We’ve all been taught throughout the years to go to school and get an education so that you can learn all the things you need to learn in order to make it in life. It’s all well and good to know that 2+2=4 and what an adjective, noun and verb are. It’s even nice to know the square root of 144, how to find the area of a triangle and be familiar with some of the famous works of William Shakespeare. But there are some other really great things to learn and know in life and many of them are not taught in school. At least that’s not where I learned them necessarily. Life itself has become one of my greatest teachers and given me an education like no other. So in honor of the school year coming to a close…with final exams and projects frantically getting finished, excitement brewing for the fun end of the year festivities as well as anticipation and possibly some hesitation for graduation and moving on to next phases…
Here are 25 things that my education through life has taught me over the years.
- Love is the most powerful force on earth. Love can conquer fear. Love changes lives. Love heals.
- Whatever you had planned for your life and how it would all turn out will most likely not go according to plan in fact it’ll probably go very much against your plan. But if you open up to the new plan and learn from it, it’ll end up being better than you ever could have planned.
- The only thing you have any real control over in life is yourself and how you choose to respond in any given situation. Giving up control over things you can’t control will actually bring you great peace.
- Having good friends who love and support you is one of the greatest treasures you’ll have. Being a good friend is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
- Eating good healthy foods is the best and most effective medicine for your body and mind.
- You can do things you never thought you could if you just believe and decide to try! Remember: love conquers fear, so love yourself, believe in yourself and all the capacity you have within you to do whatever you set your mind and heart on doing.
- Being a parent is the hardest most challenging gut wrenching soul searching head pounding deep sobbing nerve racking role you’ll ever have yet also the greatest most rewarding fun life changing heart loving mind blowing amazingly joyful experience ever.
- Now is all we have. Live and love every moment! Let the past be the past, learn from it but let it be done. Let the future create itself based on how you choose to make it in each moment now!
- Forgiveness is key to experiencing true peace and finding your way to that great power of love. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. Focus only on love and let everything else go.
- What you think you know about how life is and should be and how it actually is are two very different things. Holding on to and trying to make it be how you think it should be will only bring you misery. Let go of what you think it is and how it should be and embrace what and how it is. When you do you’ll actually see that’s it pretty amazing just the way it is!
- Take full responsibility for all of your actions. Again it’s the only thing you have total control over. Don’t attack or put up defenses which is simply a form of attack against others. Just own your part and be at peace not war with yourself or others.
- Take time to take care of yourself. With all the many jobs we have and things we do, many of which are to help and care for others, we can’t forget ourselves. Taking time to care for yourself actually makes you better able to care for others.
- You don’t need to have lots of big fancy degrees to prove you’re worthy and of value. You are valuable just as you are! You have things of value to share in the world and that others need and want to hear. Stand up and speak your truth and share your passion.
- That which we focus on and give our thoughts and energy to grows. Choose carefully what you want to grow more of in your life.
- Life is a serious matter but it doesn’t always have to be lived so seriously. Have fun! Laugh! Play! Dance! Smile! Be silly and crazy every once in awhile! Let your hair down, let loose and just love life, love yourself and love all the marvelous moments you get to experience and who you get to experience them with.
- Be grateful for everything! Having an attitude of gratitude for everything will make everything something to be grateful for. And when we’re grateful for things everything is more enjoyable.
- Learn to simplify and let go of things as well as thoughts and worries and fears. We all have too much stuff that we really don’t need. Physical things as well as mental thoughts that don’t serve us and bring us joy…so stop holding on to them thinking some day you’ll need them, if they’re not bringing you love, peace and joy now they won’t later, so let them go.
- Be kind to everyone everywhere all the time. It is always better to be kind than it is to be right. Again your control and power is in how you respond, so choose to respond with kindness and love. It’s just the right thing to always do.
- Take time to be still and quiet. With so much of our time spent always being busy and on the go, we need time to stop and be still. Listen to the silence and what it has to teach you. Its lessons are powerful!
- Move in your body someway every single day! Walk, run, dance, jump, stretch, bend, twist… just move and breathe and move and breathe some more!
- Drink lots of good clean water! Just do it. It’s good for you. Good for your body, mind and soul!
- Learn to like Dark Chocolate it’s actually good for you! The darker the better! Just watch out for too much sugar that isn’t good for you.
- Believe in a power and source greater than yourself! We are powerful beings because we come from a most powerful source. Connect to that source and your strength, peace and joy will increase.
- Honor and respect nature and all of its many creations. They all come form the same powerful source that we do and are to be treated with love, kindness and gratitude. How we treat others and the creations of this world is how others and the world will in turn treat us!
- Be open and gracious to receiving help and service from others. We all need to give and we all need to receive. Don’t let ego and pride keep you from receiving and benefiting from some of the best gifts and strength you can have in life when you allow others to bless you.
So how’d you do? How educated are you on living these life lessons? What other great life lessons have you learned? Please share in the comments below.
