Certain Things to Know about Life
No one in this world lives life exactly like you do. You are unique in that your experiences, choices and priorities have shaped you into who you are today and no one else has been through the exact same experiences. Despite that, there are certain important truths about life that we cannot deny. We may know some of them, but whether we do or not, it’s good to have a proper list that we can read and share with the people we care about.
1) Growth is Almost Always Accompanied by Pain
We need to be patient when we are going through hardships, because one day that pain we are experiencing will show its meaning. People who have the power to succeed in the long run are those who have used life’s brickbats to lay the foundation and stepping stone for growth. We should not be afraid to break from time to time, nor to fall apart, because those moments are the ones that will also present us with the best opportunities to grow and rebuild ourselves.
2) Only We Know What We are Capable of
Unless there’s a person out there who can stare directly into our hearts and souls and see our strengths and potentialities, no one can tell us who we are and what we are capable of. Others may know what they can and cannot accomplish, but they can’t apply the same yardstick to us. If we remember and maintain this attitude, we just might surprise ourselves.
3) True Beauty is Internal
Only when we truly know someone, do their physical traits fade away. We begin to feel the person’s energy, recognize their scent and can appreciate their wit. We see that person’s essence and not the form it manifests from. This is why we cannot fully love someone based solely on their appearance because appearances can be deceptive. We may feel a desire for, or be charmed by a person, but we can only truly love him / her once we get to know him / her.
4) The Respect We Give is the Respect We Get
We can’t demand respect, nor convince someone to respect us by saying what they want to hear. Respect is earned by listening to others, acknowledging their feelings and respecting them as we would like them to respect us. Respect is earned through our exemplary behavior and attitude towards others and our environment. We should be kind and respect everyone, even those who don’t respect us in return – not because they deserve it, but because we do.
5) Negativity is Poison for the Soul
We should not let negativity and unwanted, overwhelming emotions and sentiments lead us astray from our path of becoming better persons. Life is not a continuous procession of past regrets and future anxieties. Never ever live with regrets. Our focus should be on the here and now, life is too short and our time is too precious to be wasted on trivial matters. When we decide to put our life on track again, the answers to our questions will present themselves on their own.
6) We Should Always be a Student
In schools and universities, lessons are taught first and tests are given later; but in the University of Life tests are given first and we have to learn the lessons from it. At every stage in our life we will be presented with new tests and will have something new to learn. Every bad experience can teach us how to avoid it in the future, or cope with it if need be. If we fail to learn the lessons from the events and experiences of our life, we will be condemned to repeat it. Every good experience can teach us how to preserve it and extend it. As long as we follow our heart and never stop learning life’s lessons, we will evolve and grow, and will always remain young at heart. That is the secret of staying young throughout life. The day we stop learning we will grow old.
7) Our Health is Our Life
No matter what size and shape it is, our body is the most important tool for us to function in this world. The way we treat our body will directly affect the quality of our life. We should exercise to be fit and in shape, not necessarily to lose weight. Our diet should be to nourish our body, not because we will be slimmer. We need to get some exercise – it doesn’t matter whether it is yoga, a brisk walk, a jog, a swim, a bike ride – our body will thank us for it. Even to enjoy the worldly pleasures also we need to be physically and mentally fit. A healthy body is an energetic body, and an energetic body is an energized mind.
8) Our Choices Shape Our Lives
Every day, we are presented with choices. We can appreciate what we have, choose to give ourselves time, choose to do something that will make us smile, choose to be excited, choose to laugh, choose to spend time with people who make us feel good, choose to pursue our goals, choose to be happy and more. We need to make a choice every morning what our day will be like. This choice is the toolbox that will help us live the life of our dreams. We should just remember to choose.
9) Letting Go is Part of Moving on
For each of us, there comes a time to let go. We will know when that time has come. When we have done all that we can do, it is time to detach. We need to deal with our feelings and face our fears about losing control. We should gain control of ourselves and our responsibilities. We should free others to be who they are. In so doing, we will set ourselves free. We will never get what we truly need if we stay attached to things we ought to let go of. Sometimes we love, then we fight, and then we learn to let go, and that’s perfectly fine. If we want to take our life’s proper course, we must learn to let go.
Learn to let go and move on in life.
10) The Here and Now is a Gift
It’s not called “the present” for nothing. Our whole life has led us to this very moment, right now. We need to think about it for a second, everything we have been through and experienced, every challenge we have overcome, every disaster we have risen up from, all of them have led us to this moment in time. Life is lived dynamically in the present, neither in the past nor in the future. Therefore this moment is priceless, so we should not waste it.
