Life Lessons

So often we make life more complicated than what it really is and exasperate the smallest of things blowing them out of proportion and causing more stress than necessary.  Life is filled with its own set of quirks and whether we cause it or not, it is filled with challenges that will test us in ways that are incomprehensible, unfathomable, and sometimes, overbearing.

Having a blueprint or gauge to measure things can help put life in a better perspective.  After being diagnosed with cancer at age 45, @ReginaBrett wrote down 45 life lessons that has gone viral.  Credited with being twice her age, she is actually 54 now, her words of wisdom have been a great tool to guide us through the ups and downs, triumphs and perils, and decisions and doubts that we face on a daily basis.  Her words are both poignant and powerful and hopefully they offer a road map that helps navigate the twists and turn we all will eventually face.  

Nothing beats experience and many of these life lessons come with actually living life, but often we can learn from others so that we too can avoid some of the same pitfalls.  Share with @BrotherWord here, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram your favorite life lesson from the list and how it applies to your life.  There are many that are near and dear and I will share some throughout the day.  Enjoy and as #41 states, “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.”  

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
17. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
25. Forgive everyone everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Believe in miracles.
31. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
32. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
33. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
34. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
36. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
37. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
40. The best is yet to come.
41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
42. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
43. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.