Essential Life Lessons We Often Learned Too Late

Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards.-Søren Kierkegaard

Do you ever look back in your life and like, “ I wish I’d knew earlier?”

Well, maybe yes. There are so many lessons we learned from life.

Ever since I was a kid, I had dreams to make a change in the world. But growing up, precisely when I began to understand what life is, things started changing. Once my uncle told me that there are some lessons you only learn through experience. I think that’s why these lessons are called life lessons.

You don’t need to keep falling and rising to learn and experience life. Some of the essential life lessons we can learn through watching others or by reading books. All we need is to be curious and wise.

Here are some life lessons I have learned through hardship in life, and I wish someone had told me about them earlier.

Life can change in an instant. So, besides taking things for granted, be grateful for what you have

Well, the most recent experience of this with us is the Covid pandemic. Everyone’s life changed instantly. But, there is also a good thing that I had experienced last year, how to pace myself in life?

It slows down everyone’s life, and I had enough time to rethink and reexamine my life. There are many things I was taking for granted because I didn’t have much time to appreciate what I had.

And that’s true, in our fast-paced life, we often forget to be grateful and happy for all the good things and good people around us. We forget that death hangs over us, and in a flash of a second, blink of an eye, it can strip us bare from life. So, be grateful and do whatever good you can with all you have.

You owe nothing to your younger self, but you owe everything to your present self

It took me years to understand that life is not a straight line. It’s a whole canvas that you paint through your experiences. And sometimes, you need to re-stroke to paint it beautifully. There is nothing wrong if your first stroke is not that appropriate. Learn from it and try harder. That’s how we live.

As a kid, we all had many dreams and plans of what we want to do in our lives. But through time, our interests and thoughts changed. And that time we feel lost and disappointed. We dig deeper and figure out life goals as we keep going.

Feeling lost is a good sign of growth. Things we want once are no longer matter to us today. It’s okay. Don’t regret it. You are no longer your younger self, and you don’t owe anything to your younger self. The person you are today is only responsible for your present self.

Share your progress, not your goals

Well, that’s the most valuable lesson I have learned till today. The early praise turn the tables. Yes, that’s a fact. That’s why people usually talked more about what they want to do in their lives but never end up doing them. That’s how I come up with the idea of not announcing my goals publically.

While sharing your progress is a good idea of keeping yourself motivated. So, if you want to turn the tide, share your progress. Stop sharing your goals.

The second you spend comparing your life to someone else’s is a second spent wasting yours

We all usually do this. After finishing my studies or even while in graduation, sometimes, I started comparing myself to every other one there. And I end up in dissatisfaction and disappointment. We often started comparing our lives to others without knowing their story.

Stop doing it right now. We all are unique and going through different phases. Comparing ourselves with anyone will never make any sense. It can only make your life more miserable. Instead, start writing your own story by walking on your path. Stay true to your definition of success. And when you consider yourself successful, who cares what society and others think about you.

Self-care is not all bubble baths, roses, and chocolates

For most of my life journey, I take it all wrong. Trust me or not, this is one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in the past few years. Self-care is all about realizing that you’re your biggest obstacle. If you do not evaluate and upgrade yourself, you are sabotaging your progress in life. So, look into the mirror and ask yourself:

What’s pulling you down?

What do you need to let go to keep moving and blooming?

What ideals are not serving you anymore?

What is limiting you?

Sometimes, we started to act subconsciously and think that’s the only way. And after some time, you started feeling blocked. You are not growing. People around you began to criticize you. You started feeling hurt and broken. Wake up and realize that time has come when you need to change your beliefs. It’s time to change your self-sabotaging behavior.

Self-care is all about learning these patterns and letting them go and allow room for what will serve you positively and better.

Stop belittling yourself, just be yourself.

The fear of being judge by others is one of the biggest that halts us in our journey. But my dear, whatever you do, good or bad, people will always judge you and taunt you. But do they really matter? No, they don’t. What really matters is giving your best and feel worthy for what you are. That’s the way you bring confidence and positivity to your life.

Never allow anyone to control your life. Say no to that. Your life is yours only because everyone is living theirs. Stop belittling yourself by thinking about what others will say? Who cares? They judge you and forget about you after some time as they got busy in their lives. Start ignoring people who make you feel less worthy. It is your life, and you have all the power to live it fully. So, what are you waiting for? Be yourself and do what makes you happy inside out.

It doesn’t matter how old you are and in which phase of your life. Life lessons never end.

We should continue to grow and evolve. Life lessons are powerful knowledge, insights, and self-awareness that you can adopt to improve your relationship with your life.

Keep learning, and keep adapting. Life is as beautiful as you want to make it.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.-Eleanor Roosevelt