30 Times a life lesson helped me out
1 Consistency is key
This life lesson took me the longest. I don’t know why because it is glaringly obvious now I know it. Until only a few years ago, I thought you could become successful with bouts of consistency. It is better then nothing but in the long run you will fail. Becoming top of your field takes years of dedication and the right habits.
Lesson
Be consistent with anything you do. A little everyday is better then a lot once in a while.
2 You ain’t invincible
I think this applies with all adolescents growing up. You think you are invincible to harm. My diet was terrible because I had the metabolism to handle it. I drank nothing but sodas and expected perfect health. At the time I thought nothing of it. I will fix the problems as they come and everything will be fine. Life doesn’t work like that.
Lesson
Prepare for the future. Look after your health, save some money and be careful. The world is a dangerous place.
3 Fool me twice
People come and go in your life. Some improve your experience and others make it a misery. One friend sold me a broken laptop. Being naïve I trusted him without looking. I never saw him again or my money. Never assume people are your friends when it comes to money. I have seen people do crazy things.
Lesson
Cut out people who don’t deserve to be in your life. Have a strike count. 3 times and your out, or if it’s bad then once will do.
4 See the patterns
Throughout the years I have seen in some shape or form every big trend or boom. Not seeing the patterns has cost me millions in potential profit. I predicted bitcoins boom, Uber, Amazon etc. Not having the stones to put my money where my mouth is, I let the opportunities pass me by.
Lesson
Analyse where the world is heading. The patterns are there to be exploited. Once you have done your research, act. Put your money where your mouth is or shut up.
5 Don’t ask don’t get
My family would always tell me this all the time. I shrugged it of. The older I got in life the more I see it to be true. Ask and you shall receive. Create a YouTube channel, you are asking for subscribers. If the question isn’t asked then you will not get your answer. By going to the gym you are asking for better health. Anything of value needs to be asked with action. It sounds like new age crap but it is true.
Lesson
Ask the universe with your action and consistency. You will get it.
6 Stronger then you think
Life is a place of great suffering. Sorry for the black pill but it is. Finding happiness along the way is key to a fulfilled life. When I was young I ran from a lot of responsibility. I justified a reason and put my head in the sand. Avoid the painful things long enough and they will go away. You and I both know that is not true. There comes a time when you just need to man the f#ck up. That’s the way to deal with it.
Lesson
You can’t run from your problems. You will find the strength when you decide to face them. No one likes a coward.
7 Not as smart as you think
We have got it all figured out as teenagers. We know how the world works and we are ready for its curve balls. As the years pass by I have realised I am not as smart as I thought I was.
Lesson
The wise man knows he knows nothing. By putting your mind into a state of constant learning you can grow. The world will eventually prove you wrong if you think your to smart.
8 Journaling is not for girls
The movies stopped me form learning this life lesson earlier. I always pictured journaling as a girl thing or a hipster weird thing. There was no benefits in my eyes until I tried it one day by accident. I began to write a do list and I had half the page empty so I began to write. Things that I carried in my head were now given to the paper. I could look back on my thoughts. I could flesh out my dreams and life because of journaling. 3 years i have journaled and I don’t think I can stop. I have books worth of lessons and memories personalised to me.
lesson
Get a cheap pad and start to write about yourself. Your goals, day, encounters, gratitude, laughter, sadness. Journaling helped the greatest men in history, it could help you.
9 Plan your day
Thinking back on the years I have wasted. Countless hours on video games. It wasn’t unusual when I was younger to spend all day on halo or call of duty. Thinking back I don’t know why I didn’t plan my day. It just happened and I reacted in the moment. Sooner or later doing nothing gets boring. So I decided to try and structure my day. It took a while to adjust but I got it to a descent standard. My life changed for the better and opportunities presented themselves. Now I am at a almost militant level and it feels normal.
Lesson
Plan your day or someone will plan it for you. Get the most out of the day. You will never get it back.
10 What matters
When I was young I was just as impressionable as everyone else. I wanted hot woman, fast cars and a lavish lifestyle. The more I chased the less I was fulfilled. Until I realised none of it matters. It is a mirage.
Lesson
I am much happier now with 1 hot woman, my wife. My children are filling my time with what makes me happy.
11 Take chances
This does not mean being stupid. Doing drugs and acting nihilistic is not what I mean. Life presents opportunities and it is up to you to recognise them.
Lesson
When presented with a opportunity, don’t dismiss it. Research, assess and decide on your next move. If you think it will pay off, go for it.
12 Regret
I am very scared of this one. Regret eats away at your being. Once it has happened you cannot change the outcome. I have much regret already in my life and I don’t intend on adding to it.
Lesson
Decide how you want to live and own that path. You can’t get rid of regret but you can minimise it. Ask yourself every time you make a big decision.
“Am I going to regret this?”
If the answers yes, then reassess.
13 Feed your mind with the right things
You become what you consume. News, reality television, social media, they all breed negative emotions. You can pass it off as entertainment but it is more then that. Even the most hardened minds can be influenced by what they consume.
Lesson
Fill your time with positives. Books, exercise, inspiring shows and podcasts. You will be surprised just how much they affect your daily emotions.
14 Don’t run from your problems
It is the easy way out. Hopefully they go away. Some thankfully do, but others have to be addressed. It may be painful but you have to face them.
Lesson
By reframing problems to challenges you make it easier. A challenge lifts our spirit and spurs us to overcome. This simple trick has helped me handle so many things in my life.
15 People are all talk
Coming from a low income estate, you see this a lot. As you get older you realise that it doesn’t matter where you come from, people talk shit.
