25 Lessons By 25
So I just turned 25!
Here are my favorite 25 lessons I’ve learnend over the past years:
1. Always go with your gut
Most of my problems occurred when I didn’t really listen to that little voice deep down.
“Don’t ignore your intuition. It can save you a lot of wasted time and headaches” — Stephan Labossiere
2. Be curious and ask questions
You’ll never know till you ask, and questioning is a natural crucial feature of communication to better understand things instead of setting out assumptions that might not be valid.
3. Stop putting people in boxes
How many assumptions do we create in our heads while talking to others? Unfortunately, it happens subconsciously and rapidly, that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. But, if we give a chance to listen without judging, or to accept and embrace differences, we’d become way less judgmental
4. Take more risks
It all begins by trusting and believing in ourselves and knowing that we can, and act accordingly.
5. Travel and discover
Go for it whenever you have the chance! You’ll figure that we do share more similarities than difference.
6. Simple acts of kindness can do a lot!
It’s rewarding and will leave both sender and receiver feel great!
7. Take everything as a learning experience
Failure is definitely a part of life. But, nothing is ever wasted when we try to look at things differently with a positive mindset.
8. Love yourself and accept your flaws
We always try to hide or run away from our flaws. But the truth is none of us is perfect. However, once we start accepting our flaws; this is when we become able to change or to do something regarding them.
*P.S; no one would ever love you, the way you would love yourself.
9. Learn from people around you and pay it forward
10. Learn how to say no
Remember that you’re not obliged with anything. And it’s indeed a powerful skill; since it’s always easier to say “yes” in order to please everyone around us.
11. You don’t owe anyone anything but yourself
This also supports the above point. Learning how to draw the line starts by believing that you only owe yourself at the end of the day.
12. Self-awareness, self-love and mental health are underrated
Discovering our true selves as well as taking care of ourselves is something we should all look into more seriously.
13. Figure out your passion and do what you love
I was once asked “what’s your passion?” I got all stumbled over my words in answering such a simple question. But, I figured that it comes by time; by doing what I love and have a passion for, instead of easily falling into a routine that might leave me bored or get me drained.
14. Be thankful for the ones who were there along the road
Be mindful and acknowledge other people’s kindness.
15. Bring the best out of people around you
Same thing as we would want/expect other people to bring out of us.
16. Never take things for granted
Embrace and appreciate everything around you because nothing lasts forever.
17. Surround yourself with people who inspire you
We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with, and surrounding yourself with inspiring people motivates you to do, give more and discover your capabilities.
18. Some things happen for a reason
We all go through certain situations where we don’t have hands in. And while the hardest experiences hit us on different levels; they can be viewed as an opportunity to learn, to appreciate what we have, to let go, move on or to enjoy the little things we once took for granted.
19. Leave any toxic environment
Always evaluate the environments you’re engaged with on a daily basis.
20. Read!
I’m trying to adopt it as a habit on my morning commute since the benefits are countless.
21. Meditate
For those who easily get distracted like me; yoga and meditation are the solutions; they’ve both enhanced my focus and concentration span. And it could be practiced for as little as 10 minutes a day.
22. Be yourself
Be true to who you are and don’t feel obligated to others.
23. Leave your comfort zone whenever you can
Try keeping an open mind and heart, because change grows outside of our bubble!
24. Always be direct and straightforward
Simplify things and trust that honesty is the best policy for having any effective communication.
25. Know your self-worth
Know your value and never underestimate what you do and always be ambitious enough to aim for more.
Natalie Babbitt once said, “Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life. You don’t have to live forever. You just have to live.”
Life is a wonderful gift and a beautiful journey. Live it to the fullest and do more of what makes you happy!
