Life has a way of getting in the way of our plans and mixing things up a bit. And that’s okay. What matters most about life’s little sucker punches is the way we deal with them and the lessons we learn because of them. Here are 4 life-lessons I’ve recently been thinking about since a special event in our lives.

To say I’ve been unfocused in the wilderness of new ideas is an understatement. But as the old proverb goes, if you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one. I would add that if you’re chasing 20 rabbits, a raccoon and a squirrel or two, you might as well say goodbye to everything else you used to do. And so am simplifying the online clutter I’ve been creating of late. See how…

Life is really an accumulation of daily small stuff that adds up to one huge thing called living. It’s also called love … and kindness … and family.

For many, the Holidays are not happy times. They are filled with stress, anxiety, loneliness, despair, discouragement or a sharp case of the holiday blues. But they don’t have to be. There can be so much more joy in the Christmas season than you think. There are, in fact, specific steps you can take to have a happier, more meaningful Christmas this year, even if circumstances are not ideal.

I was thinking the other day about the man I hope my son will one day be. I was imagining him with the qualities I hope he acquires. And then I wondered if I was adequately teaching him the traits I envisioned him having. Come on in and read the 31 lessons every mom and dad would do well to teach their children before they can no longer teach them.

Life is an incomplete design. And we are the designers. We choose the colors, the pattern, the shape and size of the final product, a glorious finished work of amazingness. Granted, God gave us the materials and even some basic instructions to guide us, but we weave the pieces together to make of our lives what we will.

A Guest post by Anne Lyken-Garner: Most neighborhoods have that one house that is run down and unkempt with rusty cars on the lawn and garbage strewn around the yard. Sometimes the greatest blessings can be discovered in such unexpected places. Anne poignantly shares her experience and the treasured lessons she learned from it, lessons we would all do well to learn ourselves.

Have you ever had a conversation with your food? Me either. Until one day … (Excerpt): “My slice of cheese pizza had no jealousy for the meat-lovers slices or envy for the supreme slices. It didn’t judge the Canadian Bacon … or itself, for that matter. It was simply what it was. Nothing more. Nothing less.” There’s a lesson even a slice of pizza can teach the best of us. Come check it out.

A guest post by Steliana van de Rijt-Economu: I’m convinced there’s a place in our heart and soul where we can withdraw and be happy for just the simple fact of being. In my case, I find that place when I hold my little one and sooth her when she is crying. I also feel it when I open the window early in the morning and feel the fresh caress of spring air cooling my cheek, reminding me that there’s a new day … a day full of possibilities. Some people call it happiness, but I would like to leave it undefined.

There is so much emotional dust and negativity and other bits of self-defeating debris floating around in the atmosphere of our daily lives. Too many people are ill-equipped to recognize the dust and debris for what it is. They are therefore unable to remove it, block it or filter it from intake. While we have filters for just about everything: fish tanks, washing machines, cars, TVs, and cameras, do we have filters that effectively block our lower impulses and external influences that undermine potential, dignity and happiness?

Guest post by David J. Singer: If you stop to think about the number of times a day you interact with other people you’ll probably find it’s more often than you think (at home, the store, the bank, post office, gym, neighborhood, classroom, in line, at the office and even passersby). What are yours like? Are they deep and rewarding or superficial and thoughtless? Mindful interaction may be the answer you’re looking for.

There are things that matter and things that don’t. Some of those beliefs and ideas that don’t matter can actually poison the soul and kick us where it counts. Here are 4 things that don’t matter. But they can also lead to destroyed lives of waisted potential and deep sadness. Avoid these pitfalls for a much more rewarding life of happiness and decency.

Guest post by Stuart Mills: Instead of enjoying the life they already have, many people spend their waking moments worrying about all that could possibly go wrong. Death is seen as something to be avoided at all costs – the idea is to live as long and as safely as possible. Instead of thriving, these people simply survive.

While a new year is a nice benchmark of sorts, its really only one day after the day before. It holds no magic. Perhaps better than endless New Years Resolutions that seem so often to start and stop and start and flounder and start and end, would be to daily resolve to live that one 24-hour chunk of time to its fullest. Maybe by carving out an amazing day, all those amazingly meaningful days would add up to an amazingly beautiful life.

I’ve been a high school teacher for about a decade now. I’ve been touched by the number of students who have shared their personal histories, both successes and heart aches, some of them gut-wrenching. But I’ve learned some valuable lessons about life along the way. Here, I present four of them.

Personal growth bloggers like to motivate their readers to risk more and do more and become more, facing challenges head on and living on their own terms. Inadvertently, however, we may be guilty at times of making our readers feel guilty for living a very normal life of little moments of daily enjoyment. Never apologize for living a peaceful life of personal happiness.