Lesson
I was very susceptible to talk as a child. But now I put no faith in talk. Action is the only currency I deal with. Without proof it didn’t happen.
16 Loudest is the weakest
Something my dad always told me. I never truly understood until I got into my teens. Loud mouths are normally compensating for something.
Lesson
This doesn’t mean every loudmouth isn’t dangerous. I think of it more a defence mechanism for their insecurity. By over talking you give away your cards.
17 Curate the people in your life
People in your lives have a huge impact on it. They can literally be the reason you are happy or unhappy. Having toxic family members is tough, especially if they are your immediate. It is much easier to get rid of toxic friends. Your mind will justify keeping them if they make you feel positive in any way. They could ruin your life over and over and you still have them around.
Lesson
Find out family members bad traits and create strategies to combat them. As for your toxic friends, get rid of them as soon as possible.
18 Living in the past
There is a clear distinction with remembering the past and dwelling on it. We should all look to the past for insights and life lessons that improve our current outcomes. It becomes a problem when you can’t let go of negative events.
Lesson
Life is hard and experiences can scar us. Learn and leave in the past. They happened, you can’t change them, get over it.
19 Stop worrying
This one was a big one for me. I am a worrier. I overthink situations and probabilities of a negative outcome. Especially when comes to health. This can be great for planning but it becomes a problem when your actions are hindered.
Lesson
Stop worrying and start living. Creating negative scenarios in your head wastes your time and brain power. Worry about the things you can control.
20 you can always change
I believe humans have the ability to adapt to any circumstance. You can feel helpless. Your life seems set in stone and you cannot change. The truth is you can change anything with the right mindset.
Lesson
With enough determination, you can change. The first step is believing you have the ability. The second is have a plan. Third is take immediate action.
21 Be grateful
I come from a low income background and considered myself poor. I wore that label my whole life, being sometimes proud of it. Why was I given such a bad hand? The older I become the more I realised I was rich. I was healthy when others had cancer. I had a loving family when other didn’t. The more I looked for my blessings the better my life become.
Lesson
Be grateful for what you have. There is always someone worse off.
22 Life is not fair
Good people die of disease, while horrible people thrive. This was always a hard life lesson for me. What is the point of acting good if I’m not rewarded for it?
Lesson
The sad truth is that life is not far. The good don’t always win like in the movies. You must do what is necessary to achieve your goals. If you are not prepared for that sacrifice then Change them.
23 Jealousy is real
Another life lesson that I found out the hard way was people are jealous. You expect it from random people you hardly know but the ones closest to you can be just as bad. Not everyone is like this. If you look hard enough you will find jealous people that don’t want you to succeed.
lesson
Some people might like to see you do well, just not as better then them. They will often talk behind your back and be jealous of anything you do. I best defence against this is not wasting your time with them. Concentrate on yourself. They hurt themselves thinking about you.
24 The Jones’s are idiots
Throughout my life I have seen people prepared to put themselves in debt for material goods. The latest fashion. Cars and gadgets have a death grip on certain minds. It gives them temporary value and they will pay anything for it.
Lesson
You do not need the latest gear to be happy. It is a constant cycle that takes your wealth. Acquire things that last in your life.
25 Never go in debt
I was always taught to never go into debt. The times I have in my life are few. If you haven’t got the money then don’t buy it. The constant strain of being in debt grinds you down. I personally couldn’t stand the feeling and kept well away from it.
Lesson
Unless you are using debt to build wealth like some of the rich, don not go under. No material item is worth going into debt over. Buy what you need, leave it to the fools of the world to go into debt.
26 Time is a healer
Throughout your life you will find your self in times of helplessness. You cannot find a way out your current situation. The pain you cannot bear will not go away. These are all things we must deal with in our lives. The silver lining is that time heals everything.
lesson
We will still remember the bad things that happen to us, but time will heal. You will learn to cope and adapt. Finding the inner strength to carry on when everything around you is falling to pieces will be worth it. Give it time.
27 Deal with it
When my life wasn’t going to plan, I would negatively spiral. Why this, why that, excuses after excuses. I spent more time reacting to the problem then I did fixing it.
lesson
Things happen, deal with it. No one wants to hear excuses. Spend less time reacting and more time fixing the problem.
28 Money is king
When I was a young teen I liked to splurge on things. The latest tech or new designer cloths. Everything I bought was overpriced and when I tried to resell them, I only got a fraction of the price. I followed this same pattern for years until I realised this simple life lesson. Money is king. Nothing will be a valuable as cold hard cash. Speaking in a material sense of course.
lesson
Don’t spend your hard earned money on things you don’t need. Advertisers spend millions on convincing you overwise. Treat your own money with respect and it will work for you.
29 Say as much as you need to
A life lesson that serves me well, is not saying to much. Have you ever left a conversation thinking you have said to much? I have. Not letting others speak their opinion will cause you to be disliked. Being full on with people, especially if they are not close can turn them away. Another way you can say to much is by revealing to much of yourself. Certain people will pick up on your vulnerabilities. This will not happen if you do not take note of this life lesson.
lesson
Think before you speak because the wrong word could ruin a interaction. Learning who to fully open up to and who not to is also a key skill. This does not mean becoming a social outcast, just be mindful of your speech.
30 I know nothing
Perhaps the most important life lesson of all. You know nothing. Stop thinking you know everything and become a student again. By opening your mind you will invite new opinions and be able to constantly grow as a person.
lesson
It can be hard letting people teach you. No one has all the answers. Use the knowledge of others to bring your mind to the next level. Learn from their victories, failures and anything else that you might find useful.
