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The Top 10 Lesson I Learned From Charlie Brown

1. It’s okay to be afraid... just don’t let your fears control you.

Charlie Brown often sat in bed and spoke of his fears, but no matter how scared

he was he always did the things he wanted to do.

2. Persistence wins out.

Charlie Brown often lost, failed at much, but he never gave up. Even though he

knew Lucy was going to pull the football away before he could kick it.... Even though he knew the tree was going to

eat his kite... Even though he knew his team would lose the ball game… he kept on trying.

3. It’s what you think of yourself that counts.

Linus carried a security blanket for years and his friends laughed at him. They also laughed at him because he

believed in the Great Pumpkin. Pigpen was a walking cloud of dust and dirt and was often regarded unkindly. Both

characters, however, were always proud of themselves and believed they were as good as anybody else – and they

were right.

4. Sometimes you need to talk.

One thing the “Peanuts” gang understood was the importance of talking things out. Whether leaning up against

Schroeder’s piano or atop the brick wall, they always discussed what was of concern to them.

5. Sometimes you need to listen.

Even crabby, self-indulged Lucy knew the importance of listening. She started the famous Psychiatry Booth where

any and all could come and be heard.

(continued)

Copyright 2007 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.Image(s) copyright 2007 JUPITERIMAGES, and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Supported by the Verizon Foundation

The Top 10 Lesson I Learned From Charlie Brown (continued)

6. Do what you love to do.

Through all their adventures, Schroeder remained constant in his appreciation

of Beethoven and his love of playing the piano. He loved to play piano and that’s

what he did, regardless of the circumstances. Charlie Brown flew his kite, played

baseball and football, not just to win (he knew he wouldn’t), but because he loved

to do those things.

7. It’s important to have friends that care.

The Peanuts gang was made up of individual characters, each with their own foibles and talents, but through it all

they were always there for each other.

8. Big dreams lead to big things.

Snoopy was the biggest dreamer of them all, but his wild imagination often led to even wilder, more fantastic

adventures in real life. Snoopy knew that you must have a big dream if you are going to lead a big life.

9. Action creates reality.

As Charlie Brown was reminded time and again after prodding from Linus: it takes action to bring about change.

Though he often failed, Chuck took action quite regularly – and every now and again things would go his way.

10. Laugh every day!

While the kids themselves may not have seen the humor in the things they did, Schulz made sure that we did. Life

is only as serious or as humorous as YOU make it. Lighten up. Go play softball. Fly a kite. Dance with your dog.

Smile... it makes people wonder what you’re up to.

Text copyright 1999, 2001, 2001 Jim M. Allen & CoachJim.com. Used with permission.

Life Lessons I Learned from my Parents

WRITTEN by JOSHUA BECKER

Admit mistakes. It would be foolish for me to claim my parents have been perfect. They aren’t. But when they make a mistake, they humbly admit it. And

work to fix it.

Appreciate teachers. My mom worked a number of jobs while I was growing up ― including being a teacher. From her, I learned to appreciate the time, energy, commitment, and care that teachers show every day.

Assist your neighbor whenever possible. Everywhere I’ve lived, my parents knew our neighbors. More importantly, they recognized their needs and assisted when possible.

Attend church. Worship has always been important to my family. Then and now.

Be a good friend to find a good friend. Healthy friends cultivate healthy friendships. And my parents taught and modeled what it means to be a good friend to others.

Be content with little. There were numerous times growing up when money was tight. Nevertheless, my parents were content in it.

Be content with much. There were also times when the bank accounts were healthy. Even more impressive, my parents were content then as well.

Be open to criticism. We never stop learning, growing, and changing. My mother and father were always open to being challenged in new ways.

Be quick to help. If a need in the community was articulated, my parents were among the first to be there. They set a healthy example from the very beginning that life is not all about getting… it’s about giving.

Care about the right things. Our lives and resources are finite. And you just can’t care about everything. Seek to care about the right things.

Celebrate holidays with family. Even when we lived far away from extended family, I always remember making it home for the holidays as a kid. And as an adult, I still do.

Choose the narrow path. Many will choose the broad, well-trodden path. My parents never did. Their values always dictated their decisions even when they were unpopular.

