24 Life Lessons Written By: Meredith Hawkins 1. Treat others around you as if they will not be alive tomorrow. When we get into the thinking that we only have today, we then shift into a mindset of picking our battles, truly appreciating the time that we have with one another, and show affection and love for each other. 2. Walk away when angry, regroup, then reenter the room when you have calmed down. This way you wont say things they cant be taken back and often times, it helps you have a different perspective than you would have had in the moment. 3. Smile. When you smile, you become more approachable and when you smile, it can change your mood. 4. Laugh. Tell jokes, make light of a difficult situation. When you do, you inspire others to do the same and helps remind you of the power of laughter. 5. Compliment others. Find something nice to say. Not only does it make the other person feel good about themselves, but gets them out of a defensive position and more likely to be open to what you say. 6. Dont say things you dont mean. Say things that come from the heart but always ask yourself first, will this help or hurt the situation. 7. Only give advice when asked. Even then tread lightly. Most people are stuck in their ways and dont want to change even when you are right. 8. Dont judge. People do what works for them in that time of their life, with the tools and situation given. 9. Forgive yourself. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes. Once you are able to do this, you will be able to forgive others. Release the guilt of past mistakes because if you dont, you will sink further into the quick sand of self-hate. If you cant love or forgive yourself, how can you expect others to? 10. Make right of your wrong doings. Apologize. Reach out to others, seek out their forgiveness and try to undo the wrong. Be prepared to not be forgiven, but know that you did all that you can do. 11. Forgive others. Step back and away and release them from your heart. Those who have caused us pain do not necessarily have to be in our lives but we must find a way to release to anger, bitterness and resentment that plagues us and those around us. When we carry that darkness, we are closed off to those around us and we lose the opportunity to be loved and love others. 12. Lower your expectations for those around you. Once you do this, you will lessen the chances of you being disappointed. The higher the expectation, the further we have to fall into disappointment. Erase the thinking of what people should do and what you hope they will do and create a line of thinking of meeting people for where they are at. 13. Give to others who can give nothing back in return. When we give without the expectation of anything in return, we get the satisfaction of helping rather than receiving. Often times, when we give to those who have nothing to give us in return end up giving is the most valuable gift of all, a lesson in humanity, the power of the human experience. When we set out to help others, the biggest surprise is that we are the one who gets the lesson. 14. Appreciate and respect our planet, animals and those that are on it. Life, living beings, plants, animals, etc are all finite and has an expiration date. Protect it, value it, respect it, dont take it for granted, appreciate before its too late. 15. Leave a legacy, a footprint, a tomb, a memoir of experiences, memories, actions, choices, a life that inspires the generations to come. This is our opportunity to give our best performance, use the time wisely. 16. Dont let old friends slip because of the excuse being too busy. When we are on our death bed, we wont regret doing the things that kept us busy but we will regret not setting aside the time to protect friendships and relationships. 17. Welcome new friends into your world. As our life evolves and changes, so do our needs and experiences. New friends bring color into ourselves, embrace them and all they have to offer. 18. Redefine family. Family doesnt have to be the blood or the stereotypical roles that we often use to define them. Family can be anyone that carry a part of your heart, that protect you, keep you safe, love you. 19. Exercise. Move. This doesnt have to mean at the gym, it can be taking a walk in the woods, dance in your home, throw a ball in the back yard with your kids, do what you love. Find your passion, what you love to do and then it wont feel like exercise. 20. Find your passion. This doesnt have to be what you do to bring home your paycheck- infact, this is what you would want to do if you won the lottery tomorrow and you never had to worry about money or bills again ask yourself what would you do to fill your time during the day? How would you spend it? Would you volunteer? Paint? Cook? Write? Whatever it is- find the time for it every week. Dont fall into the trap of there is no time or that it doesnt pay you money. We may die tomorrow, wouldnt you rather die knowing that you made time to do what you loved rather than doing what you had to do putting off the thing that drives you? If you are one of the lucky few that they are working doing their passion, find a way to expand and grow it. 21. Take pictures. Take video. Write notes for yourself and others. Document life. Memories are scarce and life is short and final. Record it for yourself and others. No one ever regretted having too many pictures. 22. Make choices. Give up control. Let go of the hold that you are trying to have on the uncontrollable. We cannot control people and life, only ourselves. 23. Never take your health for granted. When you lose your health, mourn the loss of it but do not fall victim to it. Become your own advocate. Accept help when needed, allow people in, and dont be a martyr. It will contribute to who you are but it will not define you. 24. Get an education. An education can come in all different forms not just from a traditional institution and textbooks. Seek out information, read, ask questions and then get out there and experience life. Test different theories, travel, embrace change, experience different cultures, and be prepared to shift your ideas and be flexible. Everyday there is a life lesson to be learned if you look for it hard enough. -Meredith Hawkins Founder & Director of GIVE GIVE. Connect. Volunteer. Make a difference.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:23:07 +0000