21 Things Everyone Should Know About Life
A test given to indicate one’s preparedness to face the responsibilities and challenges of life. If someone wants to obtain a driver’s license, become a certified public accountant, or practice law, they must pass a test. The test verifies that they’re at least minimally qualified to proceed
Expect to have setbacks
The best approach is to expect them, acknowledge them, work through them, and move past them.
- Some setbacks may have lasting consequences, but they need not derail you or cause you to despair
- Many setbacks don’t have to derail your progress entirely.
Great friendships enhance the quality of life
Quality is more important than quantity, but good friends are worth investing time and energy in
- Good friends will enhance your journey through life in more ways than you can imagine
- You don’t need a lot of friends, just a few.
Healthy relationships make life richer
They require work, but are a team effort
- Be willing to contribute an equal amount to your partner
- Eventually, you may find a life partner, but until then, don’t neglect to keep putting in the effort
Say what you mean and mean what you say
Establish early in your life that you are a person of your word
- You want to have the reputation of being reliable
- When you don’t do something you said you would do, everyone will assume you must be dead
Fear should motivate, not paralyze
Fear is a warning system telling you to take action
- Figure out what the best action is and take it
- Don’t let fear paralyze you
- Let fear motivate you and not try to prevent you from taking action
Life is better when lived within your means
Set up a budget that reflects both your income and anticipated expenses
- Once you have it in place, stick to it
- A budget has the same relationship to money as a schedule has to time. A schedule doesn’t create time, it helps you manage time.
Procrastination will not serve you
If you’ve determined that something should be done, do it.
- The goal isn’t to procrastinate – the goal is to do it now. Avoid procrastinating makes the task harder and hinders your progress.
Core values should be known and honored
It helps immensely if you know in advance what is most important to you.
A plan is a good idea
A well-ordered plan can help navigate the unknown waters ahead.
- Think of a plan as a preferred future – it’s not a guarantee of a certain outcome, but a plan can remove many of the obstacles to our desired future.
This too shall pass
Think of it as a long detour on a road you’re traveling. It seems like the detour will never end, but eventually it ends, you get back on the main road, and you resume your journey.
- Don’t spend too much time thinking about how good things used to be. Accept what you cannot change.
Life is finite
No one will get out of this life alive
- Acknowledging that life is temporary is a wise way to approach life
- It will help you live each day more fully, and focus on what matters most
- One day we will wake up in the morning and begin our very last day on earth
Keep things simple
The main thing is to keep things simple.
- Don’t get caught up in the thick of thin things. Keep the most important things right out front where you can see them. Give the important things your focus, your time and your deepest devotion.
Saying no tactfully and clearly will keep you out of predicaments
You’ll need to learn to say no to people
- Sometimes you may want to give a reason for your decision, but you don’t owe anyone a reason
- Simply say, “No, I’m not going to be able to make it, I have other plans.”
Unhealthy relationships make for an unhealthy life
Toxins are poisonous
Self-discipline
Choose what you don’t want to do in order to get what you do want as a result
- Figure out what you want, then determine what’s required to have it, and do those things consistently
- Excellence is not an act, but a habit
Did You Pass?
21 things everyone should know about life
- If you work your way through each one, you’ll be ready for your final exam
- You may want to choose just one to work on at a time
- Just choose one of the 21 and focus on it for a time
Failure is your teacher, not your enemy
Failure is inevitable. But failures are not a problem unless we fail to acknowledge them and learn from them.
You always have a choice
Don’t waste time and energy bemoaning the choices you don’t have, instead, exercise the ones you do have.
- Take the next best step, and if that step doesn’t work, no worries, there’s always another step to take.
An emergency fund
Establish an emergency fund to get you through if you lose your job, get sick, or are unable to work for some other reason
- Start by saving a percentage of every paycheck and set it aside for your emergency fund.
- Aim for one month’s expenses in a safe place.
Changing what isn’t working
Try doing something different
- Take a chance
- If the new thing gives you the same results you don’t want… you guessed it… try something different.
- You’ll eventually come up with the thing you’ll want to repeat
Invest in your health
Maintain the body you have so it serves you well.
- Learn what makes for good health habits, and practice those habits every day. Your body will thank you, and your body will serve you well your entire journey.
- Don’t trade your body for a replacement.
Actions determine outcomes
The sooner you understand the intimate relationship between your thoughts, choices, and actions… and their consequences, the better off you will be
- When you’re thinking about doing something, it’s a good idea to ask what the likely results will be if you actually do it.
- What they will be, however, if you choose not to do it
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