It’s so cheesy, but besides New Year my birthday is a major reflect-moment in my life. How well did I do? What did I mess up? But most importantly: what have I learned and what am I going to do better this year? I think you can already see it coming, but this is one of those personal posts that you’ll either love or hate. Here we go.
OK, so first of all, if you’ve read my “how I really feel about 2014” post, you now that 2014 and definitely wasn’t my year. I guess that’s an understatement, because when I take a brief moment to reminisce 2014, I’m already feeling full of rage, sadness, frustration… and whatever else negative feeling you can think of. Yeezzz, that’s a dramatic start of this post. But don’t click away just yet because it will get better.
The truth is that sometimes the hardest lessons are the ones we need most to get ahead in life. It softens us up, helps us focus on what’s really important and forces us to let go of everything that doesn’t benefit us. Here’s what being 24 was all about for me.
1. Being able to laugh at yourself when you fail or when things go wrong is a gift. Really. If you don’t believe me, read this article on the Huffington Post. It’s such an eye opener!
2. When you don’t feel productive, it’s sometimes better to just head out for a walk than keep trying. I’ve wasted so much time doing this in law school, staring at books when no information goes in or attempting to write an article for FashionContainer when the words just don’t flow. Taking a break doesn’t mean you’re giving up, it simply means you’re refuelling yourself with the right energy to do the job. I can’t believe that it took me so long to realize this!
3. Your own attitude can change just about anything. Even fake smiling works! When you vibrate positive energy, people are likely to mirror your mood and that will help you eventually to actually feel happy again yourself.
4. It’s totally OK to not do what everyone else is doing. After all, it’s my life, my story and I have to live with the consequences of every decision I make. When you do what feels right, you’ll at least know that you’ll not end up with regrets for not trying something in 10 years from now. Sure, it doesn’t mean that all your decisions will work out for the best, but at least you tried. Which reminds me of that oh- so cheesy but oh-so true quote: “I would rather live a life of “oh well’s” than a life of “what if’s”.
5. When nothing goes right, book a trip to the other side of the world. Kidding, a trip closer to home will do the job too! Breathe in a new vibe, get out of your comfort zone, meet new people. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll be coming back to life again. Tested and approved by yours truly (here and here)
6. We usually wait for people to give us credit when we do something good, but why not praise ourselves instead? Whether you’re keeping a positive attitude when times are tough or you’re handling a bad situation at work well, acknowledge that!
7. Timing is everything and self-control might be the most important quality one can master in life.
8. I recently read this quote that kind of sums it all up for me. “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same”. Not always easy to practice, but definitely possible!
What are your most prominent life lessons learned so far? Share in the comments below, I’d love to hear it.
