what to avoid in the future, so even they can have a positive influence.

Bio:
Marianne Moro is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. Her writing has been featured in Manifest Way.com, Aquarius/Sign of the Times, Aribella.com and in many other publications and websites. She works part-time for a film trade magazine, and considers New Orleans her "home away from home."

Marianne can be reached at: Vkjade@aol.com