Nine Important Life Lessons
Image via Toe Heftiba
It’s Good to Fail
One of the biggest barriers to success is being so afraid to fail that you never even try. Fear of failure is what stops people from pursuing what they really want in life. It keeps them stuck in unhealthy patterns that trap them in an unfulfilled life.
The moments in my life when I have experienced the most regret have always come from not trying something. From not going after what I want.
Getting rid of fear is an impossible task because it’s a part of our biology, so the best we can do is change our response to it. It also helps to realize that most people don’t care whether you fail or not. They’re too busy dealing with their own fears of failure. Your biggest critic is probably inside your own head. That’s who you have to talk to and convince that it’s actually good to fail because it means you’re trying, and you can be proud of the effort you’re giving.
It Doesn’t Matter What Other People Think
Again, most people are so wrapped up in their own lives that they aren’t thinking about what you’ve got going on. If you make a mistake or mess up, people might notice it for a moment, and then they’ll be on to the next thing. That frees you up to focus on what you think and figuring out what you want to do in life.
Hard Work Pays Off
Even though the nature of work is changing drastically, the fundamental truth is that working hard always pays dividends and benefits you in multiple ways.
Technology has made it so that we are able to obtain things quicker than ever before. We expect instant gratification and this makes hard work even more unattractive to us. But it also means that there are more opportunities for anyone willing to embrace working hard.
You Need to Learn How to Say No
Part of the joy of being human, especially once you become an adult, is that you have the freedom to make choices about what you want and don’t want as well as what you like and don’t like. The sum of these choices are what make up your life.
People don’t struggle in life because they don’t know what they want, but because they want too many things. They aren’t focused enough. It takes discipline to say no but you have to in order to prioritize the things that are most important to you in life.
It’s actually very easy to say no to what you don’t want. The real challenge is saying no to things you do want and being willing to sacrifice them in service of what you want the most.
More Money Doesn’t Make You Happier
This one is complicated because money actually does make you happier. Up to a certain point. But after your basic needs are met money doesn’t matter as much.
Once you reach that point it is true that money doesn’t make you happier, and pursuing it will lead nowhere. It’s better to focus on the things that truly matter instead.
Communication is Key for a Successful Relationship
There is almost no problem that cannot be solved by better communication. This applies to both personal and professional relationships.
Communication is difficult because it requires you to see someone else’s perspective instead of just your own. It can be uncomfortable, but the problems that come from not communicating are worse.
When you make the effort to communicate it helps you to grow and it deepens your relationships.
You Need to be Flexible
Life constantly changes in all kinds of unexpected ways and you have to be able to accept those changes. Being flexible is a necessary skill for navigating life successfully and it would be difficult to do so without it.
It’s discouraging when things don’t go as planned, but if you’re flexible, you can continue to pursue your goals in spite of setbacks. You can continue to make progress towards them even if you have to take a different path to get there in the end.
Stay Away from Toxic People
The quality of our relationships affects us as much as anything else in life. Relationships, for better or worse, shape the future, and toxic relationships always lead to the second outcome. They never end well and they take a long time to recover from. Time that could be spent growing in new ways instead of healing old wounds. It’s best to avoid these relationships altogether.
Giving Will Make You Happier
Giving back or finding some kind of way to help others is a good way to create meaning in your life. Story after story confirms this truth. A life spent in service of others is more meaningful that one spent serving oneself. Again, there is a limit to how much money can add to your happiness. This is true when it comes to most material things.
The funny thing about giving is that the person who does it always gets something back in return. Sometimes it’s material but it doesn’t have to be in order to be valuable. Nurturing the growth of another always sparks something new in both people.