#GrowingUp #Maturity #SelfDiscovery

From the song 'Coward Of The County' by Kenny Rogers:

His father told him:
Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Walk away from trouble if you can.
It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.
I hope you're old enough to understand:
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man.

But, he discovered:
Sometimes you have to fight to be a man....

"There are four kinds of people in the world, Ms. Harper. Those who build walls. Those who protect walls. Those who breach walls. And those who tear down walls. Much of life is discovering who you are. When you find out, you also realize there are places you can no longer go, things you can no longer do, words you can no longer say."
- P. S. Baber, Cassie Draws the Universe

New playlist created!
Playlist of songs used in recent weeks for the themes or topics Maturity/Youth/Know Yourself:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmYXTlZN4bBKe40ut0c6_9Psoccj2dBaH

What's your pick for a #HappySoundsLike song?
International Day of Happiness
http://www.happysoundslike.com/en/index.html

#Wise words and advice from Mike and the Mechanics in the song 'The Living Years':

See lyrics with some comments:
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/mike_the_mechanics/the_living_years.html
(site not connected to or affiliated with LifeLessonsForAll.com)

Lyric video (from YouTube):

#Song lesson: 'Who I Am' by Jessica Andrews

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd9zYKLepCw

Do you think some people/families have far more talents than others and therefore deserve to rule or have a position of privilege?

Do you expect individuals (adults, grown children/kids) to think, act and behave like their parents who raised them?
Would you expect parents to know more about their children because they raised them (because they have an insider view)?
In the movie 'Divergent', the children seemed very different from their parents.

Question: Since it is difficult for people to get to know and understand themselves, would you support a system for others to determine who you are, similar to the system in the movie 'Divergent'?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM

"The way you get to know yourself is by the expression on other people's faces, because that's the only thing you can see unless you carry a mirror about."
- Gil Scott-Heron

"There are three things extremely hard: steel, diamond, and to know one's self."
- Benjamin Franklin

"A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there."
- Meister Eckhart

"You can live a lifetime and, at the end of it, know more about other people than you know about yourself."
- Beryl Markham

LifeLessonsForAll.com: Should your judgements of who you are be above the judgements of others?

Do you have what it takes to survive the world?
Trivia - In which movie did Nicole Kidman tell her daughter: The world is going to get/roll you. I can't wait.....

Song 'Life Goes On' by Leann Rimes

"Life goes on and it's only gonna make me strong."
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JciRr_jU03U

Tyler Perry had his struggles. He had a difficult childhood and also struggled to get his footing in the entertainment industry.
Read Tyler Perry's story at: http://www.biography.com/people/tyler-perry-361274

In this movie, a teenager struggled to fit in and dealt with some serious issues:

Movie 'Mean Girls'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewgggaTjx9Q

Young people, especially teenagers, have to deal with peer pressure.
"They may be feeling 'peer pressure' and may think that to 'fit in' they would have to adopt similar values, beliefs, and goals or participate in the same activities as their friends. A 4-year-old who begs for a toy because her friends all have it is experiencing peer pressure. An adult who buys a luxury car because others in the neighborhood have luxury cars is responding to peer pressure."
- HumanIllnesses.com, http://www.humanillnesses.com/Behavioral-Health-Ob-Sea/Peer-Pressure.html

It is a jungle (rough and tough) out there. The world seems to require people who are:
- Strong,
- Tough cookies/ hard yams,
- Dedicated,
- Survivors/ undeterred.

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
- Mahatma Gandhi

From the song 'Don't Need You To Tell Me I'm Pretty' by Samantha Mumba:

I don't need you to,
Tell me I'm pretty to make me feel beautiful.
I don't need you to,
Give me your strength to make me feel I'm strong.
I got all of this strength that I need here
inside my own two hands,
All that I want is your love and respect for who I am.
What I really need,
Comes from deep inside of me.

Don't need you to tell me I'm pretty to make me feel beautiful,
Don't need you to make me strong cause I'm strong all on my own,
Doesn't come from outside,
This beauty I know,
Comes from inside my soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuCIcIQmBgU

"If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated."
- Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

"You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in."
- Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

Do you know your talents and strengths? This troubled youth did not know his talent and was lucky to discover it.....

Video: Ripping D - It's not about your IQ, it's about your I WILL: Derek Clark at TEDxGreenbrookSchool

https://youtu.be/EyjDmeVn_dA

#KnowYourself - from the LifeLessonsForAlldotcom 2015 calendar:

"Be humble in your confidence yet courageous in your character."
- Melanie Koulouris

Song 'Queen Of The Pack' by Patra:
http://youtu.be/Zxnlhy8c_ys
(Video may shock some. May not be appropriate for all audiences.)

Boastful, confident, or just telling it like it is?

