“Life is hard. After all, it kills us.” Katherine Hepburn spoke a brutal truth. It is a harsh world out there and, and every year that goes by, we start to make more sense of the inextricable tangles of life. The sooner you acknowledge and accept these tough cookies, the better your life will become. There’s no point in prolonging the agony of false expectations or the unknown. Reckoning these in all conscience will really put things into perspective and change your attitude towards life into something better.
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1. Everyone and everything that we love will be lost
It is going to end, for all of us. You are going to lose the people you love. Everything that you’ve worked for will be lost at some point. There’s no escape from that. All you can do is cherish the moments with your loved ones and don’t take them for granted. Try to live in the moment, it may all disappear in a second.
2. Stop existing and start living
Easy to say, hard to do. How many of us rumble through life, not knowing what to do with ourselves but get up in the morning and set our daily groove in motion? How many of us lose sight of what’s really important because of this autopilot state of being?
There’s a big difference between living and existing. We all must strive to actually live, not to wish away our days, waiting for better ones ahead. Open your eyes, break out of your shell, experience. Stop for a bit and look around you. Nothing will be the same the next day, let alone in a year.
3. Doing good doesn’t always bring good things
Even if you are good, expect that bad things will happen to you. Unfortunately, doing good does not guarantee a smooth road.
4. Life is not fair
And the universe will not necessarily work its karma. Regardless of the fact that you are honest, act in good faith and live your life with a strong set of values, you may not be rewarded for your candor. Life may play some tricks on you and the bad ones will take all the credit.
The best people don’t always get what they deserve. The least we can do is enjoy what life gives us and make the best of what we have.
5. People are not that nice
As good-natured and kind you may be, you will undoubtedly get hurt if you think you’ll be treated with the same medicine at all times. Just be prepared for that, don’t change yourself. Stay kindhearted.
6. It’s not always going to be the way you thought it would be
It may not always go your way. Things may not go as planned, even if you did all of it right. At some point, everything you’ve set out for yourself might go to waste. But we pick ourselves up and move on. That’s life.
7. You are not perfect and nor will you ever be
Salvador Dali knows best: “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” So you may as well stop chasing it.
8. You’ll change whether you want it or not
Change is imminent. Nothing stays the same. Things change, people change, life goes on. Don’t fight it.
9. You don’t have to make everyone happy
You must make yourself happy. The people around you who value you will be happy with whatever makes you happy. There’s always going to be someone who will judge or criticize you but you must stick to your path and do your own thing, regardless of what other people think.
10. Time wasted can never be regained
Be better at time management. Understand that every second counts. Time passes by so quickly, you’ll get old faster than you think. You don’t want to be someone packed with regrets.
11. Time is gold, not money
You can have all the money in the world and it won’t buy you time. Money is indeed necessary but managing your time towards what you really wished to achieve in life. That’s happiness.
12. To make your life cozy, be productive
We all need a purpose to get on with it. Something that drives us from within. This way your life has meaning and you should do everything to reach that goal.
13. Happiness means something you do for others
All day every day, you should think about who and what truly makes you happy, if you say you are indeed happy. Do you know what actions led to your happiness? Answering this question will help you understand that happiness is tightly related to your actions unto others and their actions unto you.
Repeat them every day if you must, but be sure to lead your life with these truths in mind. You’ll be ready to face whatever life throws your way.
