The past decade and a half has been a steep learning curve for me. The reward of taking responsibility for my life and building my own business has been overwhelming, rewarding and yet daunting all at once.
I have learned so much about myself during the chapters of living, investing in my personal development and building my own business.
We may be individual beings, although we are not so special that circumstances only apply to one person.
I have used these lessons to change the way I manoeuvre through life. Maybe you can learn from mine.
• It’s not personal. It rarely ever is
The driver that appears to ignore you and jumps ahead of you in a traffic jam, doesn’t want to ignore you. They just want to get to the front. When you stop taking things personally, you’ll feel better and your relationships will improve dramatically. Even in cases when it is personal, your life will be better if you treat it as if it wasn’t. If you don’t believe me, I won’t take it personally.
• Not giving up doesn’t mean holding on when you are wrong
When you know deep down that what you are working on is right, but you feel unsure if you have what it takes to keep going or the process is proving more difficult than you imagined – these are the times that you have persevere and plunge forward. On the other hand, when you feel you are wrong, but you have the urge to hold on because you don’t want to create the perception that you are a quitter – this is the time to pivot.
We may be individual beings, although we are not so special that circumstances only apply to one person.
• Learn how to forgive yourself
You may offend and hurt people that you love and this may leave you in a negative space. You may speak without thinking and make careless mistakes. Whenever I disappoint someone else, I always take it seriously. I have blamed myself for the many things I didn’t action in time and for all the things I was slow to figure out. Why would I even do this to myself when I know we are not perfect? I had to learn to forgive myself for all the instances that I did not succeed in attaining mine and other’s expectations. I started flourishing by embracing the fact that life is going to throw challenges at me. I started understanding that making mistakes is part of the process and I had to still be brave enough to accept and learn from them.
• Master the words, “I am sorry”
Do not allow human pride get the better of you. When you do or say the wrong thing, remember to say “I am sorry” and genuinely mean it. I discovered that these three little words will not negate your dignity nor change who you are as a person. I found that it actually bolsters my spirit. I am conscientious about working harder to be there for someone in need and for always pushing to be a better person.
• Let it go
There will be times that you spend too much valuable resources like energy and time over something and yet you have no control over the situation. Becoming fixated over such things will take your focus off the things you can control and make you miserable. Learn to let it go and allow time to heal you.
I believe that tears are symbols of strength. Tears do not make me less of a person.
• It is okay to cry
I believe that tears are symbols of strength. Tears do not make me less of a person. They do not form a rippled effect to my limitations. It’s okay to fall apart and not have everything figured out all the time. I have had moments where I have failed to hold my tears back and therefore learnt that this makes me human and shows people that I care.
You don’t necessarily have to navigate life lessons the hard way. There is a simpler alternative out there – study other people’s lessons and learn from them.