Top 10 Favorite Life Lessons
Thursday, January 15, 2015
As I turn a year older and close off the first quarter of what I hope is a very long life, let me share my favourite life lessons:
- Make your road map and schemes but allow life to make adjustments. Sometimes these adjustments may seem unacceptable and insurmountable - believe that these are all part of a Higher Plan that you may not appreciate and understand yet. As Steve Jobs once said, you can only connect the dots looking backwards. Open your mind to new paths, different people, divergent perspectives and weird experiences.
- Know and be who you are but be willing to change in the face of new information and options. Never compromise on basic values such as honesty, integrity and respect, even if other people do (especially those you hoped would never falter). Other people will think and act differently; respect them anyway. Listen to their story and don't forget to share your own.
- Karma is a real bitch - you really get what you give. Cultivate kindness, even when it's hard and even when it's unfair. Share happiness and dampen negativity. Choose the road less travelled when it matters and when it's right, even if it will make you look like a fool. Be sure when you face the man in the mirror, you're not ashamed of what you see.
- Let go of past hurts and pains. Forgive, learn and forget - make room for positive memories and new goals. Remember that everyone has bad days. When someone is making life difficult for you, there's a story behind it which doesn't involve you. So, even if you don't know what that story is, give difficult people the benefit of the doubt.
- Count your blessings everyday. It's easy to forget how blessed you are when you keep comparing yourself to others. Each life is different - live yours and mind your own business. Unplug yourself from social media, take a walk, go on a date, play with your family, hang out with your friends. The number of likes and comments on your latest Facebook post does not and cannot measure how great your life really is. You don't need the latest fads and fashion to be happy either. As the Little Prince noted, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
- Love is a verb. It is a choice. Give love to the people who matter to you. Show them but don't expect it in return. When the embers of courtship and engagement fade, take it as an opportunity for real love to grow. When that loving feeling disappears, act loving anyway.
- Believe in a Higher Power at work. Some things just cannot be understood in the realm of human understanding. Accept that life is not fair - it has never been and never will be fair. When it seems really dark and hopeless, turn to that Higher Power for hope. It helps when you have an established support system - family and friends who will be with you through thick and thin.
- Friends are the family you choose, so choose well. You may not get it right the first time and many times after that, but when you do, nurture those friendships. Sometimes, distance, career, family and a lot of other reasons may keep you apart but true friends can weather it all out.
- You can't choose your family, but you can choose how to be a solid unit together (or a chaotic mess altogether). As you grow older, you will hate your siblings less and love them more. You'll be surprised that they can turn out to be the best among your friends and that they'll have your back when you least expect it. Your parents get better with age too, especially when you become a parent yourself.
- Love yourself. That's probably the hardest thing to do. Don't be hard on yourself so you won't be hard on other people too. Give yourself a break. You will never be perfect, but you can strive to be the best version of yourself. It's okay to make mistakes and it's a skill to laugh at all the stupid things you did. You are awesome just the way you are. Don't let other people tell you otherwise.
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