Do you think none, some, most or all confident people have an attitude?
"Some people say that I have an attitude - Maybe I do. But I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there."
- Venus Williams

Do you remember the movie 'Beetlejuice'? Which character(s) is/are over-confident and annoying?
http://youtu.be/qQRbtTvtQWU

Some people like to brag, boast, show-off or show-all. These people tend to be competitive and tend to do whatever it takes to keep up with the Joneses.

How far would you go to be confident?
Article: They really go give you a boost! First scientific research into uplifting lingerie proves push-up bras make women 75 per cent more confident
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2117576/Push-bras-make-women-75-confident-says-study.html

"... [S]ometimes being able to brag about yourself is a good thing."
- Dr. NerdLove, The Art of Selling Yourself (Or: How To Brag Without Being A Jerk),
http://www.doctornerdlove.com/2012/06/how-to-brag/all/1/

What do you include in your personal bio or statement?
What is included on your GooglePlus profile as "bragging rights" or on Twitter or Facebook?

Seems to come from several cultures/countries:
"Self-praise is no recommendation."
- Proverb

(http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Phrases-and-Sayings/Question474566.html)

LifeLessonsForAlldotcom: What do you see as the difference between 'having confidence' and 'being conceited' or 'being arrogant'?

"To walk around with an ego is a bad thing. To have confidence in yourself is a great thing."
- Fred Durst

"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."
- Benjamin Franklin

"There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done."
- Johnny Unitas

Why confidence is needed or required:

"Life is not easy for any of us.... We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
- Marie Curie

"You need to develop somehow a huge amount of faith and confidence in yourself, because there is a lot of rejection throughout an actor's life and you have to believe in yourself more than anyone else."
- Stephen Collins

Are you confident?

"Confidence is at the root of so many attractive qualities, a sense of humor, a sense of style, a willingness to be who you are no matter what anyone else might think or say...."
- Wentworth Miller

Circular issue? Like yourself and be content with what you have, yet strive for more, think no limits, be ambitious.

Song 'Circle Of Life' by Elton John:
http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb4bsAuNmz8

"A man who finds no satisfaction with himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere."
- La Rochefoucauld

"People change a lot of things because they don't like them or are unhappy with them.... These days people seem to change everything. But should we be tolerating more of what happens to us by changing our thinking?
- FahmeenaOdetta Moore for LifeLessonsForAlldotcom, Is There A Need To Change That Thing You Dislike?,
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140814212016-6733373-is-there-a-need-to-change-that-thing-you-dislike?_mSplash=1&published=t

We are bombarded with messages such as these:
"Strive for excellence" - motto used at many institutions
"Strive to be happy" - Desiderata
"Striving and struggle precedes success, even in the dictionary" - S. B. Breathnach

A reserved person who is shy could be viewed as someone who wants to "stay in the background" and does not want to strive for something or achieve much. Reserved people are thought to be puahovers.

Why did Billie Frank start out as a background singer? Was it because she was shy/reserved?
Movie: 'Glitter' (http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitter_%28film%29)

http://youtu.be/hb4bsAuNmz8

People tend to judge the book by the cover.
Example: the way people judged Carrie in the movie 'Carrie'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKASEehJEYE

(Movie is violent and intense. May not be appropriate for all audiences.)

She was content - slipped into the role of mom and seemed to not care much that she aged. She also tolerated rude behavior from strangers.

Show: Style by Jury on ION Life (www.ionlife.com/videos) -
"Woman in hat who looked like a pig farmer's wife" episode

What type of person is:
- Thankful or content with the way things are;
- Reserved, not wanting to ruffle feathers;
- Tolerant;
- A pushover
?
How would such a person fare in the world?

"The most successful people are those who don't have any illusions about who they are. They know themselves well and they can move in the direction of their best talents. They know the kind of culture they thrive in and how they can benefit from that culture. Unfortunately, most people don't understand themselves. Most people don't want to lose their illusions about themselves, although they say they want to take charge of their career."
- Bud Bray

"You never know yourself till you know more than your body."
- Thomas Traherne

Happy video - China

http://youtu.be/oM0QXjRytJ8

Happy video - France

http://youtu.be/toiew37dW6w

Happy video - Barbados

http://youtu.be/6bbXoPXHBZg

Happy video - Guyana

http://youtu.be/lo3H9vuTkXo

Carnival in the Caribbean - a time to celebrate, let loose and have fun as well as de-stress.
Are Caribbean people more fun-loving than people in other countries?
Take a look at the videos that follow.....

Are you a fun-loving or pleasure-seeking person? Do you want to be or remain young to enjoy the pleasures of life?

Fun-loving: people who like to enjoy themselves.

"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment."
- Lao Tzu

Theme for the week 3/15 - 3/21: #KnowYourself
(Repeating this topic/theme because of connections or relations to previous topics #Youth, #Maturity, #Character and #Discipline)