Things are pretty dark out there in the world, whether you are looking at social, political, economic, financial, municipal, medical, or family circles. It can be challenging to see light at the end of the tunnel, or even recognize that this stretch is truly just a temporary tunnel in our life’s journey.

I am a religious person; in case you did not know. This past week, I listened to an inspiring message from a leader of my church. Before it was released, it was promoted as something that would help to bring hope and healing to the world. I was intrigued about what the message might contain. As I listened to it, the message was that we could find healing as we focused on gratitude.

As I acted on the encouragement to spend time each day thinking about and then expressing publicly what I was grateful for, I found that it really invigorated me and helped to do a great deal more positive reflecting than I might normally do.

This morning, I was reflecting on some of the many people, places, and things that have molded and shaped me into who I am today. I can see highs and lows, good days and bad days, and everything else that makes for a rich and varied life. If you take 10 minutes to look back on your life, I think that you will see that you are not the same person that you were 6 months, a year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, or more years ago than that. Your experiences define you. Your experiences flavour you. And each moment in our lives mixes into the lives of those around us. It is amazing.

If you look at your experiences in a block, it is easy to see how each of those segments in time or experience have influenced you. I’d like to share a few of my defining life experience blocks.

Home and Family

We all start off in some sort of family situation. The experiences that we have with our parents, siblings, immediate and extended family, as well as those individuals and groups that encompass us, are very influential in shaping us.

I have a fairly large family (by today’s standards), with a bunch of brothers and a sister. I have a pretty huge extended family on one side of the tree, however, due to our family circumstances, I did not have much contact with them. As a boy and then as a young man, I spent most of my time on the thinner side of the tree, with my parents, siblings, and my maternal grandparents. This shaped many of my interests and, ultimately, my future profession.

My grandparents were great gardeners, as well as avid bird watchers. They lived in the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan. My mom was (and is) a tremendous gardener. Over the years, I had 1000s of chances to be exposed to growing flowers and vegetables, fruit, and trees. I gained an appreciation for growing plants, noticing the beauty of nature, as well as seeing the oddities and unique features that pop out. I can still remember the first time I saw tent caterpillars, standing in Grandma’s front yard. Something like that sticks with you.

Education and Training

I am extremely grateful for the chance that I had to receive a good education, which I continue to draw upon as I move through life. It forms the foundation that I build my house of experience on. It has also reinforced in me the notion that you can, and never should, stop learning.

My extended time in university not only gave me a chance to learn lots of things, but I was also introduced to peers and mentors that have formed the basis of my knowledge network. I learned early on that I could never know everything, so it was important to recognize those people around me that could help fill in my gaps. I have continued to expand my network to this day, not just because I have a lot of gaps, but also because a network can be enriching and empowering.

I was also introduced to the joy that sharing knowledge with others can bring. I love helping others to find the information that they need, and to come to a better understanding of what they are doing.

One other experience that I had in my formal education was learning to write. I continue to try and improve my writing each time I set fingers to keyboard, but years of having people take the time to read and correct my writing has helped me in many ways. I learned not only to write clearer and more accurately, but also that it is ok to ask someone else to look something over. That particular lesson has been reemphasized many times over, but it was worth noting.

Unique Life Experiences

In the early to mid-nineties, I spent 2 years in Switzerland and France as a missionary. On top of the opportunity that I had to learn French (pretty much), and to see another part of the world, I also learned some valuable lessons that I can draw upon every single day of my life. I learned that I could do hard things, even unpleasant or awkward things. I was (and still am) a pretty shy kid, but I found ways to work around that shyness and talk to people. I gained confidence. I learned to study and incorporate knowledge. I learned firsthand the benefit of giving of myself freely, without expectation of anything back.

A side benefit of my experience (but no less important) was being surrounded by great examples. Whether it was my fellow missionaries, the leaders that instructed, cared for us, and guided us, or those marvelous families that we spent time with, all contributed in some way to positive growth.

Volunteer Contributions

I know that many people contribute to society in their own way. I am a fan of the “roll up your sleeves and get in there” camp, rather than the “write a cheque” camp (there is nothing wrong with it; I just have not tended to be positioned to help in that particular way). For myself, I have found great joy and satisfaction in volunteering, as it gives me a chance to give to my community in a lasting way. I have also had the opportunity to learn new skills, or to refine unused ones. 26 years ago, I learned to juggle oranges one handed while volunteering for an afternoon for an organization in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is not a skill that I have drawn upon frequently since then, but I have it, and I am more unique for the experience.

Work and Career

Since your working life seems to take up a pretty sizeable portion of your life, it should come as no surprise that a significant part of our life experience comes from work. For myself, I learn something new every day. Throughout my working life (and hopefully into the future), I have been enriched by my contact with others. I have made mistakes, and I have (hopefully) learned from them. I learn as I observe others, as I study and research to find answers for others, and as I see what is being done around me. I have gained a great deal through my associations with all sorts of folks. I have had great mentors. I have good friends. I see great examples around me.

Conclusions

Some experiences are painful, and it takes time for us to see how we were affected by them. Others are passive and sort of sink into us, without us recognizing their influence until later. But the basic truth is, we are all better for our experiences.

Take a few minutes and reflect on those experiences that have shaped you. It is fun to see which experiences float to the top of your mind and just how far you have come.