Come home for lunch. I distinctly remember my dad coming home from work each day for lunch―usually for a hot dog on bread with chips. Let me repeat that, I always remember my dad coming home from work for lunch.

Compete but remain fair. Competition runs deep in our family. But so does fairness. And I’d hate to have the first without the second.

Concern your life with more than money. My mother and father always concerned themselves with greater pursuits than money.

Disagree humbly. Nobody gets it right every time. I’m glad I learned from them the importance of being able to disagree with genuine humility… sometimes I wish I learned this even more.

Don’t fear change. My family moved a number of times while I was growing up (5-6 times before graduating high school). Through the experience and their example, my parents taught me never to fear it.

Don’t look for wealth in money. True wealth is never measured on a bank statement. And they never evaluated theirs by the number of zeros printed on it.

Eat cereal for dinner. Not sure why we had cereal every Sunday night for dinner… but surely, that’s where I learned it.

Education is worth pursuing. My mom and dad had twin sons while still in college. They both graduated. Well done.

Express gratitude. Gratitude is a discipline best experienced in both the good times and the bad. My parents displayed it regardless of external factors.

Forgive quickly. Wrongs happen and mistakes are made. Sometimes, those decisions hurt. But not granting forgiveness only harms yourself.

Have an opinion. You can always count on my mom to have an opinion. And thankfully so. She taught me the value of forming one.

Invite others. My family always sought to include others into our plans and lives. From them, I’ve learned the value of this simple question, “Would you like to come with us?” Our world needs more people like that.

Laugh often.

And then laugh some more. Needless to say, I love the culture of joy my parents established in our home.

Learn from others. My parents never considered themselves so above someone else that they couldn’t learn something new from them. And I’ve always appreciated that trait.

Love is best spoken and shown. Words are important. But so are actions. My

parents express love using both.

Overcome difficulties. This world isn’t easy. And our lives are defined by how we respond in adversity. The greatest among us overcome trials and seek to learn from them.

Pack an afternoon snack. My dad also taught me the value of a fun-size Snickers bar in the afternoon.

Play athletics. I learned to love sports from my dad.

Play board games. But I learned to love board games from my mom.

Practice generosity. Give your life and resources to others as much and as often as you can. They need your help. Your kids need the example. And you need the practice even more than them.

Remain honest. It’s no great accomplishment to be honest when it is easy. But our true appreciation of honesty is displayed when it is difficult.

Respect character. Your character is of far more value than anything you can sell it for. Don’t trade it for something foolish like money, fame, power, sex, or the entire world.

Rise early. I have vivid memories of playing basketball with my father at 6am before school would start. Great memories. But an even greater example.

Schedule rest. As long as I can remember, my mother and father have taken naps on Sunday afternoons. They were probably just tired. But for me, it became a healthy model of appreciating both hard work and scheduled rest.

Serve others. As I learned from them in both word and deed, life is bigger than

yourself. And truest life, fulfillment, meaning, and joy is found in the service of others.

Study words. My mother loves games that value words: Scrabble, Boggle, even Words with Friends. And even to this day, unless I cheat, I am unable to beat her.

Take care of the elderly. The sunset is no less beautiful than the sunrise. I’m grateful for parents who see the beauty in young children, but I am also grateful for parents who have stood by those at the end of their life as well.

Trust others. I learned optimism from my parents. They live their lives seeing the good in others and trusting them because of it. They taught me it is better to trust and get burnt once in awhile than to live your entire life suspicious of everyone around you.

Use your talents. As I mentioned, my dad is a financial guy and my mom is a gifted teacher and trainer. Apart from their careers, they often use their talents in various community-based organizations to better the lives of others. They recognize their gifts and utilize them whenever possible.

Vacations don’t have to be expensive. We went on summer vacations almost every summer growing up. And while a few of them required a significant financial investment, most of them didn’t. But we enjoyed all of them regardless of the destination (except for maybe the drive through the Colorado mountains without an air conditioner…).

Value education. The ability to learn is a gift and a responsibility. My parents taught us early not to take it for granted.

Value family. I’m so thankful to have grown up in a family that was filled with love, care, and joy.

Volunteer. Give freely to your community. Your gift is needed. And it makes the world a better place for everyone.