As human beings, we all lead different lives. However, that does not mean we are experts at the life provided to us. Most of the time, we navigate blind-sided into each moment yet, the life lessons we learn from experience prove that the ultimate teacher will always be life itself.
1. What is in the past, remains in the past.
The past is an abyss of time, which many of us find ourselves lost within, pondering over unanswered questions and unresolved problems. We become estranged from reality—holding grudges and dwelling on insecurity—only to consume our minds with regret. Accept that no change can be done to the past as some forces in the world are out of the capacity of human control. Our memory is not our worst enemy so, leave the past behind and move on.
2. It is okay to “not be okay.”
Simply put—we are human and as humans, we are allowed to make mistakes and feel emotions for those mistakes. We scream and cry and worry, and that is okay. Our brains withstand so much pressure, a mental breakdown is an inevitable response to stress. Those breaking points mentally alleviate our minds. Once we experience the pain and hurt of being broken, we can cope and accept. Go ahead and have a mental breakdown. Just remember, there is a time to be defeated by life and then, there is a time to fight back and win.
3. Live the moment and not “for" the moment.
At times, we are left immersed in strangling anticipation of the future. Why will it come, when will it come, and ultimately, how will it come? We constantly wait for life to shower us with the good of the future. We break down walls and open doors to make those good moments a part of our physical world. Yet, when we are existing in those moments, we forget to savor every aspect, from unforgettable beginnings to everlasting farewells. Stop overthinking what is to come in the future because as time ticks away, the pace does not depend on time taken to anticipate living moments but, time taken to make them memorable and worthwhile.
4. Expectations can lead to disappointment.
Just because we expect, does not mean we will receive. We expect to be rewarded for hard work and therefore, we expect those rewards to be in our favor. However, the judge—a judge of chance—makes the final ultimatum to determine whether our hard work is truly deserving of reward. It is unfortunate, yet in this probabilistic society, we are forced to acknowledge the universal scale of what can or can not happen, in which our goals are placed. We learn not to lower our expectations, but to recognize that the expectations we hold are simultaneously being held in the hands of probability. Our expectations can be let down and naturally—through disappointment—we succumb to fears of self-doubt. However, we must play the game of probability correctly, manipulating disappointment into ambition and achievement.
5. Happiness is a choice, not an end result of choices.
Every waking moment, we are guided by decisions and choices yet, we often fall short on the most important one— the choice to be happy. The misconception is that happiness is the resulting product of all decisions made throughout this “journey of life.” Eventually, we realize we are in the middle of our journey, but without an inkling of happiness. We appear shattered by the “ups and downs” of life, finding fault within life when fault is truly within ourselves. Nothing and no one in this pursuit for happiness will make us happy, unless we choose to be happy.
