We all have the opportunity to learn something new almost every day. Decisions are one of the ways we learn from life. It might be making the wrong choice which can teach us not to do something quite the same way the next time. It can also be intentional decisions that result in learning something new.
If you are like me, then learning the hard way is probably the way you learn most things. I can remember in my younger years my father said beware of debt and credit cards. However, when I was nineteen, I had my first credit account and was already over a thousand dollars in debt. It took me until I was nearly thirty to get a better handle on paying off some of that debt. I wish I could say I never took any other debt, but I became far more choosy about what to go in debt for. It was a hard lesson.
Some good decisions I’ve made that have helped me learn and grow came in deciding to go back to school for the fourth time. It has been a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that it has helped me to learn to truly examine the world and put thoughts into writing. My last coursework was in English writing, and I can now see how my thought process can flow better onto paper. It also, has also given me the courage to try my hand a writing for profit, besides my own blogs or self-published writing. That was how I started writing articles for The Inside Spread, a hunting and outdoor-focused online website. I truly enjoy combining passions for the outdoors and writing.
The downside is that with three degrees and a certificate in writing, I still have quite a bit of student loan debt. Is it worth it? I can’t say it always is, because it does lock me in a bit. However, I use my teaching degree every day in teaching at a local private school. I use my ministry degree and knowledge gained from over twenty-five years in pastoral ministry to run an online devotional and in-depth Bible study ministry with my wife. What I’ve learned from going through years of research is how to research almost any topic and pick through the fodder to the gold often hidden beneath, and then how to bring it all together.
Life is full of decisions, and making the wrong ones can hurt us. Making the right ones can help. The real problem is that we may not see what is best until later in life when we’ve had time to sit back and consider where we’ve been. Things I thought were useless I’ve learned to value, and things I thought were most valuable at times I’ve learned are hindrances and I’ve needed to put aside.
Whereever you are in your journey be blessed, keep your eyes open, your mind learning, and your heart full of empathy.
Blessings on the journey,
Dan Shipton
Shippy Woods 
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