What I Have Learned (sometimes the hard way)

I've learned - that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.I've learned - that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.I've learned - that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.I've learned - that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.I've learned - that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.I've learned - that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.I've learned - that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.I've learned - that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.I've learned - that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.I've learned - that you can keep going long after you can't.I've learned - that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.I've learned - that either you control your attitude or it controls you.I've learned - that regardless of how wonderful a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.I've learned - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.I've learned - that money is a lousy way of keeping score.I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.I've learned - that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.I've learned - that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.I've learned - that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.  Same goes for true love.I've learned - that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don't love you with all they have.I’ve learned - that 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.I've learned - that 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 it.I've learned - that your family won't always be there for you.  It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.I've learned - that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.I've learned - that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.I've learned - that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.I've learned - that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.I've learned - that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.I've learned - that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.I've learned - that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.I've learned - that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.I've learned - that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.I've learned - that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.I've learned - that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.I've learned - that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.I've learned - that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.I've learned - that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings and standing up for what you believe.

World Teachers Day 2011

How to Have a Full and Meaningful Life

Life is full of routines like sleeping, eating and working with occasional landmarks such as marriage, birth and death. Seasons and years come and go. Even special events like vacations and holidays can become repetitious, less exciting and meaningful as we grow older. So how can we live a full and meaningful life?

Three Common Approaches

There are three common approaches that consume most of the time, talents and energy of our waking hours. One approach is the pursuit of material things. Americans are in love with having a modern home, late model cars, lots of clothes, a wide variety of food and as many new electronic gadgets as possible. The desire for more and better things has resulted in a throwaway society where new is better, savings are low and debt is high. The cost and quantity of things that are accumulated measure success.

The Pursuit of Things

There are two problems with the pursuit of things. First, possessions tend to possess the possessor. The more you have the more there is to take care of and worry about. I think about this whenever I cut and fertilize the lawn, wash the cars and keep the house clean. Things break down and this is a continuing source of headaches and frustration. Secondly, things and wealth that are accumulated are left behind when death occurs. Therefore, others benefit from the hard work to accumulate things. This can be good or bad depending on whether the inheritors are appreciative and wise in using the wealth passed to them. The bottom line is that man enters this world with nothing and takes nothing out of it so it is not true that the one who dies with the most things wins.

The Pursuit of Pleasure

The second popular philosophy of life is the pursuit of pleasures to experience life to the fullest. These people have a lifestyle of traveling, multiple sexual partners, drugs, new restaurants and entertainment forms (e.g., TVs, CDs, VCRs, etc.), seeking excitement and pleasures that are fleeting. There is no lasting satisfaction in this approach and it leads to frustration. Most people do not have enough time or money to experience all the possible places, people, food, things, etc., that can be enjoyed. Indeed, even if it were possible to have unlimited wealth, there would always be places and things beyond our experience due to the limits of the human life span.

A full life cannot be measured by the quantity but rather by the quality of one's relationships with others and with God.

The Apostle Paul, after having been beaten, ship-wrecked and thrown into prison, wrote that he had lived a full life and was content in whatever situation he found himself (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul said that as long as he had Jesus, he could do anything through the strength of God's presence and power (Philippians 4:13).

Leaving a Legacy

A third popular pursuit is to leave a legacy. Living for family, fame or fortune may be noble, but it is ultimately futile. Family members and human relationships seldom turn out the way we like. Fame and fortune dwindle over time, and facts are frequently altered to meet political, cultural or religious objectives. King Solomon of the Bible was a person who had vast wealth, time and wisdom. He tried all of life's pursuits but, in the end, found them all to be meaningless vanity and chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:13-14). He concluded that the best that man could hope for was to find satisfaction in work, do good and fear God (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; 12:13).

This is the best that man can hope for without a saving relationship with Jesus who said that abundant and meaningful life comes from knowing him as personal savior (John 10:9-10).

For Reflection

So the key to living a full and meaningful life is first discovering a relationship with Jesus Christ and then following the Lord on an amazing adventure through a life of faith.

Living a Meaningful Life

Too many of us live like goldfish, swimming in the same orbit day in and day out feeling uninspired, tired, bored and sometimes worse. Life is much too precious to waste that way. Every person has a unique purpose in life. I implore you not to waste your days berating yourself for what you don’t know and don’t do well.Instead, discover your strengths, passions, purpose and build your life on those.

Here are 10 ideas about living a meaningful life, as I understand them. Embracing even a few of these will help you begin the exciting journey of self discovery.

1. We are all here for a purpose. God has a special purpose for you. Your being here makes a difference.
Your purpose may be obscure to you and a challenge to discover.
Start now. There are many resources, coaches and books to help you with this endeavor.
2. The secret to fulfillment is self knowledge. Start the exciting journey of discovery.
3.The second part of the secret to fulfillment is to apply your self knowledge to what you do and how you live.The more you know, the more you can actively pursue your true purpose.
4.Don’t waste time lamenting what you don’t do well. Concentrate on your strengths.Those reflect who you are. Leave the other things to people who do them well.
5. Build on your strengths. Do more of them and give yourself recognition for doing the things you do well.
6. Pay attention to the small details that you enjoy in your everyday life. Do more of them.
7. Pay attention to the small details you don’t enjoy. Find ways (such as delegation) to eliminate as many of them as possible.
8. Keep a journal and put particular emphasis on the things about yourself and events in your life for which you are grateful.
9. Make an effort to release the negative aspects of your past. Try not be imprisoned by your past. Do not define yourself by your past.
10.Jump-start your self-esteem by giving back to the community.Volunteer in a meaningful way that suits who you are and your interests.

Enjoy the journey. You will get to know and like yourself in a whole new way. Work with a friend, hire a coach, and use the resources out there, to help you with objectivity.Have someone point out the good things about you that you have a tendency to overlook. As soon as you stop doing what you hate and start doing what you love, you may find your life more meaningful and fulfilling.

Science Investigatory Project (SIP) Write-Shop 2011.

JPENHS announces the opening of Summer Class in Science Investigatory Project (SIP) Write-Shop 2011. The write-shop is open to all interested JPENHS students. The summer class will be on April 11-30, 2011 for the First Batch and May 2-27, 2011 for the Second Batch. A registration fee of P500.00 will be charged per participant. Enroll now at JPENHS Finance Office. Be productive this summer. Be a researcher! Limited slots only! For more details see Mr. Zaldy D. Alima or Mrs. Ana Geran V. Millan. See you there!