It’s funny how life works sometimes. Your parents, teachers and family members work so hard when you’re young to teach you everything you need to get through life. But, sometimes the biggest lessons are the ones we teach ourselves. Life is full of teachable moments – and we often have to stumble first to get to the right place. But these are the essential life lessons we keep with us; the lessons we teach ourselves are the most valuable.
No matter what, not everything can be learned in the classroom and some of the most significant moments will happen when you least expect it. And when you get to those moments, it’s important to take what you can from them. Some lessons are meant to stay with us for good, so try to learn them the first time around or the Universe will continue to try to drive the point home. These life lessons resonate with me in my daily life and I thought I’d share them with in hopes that there’s something that will resonate with you. Short and sweet, here’s a look at four essential life lessons at-a-glance.
#1. Always listen to your intuition. When they say trust your gut, it’s one of the truest statements out there because no matter what, you always have yourself. Your intuition will guide you on so many journeys in life – from knowing who you can trust to having faith in yourself to make the right decisions and follow the path that’s most suited to you. When it comes to your own personal happiness, that’s on you – and there’s no other way to fulfill it than to know just what you want and need – and trusting yourself is the best way to get there.
#2. Never believe everything you read. You’re going to see and hear a lot of things along the way – that’s what life is all about, really. You’ll have adventures where you’ll cross paths with people, places and scenarios that stretch your comfort zone – so remember – you cannot believe everything and everyone. This is one of those places where trusting your gut comes up huge – you’ll know when you’re hearing truth or when it’s being stretched. So trust yourself to navigate people and places by following your instincts.
#3. Don’t surround yourself with negative people. At the end of the day, you get to decide who is part of your life – from colleagues to friends – and if you don’t like someone’s attitude, move on. Negative people and negative energy can bring you down in ways you’d never expect – and sometimes you don’t even know it’s happening to you! So stop it in its tracks. Stick with the positive people you know, hold on tight to those relationships and let their zest for life fill you up too. Positive energy is the best kind of energy and it’s contagious too.
#4. Make time for the ones you love. Our day-to-day lives have a funny way of sneaking up on us – making us so busy that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important. When it comes down to it, your loved ones matter most – not a job, not making money – it’s the people closest to your heart. So even when you feel like you don’t have the time, make the time. Even if it feels like a chore, find the positivity and let love drive your heart and your decisions. We only have one life to live so, make the most of it.
Have you had life experiences that have led you to learn some valuable lessons?
