"All the little things" -- summary

Something I did not mention at the beginning of these posts was that I was reviewing Matthew's and Grant's guidelines because Army Staff Sergeant Matthew V. Thompson had recently given his life serving our country.  Matthew truly lived out these guidelines everyday and in every facet of his life.  Everyone who knew Matthew spoke of how these could be seen in his everyday life and how both Matthew and Grant were obviously years ahead of their time with this  thinking.  Just think, what were you writing about when you were 18 years old? 

These guidelines resonated with many people who came to know Matthew through his sacrifice.  The guidelines were read at Matthew's Military memorial service and also on the US Senate floor by Senator Ron Johnson.

Thank you for following along with me.  I hope you enjoyed and learned (really remembered) some things on how to live life!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------All 10 of Matthew Thompson & Grant Goeman's guidelines for life, "All the little things", are below.  

Intro to "All the little things"

Everyone has a different theory on life. My best friend and I have noticed throughout the 18 years of our life that it’s really the little things in life that make it so much sweeter. Now, that may seem ridiculously cliché but it’s true. Everything from doing summersault races, to spinning in circles for a mile and then being asked if you need a ride home because you look like a drunk, make this life so much more entertaining. So, my friend and I throughout the years have come up with some rules… .well…..more like guidelines to our life. If you have another rule that you think I, or if you know my friend, live by, feel free to make suggestions.

1.  Never grow up.      One of my goals in life is to never, ever grow up and lose the child in me. I want to be 40 years old and still be building forts, playing hide and go seek, laughing when someone says something ridiculous and being able to just spontaneously go spin in circles or roll down a hill, even if i'm just taking a walk with my wife or one of my friends.

2.  Learn.                    One of the best things you can do is to continue learning new things. Keep your mind open to everything. Even if it's something you don't agree with, you can always learn from it. By listening to something you don't agree with, you either change your way of thinking or strengthen how you feel about something. By talking with people, we see things from different points of view and broaden our horizons. We see how other people have been raised and how they think, then we choose whether to live the same way or not. But, regardless, we learn something from everyone we meet and every new thing we do. Learn how girls think or how another culture views your religion. All of this will either show your fault in your logic or enforce that you have made the right decision.

3.  Never have any regrets.                   If you're debating whether to do something or not, always do it. It's ten times better to regret doing something than to regret not doing something. The only reason to not do it is if there's a chance of hurting someone (then you shouldn't). I never want to look back on something and say, "man, if only I would have..." “When they carve my stone, they’ll write these words, “Here lies a man, who lived life for all that its worth?"

4.  Live for the moment.                 Don't worry too much about what you've got going on next week. Enjoy this week while it's here. If you have time to enjoy with your friends, take it. If not, make some time. I'm not saying don't plan ahead, it's okay to have ideas and plans, but don't let them rule what you're going to do with your life now. If something comes up that you really love, then do it. The future will take care of itself. Live spontaneously! Take the opportunity to do what you love now, because who knows what tomorrow will bring. “Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away?"

5.  Do what you love.                Make sure that you pursue what you love to do. If you find something that makes you happy, truly happy, then pursue it. Don't do things that you hate. Now, every once in a while, are you going to have to do something that you don't like? Of course! But, make sure you're doing it because it's for something that you love. If you find yourself going down a path that you don't want, abort at all costs. The last thing you want is to be unhappy with your life.

6.  Pursue with a passion.                   When you find something that you're passionate about, you need to go all out for it. It may be something that seems unreachable, but you need to put everything out there and hold nothing back. It may be a special someone or it may be something that you fall in love with everytime you do it or see it or even think about; something that you would give everything in the world for. When you find it, pursue it without boundaries, because you'll never forgive yourself if you don't do everything in your power to hold onto it.

7.  Never settle.                                    Never, ever settle for something that you really want. If you have dreams, go get them. Never give up on them. You will live your whole life thinking about that dream. This goes for anything. A job, a friendship, a girl/guy that you like, or even something that you enjoy doing. First of all, if you settle for something less than ideal, you will not be happy. You can try and play it off by saying that you can't have everything or something like that, but when it comes down to it, you just gave up and didn't want it bad enough. You can achieve anything if you want it bad enough. You might have to work harder than you ever have before or give up some things, but if you really want it, you can get it.

8.  Always take time to listen /talk.            I put listen in front because i think (1) it's more important and (2) people are usually aware that they need to take time to talk and let things out. The thing is, other people have to let things out too and there needs to be someone there to just be there, not necessarily be conversing with them, but just to sit and listen. My mom always told me one of the most important things in life is to take time to listen to someone if they need it, because you never know when you might see them for the last time. Don’t be timid with your conversations, talk about the uncomfortable topics. If we never talk about them how are they going to work themselves out? “Listen, and respond?"

9.  Keep a positive attitude.                        Just remember, you may get stressed out at times in your life. You might hit patches of "bad luck" or have a series of bad events. But, remember to think of things overall. Is a bad test grade going to ruin your entire life. Are you going to fail in your career because you got one bad grade? Is that going to make you a bad parent? If someone puts a dent in your car, how is that going to affect your life in ten years? Keep everything in proportion. Remember that it's your life and it's what you make it. My mother taught me when i was little that i was not allowed to have a bad day. If i was ever having one, she would sit me down and make me tell her all of the good things that were happening that day. She would tell me that as long as there's one good thing that happens that day, it's a good day. So, I can truly say that I've never had a bad day in my entire life. That's the power of attitude. Just remember, it is what you make it. “Begin each day as if it were on purpose."

10.  I need God and will live for him.             No matter what, even if i get distracted for a while or stray from Him, I always end up coming back and He always takes me back with loving arms. I pray whenever for whatever and He's always there for me. And He will always love me no matter how messed up I can get sometimes. The only way to show him gratitude is to live my life for him. “Shine, make them wonder what you’ve got, make them wish that they were not, on the outside looking bored, let it shine before all men, let them see good works, and then let them glorify the Lord.