New 151st ARW First Sergeant shares life-long lessons Published Dec. 4, 2011 By Senior Master Sgt. Dwight Christensen 151st ARW SALT LAKE CITY -- In one of the periodicals I frequently read, there's a section that asks people in the news what they've learned over their lifetime. As I begin my new position, I thought I would share some of the lessons I've learned over the years as well as some insight into who I am. I don't yell much anymore. I find that when I yell, I usually have to go back later and apologize. I want everyone to feel free to come in my office and complain about anything they want. But if you come in and complain, ensure that you bring a viable solution to what you're complaining about. I like things in my world to be clean and orderly. I know a lot of people who have piles of paperwork and projects on their desks in no apparent order, but that's never worked for me. That being the case, I don't insist that everyone I work with works the same way I do. I laughed when my Dad told me that one day I would hurt every morning when I got out of bed; I don't laugh at that anymore. As much as you don't want to, you will become your parents. I like Facebook, it can be a lot of fun. But be careful what you put on there, most things today work their way back to the people that you're talking about. Being in charge isn't as easy as you think it is - I've made plenty of mistakes. The only thing I can say for sure is that I've tried my best to do what I felt was right. I think a lot of things should be held as private and personal. Religion and politics should be kept in the same file as your personal intimacy; I don't discuss those things at work. I think your kids are cute. However, I don't think that your children are as cute as you think they are. I especially don't think they're cute when they're running around the airplane, store or the restaurant. Those who know seldom say; those who say seldom know. As a young police officer I was dispatched to a call that I thought was waste of my time. My trainer took me aside and taught me that the incident that I saw as trivial was the most important thing in that person's life at that moment. I've never forgotten that. Don't ever take yourself too seriously. I've learned to laugh at my shortcomings and mistakes and it's served me pretty well thus far. You can never really take anything you say back. Most people say that they forget about insults or jabs but I don't think they really ever do. Just ask anyone who's married.