“23 Valuable Life Lessons”

5 minute read

We’ve all lived our lives and learned a myriad of lessons; some of which we live by, and some of which we choose to completely ignore and then inevitably find ourselves re-learning further down the line, only to ask ourselves why we didn’t take notice the first time. Hindsight is such a bitch.

Jesse Pinkman – Best ever user of the word Bitch (that’s official)

The list of lessons becomes longer the more we live, but in this article I wanted to keep it short and limit myself to just 23, because, well, 23 is just a pretty cool number to work to. Isn’t it? No? Okay maybe that’s just me. But anyway, here are a few to share with you dear reader. And how about you? Do you have any to share? As always, please feel free to leave your comments at the end of this article.

1. Just because somebody talks a lot doesn’t necessarily mean they have much to say. Appreciate the value of words.
2. Love because you WANT to, not because you NEED to. There is a difference.
3. Dream big, and don’t ever be rational. Being rational didn’t put man on the moon. Being rational didn’t put the first plane in the air. It’s the people who dreamt big that have had the greatest impact in this world.
4. Always be yourself. Those that like you for who you are will respect you and stick with you. Those that don’t will fall by the wayside. Good riddance. In the end you’ll be left with a hardcore group who really matter.
5. Never try to please everybody. This only results in pleasing nobody. People will see through this and will lose all trust in you.
6. Be a man of integrity and a man of values. Remain steadfast.
7. Anybody can tell you what you want to hear, but only a true friend will tell you the things that you don’t.
8. Love yourself. Yes, love yourself. Don’t like yourself – love yourself. This doesn’t mean be vain or arrogant. It means be your best self at all times and do not settle. Know your worth. Treat yourself the way you’d treat somebody who you think the world of. Do this all of the time.
9. Practice self awareness. Live. Pause. Reflect. Adapt. Live. Pause. Reflect. Adapt.
10. Have humility. No matter where you are in life or what you do, there will always be somebody who is better at something than you are. Accept this and learn from these people.
11. Enjoy your own company. Appreciate solitude. You’re the only person who is ever guaranteed to be in your life, for your entire life. Be your best friend.
12. In the beginning you are born. At the end you die. The in-between bit is called life. Live it.
13. There is no success without failure. See failure for what it really is – a test to see how much you really want to achieve your goal, and a vital stepping stone in fine tuning your road to success.
14. To be a courageous person doesn’t mean you’re fearless. Being courageous means you’re aware of your fears, but you’re willing and able to walk through that fear. Fear is a natural emotion, and it can be your friend.
15. You ARE free. You are free to CHOOSE how you feel in any given situation. Nobody can make you feel angry, or sad, or upset, or even happy. It is how you choose to respond that determines your ultimate emotional state, and you can choose to find meaning in any given situation. You make your own choices, and therefore, YOU are responsible for how you feel at all times. And this means you are always free. *
16. Your comfort zone is like living inside of an ever shrinking bubble. The more it shrinks, the more confined and suffocated you feel. The only way to expand it is to step outside of it and let that bubble grow with you. Live at the edge of your comfort zone as frequently as possible. Let it grow bigger and bigger.
17. If you’re unhappy that things aren’t working out the way you planned, yet you insist on keep trying the same old approach with the hope that things will be better next time. They won’t. Accept this and try something new.
18. Always try to look for positives in every given situation, even those that appear to be awful and without hope. You can find light in some of the darkest places.
19. Rid yourself of any mentality that you deserve good things by default. The world doesn’t owe you anything. It gave you life and that in itself is a gift. Things are not deserved. Things are earned. If you want good things then you have to work hard and never give up. Earn it.
20. Having the ability to do something is meaningless unless those abilities are actually applied. Knowing what to do is not enough in itself, but doing what you know is everything.
21. The reward for working hard isn’t necessarily in the outcome, but in the act of doing the work itself.
22. Comparing yourself to other people is a fruitless endeavour. No matter what, there will always be somebody who has more than you and is more successful than you. Don’t waste your life chasing after or imitating others. Follow only your own dreams. Compare yourself only to yourself. Create your own path and never do anything with the sole purpose of impressing others. The only person you should ever try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
23. The greatest friend you’ll ever have and the fiercest enemy you’ll ever have are both the same person; yourself.

* (15) I can’t claim to have come to this conclusion all by myself. This incredibly valuable lesson was inspired by the classic book “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl. Another book I can highly recommend on this subject is “Prisoners of our Thoughts” by Alex Pattakos which studies the concept of logotherapy, founded by Viktor E. Frankl, and how to apply it to your own life.

Share this article: