I’ve sometimes thought how great it would be if I could go back in time and relive my 20’s but with full knowledge of the life lessons I learned in my 30’s and beyond. Like many of us, I was a student in the school of hard knocks. Looking back, it seems as though I learned many of life’s lessons the hard way. One of the most painful life lessons I learned was that you can’t change anyone but yourself. Why didn’t someone tell me this when I was a teenager? Oh, wait a minute, maybe they did, but I didn’t ‘get it’ until I experienced it for myself. I don’t doubt that my parents, teachers and friends tried to teach me some of these lessons by lecturing, suggesting or otherwise imparting their wisdom, but the words went in one ear and out the other.

What are some of the toughest life lessons you learned in the school of hard knocks?