Here is what I have learned so far on my journey:
•Life is short
•Love yourself first if you are truly to love others
•Accept this moment as the only one you have, value it
•Give joyfully and abundantly without expectation, that others may benefit from your loving kindness and compassion
•Stories are not reality, and can only create suffering  and dissatisfaction for yourself and others
•We are each unique and special beings, yet are not at all separate or apart from all things
•Only in equanimity and sympathetic joy are we truly of benefit to others

David Nissarana, a student of Buddha’s teachings