Some tips are more helpful than others. Some are more original and some just plain wackier than others. Take a look at a few age-old pearls of wisdom that a lot of us are still really bad at getting right. They have a few things in common. First, we think they're worth following. Second, we've all heard them before from our parents, teachers or friends or from philosophers or public speakers or even in the lyrics of a song.
Of course also on inspirational quotes on our Facebook walls and finally it’s not that literally everybody ignores these but let's be honest a lot of us still do and even the best of us could be reminded of some of them once in a while.
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE
Know yourself is an ancient piece of wisdom attributed to many Greek thinkers including Socrates and Plato. How many people go through life in a rush following a path that's been set out by their parents, peers and teachers or by advertising in the media?Often we are so busy rushing toward the next goal that we forget to ask “Is this what we really want?” We are so occupied studying for exams or saving up for the deposit on the house that we don't have time to ask. Every now and then take some time out to work out exactly what you want from life and to refocus your goals accordingly.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
Over the years different people have said it differently. In ancient China, Confucius said, Do what you love. Another version would be figure out what you actually love doing and find a way to get paid for it.But how many people actually manage to do something that they really love for a living. Some fool themselves into thinking they like what they do. For a while only the lucky few can truly say they get satisfaction from their job. Whatever it is you're passionate about if you manage to do it for a living that passion will make you far better at it than something you don't enjoy and that will translate into success and happiness.
PAIN IS A GIFT
Hard times happen to all of us and some people just crumble and complain while others ask themselves how can we learn from it, grow, and use it as an opportunity?When something's wrong, realize what you can change and what you can't. If the things can be changed then change them. The things you can't change you'll just have to accept for now and moaning about them is a waste of time and emotional resources. Use this approach and you'll find that with time the number of things you can influence and change will increase. You'll be more in control of your life.
INVEST EARLY
We've all been told this but not many of us follow it. When you're young most people don't have much money but they have a million fun ways to spend it.Investing money just doesn't seem like it makes sense. Maybe you figure that one day you walk into a dream job that will make endless sums of cash flow in and it won't matter if you started investing early or not. It does matter if you start investing wisely in your 20s.
A couple of decades later the difference between your bank account and the bank account of somebody who didn't could be a six-figure sum or more. Sacrifice a few nights out earlier on in life and get into a habit that will save you financial worries and bring you luxury later on.
BE A GOOD LISTENER
To be fair some people are good at listening but a lot are bad even terrible. The bad listeners often think if they talk a lot it's going to impress people and they're totally wrong.They don't even listen to what the other person has to say. This is a huge turnoff. We all know one person who talks for hours but never listens. Socially they're a real pain and professionally they're almost impossible to work with. It’s not like don't talk but just be equally good at listening. Don't make endless monologues. Give other people the chance to speak and be interested in what they have to say. It'll make you more interesting and open doors for you.
DON’T MAKE DECISIONS WHEN YOU ARE EMOTIONAL
Your kindergarten teacher probably worded it differently. Maybe they told you to count to 10 before you react that’s because your brain is clouded by strong emotions.On the school playground it could be anger but in other cases it could be ecstasy or fear and you're not in the best state to be making judgment calls. You need to calm yourself before taking any action.
Counting to 10 in kindergarten is the first technique most of us learn to manage strong emotions. It gives time to get you out of the emotional state you're in and see things more objectively and it's only then we'll figure out the best course of action.
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
How many times have you heard people saying you learn from your mistakes? Well we should but very often we don't. If everybody learned from past mistakes wars would have disappeared centuries ago.Some people are really bad at applying lessons from the past and they fall into the same traps over and over again. But, if you're smart you can learn from mistakes. And it's something entrepreneurs need to do. If you're new to the business world you're going to make some mistakes for sure. Those of us who actually learn from them will have higher levels of success and fulfillment in the long term.
TREAT LIFE AS A JOURNEY NOT AS A DESTINATION
Maybe you've seen it on inspirational quotes with pictures of sunsets or cornfields. Maybe you've once heard it in a song but you're struggling to remember which one?But it's true if you fixate on the faraway outcome that you're building toward and make endless sacrifices to get there. You're probably doing it wrong. Have goals and work toward them but don't ever think of them as a final destination.
You might never get there and if you do it isn't going to last forever. Sure you have your sights set on great things you want to achieve but make sure you enjoy the journey as well.