Things I’ve Learned Over 66 Years

This past Friday, October 12^th, was my 66^th birthday. Notable because according to Social Security I’m now at “full retirement age.”

Commercial radio is 98-years old, but the first 30+ years of radio – often called “The Golden Age of Radio” – was broadcast more in the style of today’s television.

The radio I grew up with was format radio, born in the 60s.

So, you might say, today’s radio and I, grew up together.

However, no matter what your career path has been, I’m willing to bet, you and I share more things in common than we differ. See if you don’t agree.

25 Things I Learned Over the Years

1. Don’t worry about things. The things you do worry about usually never happen and things you never even considered happening, do.
2. Life is a celebration. Welcome each day as you would New Year’s Day, as a new chance to start over and do something new.
3. Love who you are. You are one-of-a-kind and there will never be another you.
4. Be grateful and show gratitude for everything that happens in your life. It happened for a reason and its part of the growth process.
5. Laugh a lot. You will never be able to control what happens in your life, so learn to find the humor in what happens.
6. When bad things happen in our world, take the advice of Fred Rogers’s mom and look for the helpers. Even better, be one of the helpers.
7. Never miss an opportunity to let someone know how much they mean to you.
8. Never spend more than you earn. There will always be a “rainy day” and you need to be financially fit to float above the flood waters of a life crisis.
9. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,”said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He’s right. Don’t be afraid to speak out.
10. Mentor others with all that you know. Sharing is caring.
11. Always say “Please” and “Thank You.” It matters not whether you’re the parent or the child, the employer or the employee, the teacher or the student, courtesy counts.
12. People learn from what you do, not what you say. You can’t just talk the talk, you must walk it too.
13. Over the years, I’ve come to understand that just being there for another person is the most important thing you can do. Be sure to hold on tight to each and every friend you meet in life.
14. Write hand-written “Thank You” notes. They always make the most impact on those you are grateful for.
15. Plan for the future, but stay flexible. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” sang John Lennon in his song Beautiful Boy, and he was right.
16. Try to live a balanced life: spiritual/home/community/work but don’t fret if things get out-of-balance at times, because they always do.
17. Forgive, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.
18. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is unknown. Live in the present.
19. ‘There ain’t no big time.’ Many of us in radio spent years honing our careers to rise to positions of more responsibility or to perform in larger radio markets only to learn nothing really changes. People are people, nobody’s perfect, and most of the same challenges remain.
20. There’s always someone you can reach out to for the answer you seek, you don’t need to have all the answers, but you also shouldn’t be afraid to ask others for help.
21. Everything in life comes to an end, including life itself. Embrace life.
22. No matter how fast the world today moves, nature continues to move at the same pace it always has. Spend more time in nature and calm your soul.
23. Serve others, you will be amazed how it changes your life for the better.
24. If you do the work you love, you will never call it work. After over four decades in radio, I went into college teaching, both never seemed like work but a true labor of love.
25. And finally, believe that the best things in your life are yet to be. To paraphrase Henry Ford, whether you believe that’s true or you don’t, you’re right.