9 Beautiful Life Lessons Everyone Should Learn

[A collaboration post – all thoughts are my own.]

From following my dreams to learning from my mistakes, there are so many life lessons I learned through experience while growing up. Some are things that must be learned the hard way, and some can be learned from others. Those life lessons ultimately make me a better person in the future.

Express your emotions

I learned to hide and conceal my feelings as a child, and I did so until I was a senior in high school. I had tremendous difficulty adjusting, and I never said it to my parents. I nearly broke down every night throughout my first year of college. Even now, I still weep at night, but not all that frequently—maybe twice or three times each month?

Being an introvert, I only genuinely open up to those who will listen to me, get who I’m about, and accept me for who I am. Rather than trying to hide your emotions, it’s actually alright to cry and allow yourself to feel your emotions. It’s okay to express your emotions to others rather than suppress them.

My parents didn’t want me to grow up to be a weak-minded woman because they wanted me to be a strong and independent woman. Frankly, I want my parents to understand that it’s alright to be weak and cry. You don’t have to be brave, because life can be scary sometimes, too. I want you to know that you are free to experience the full spectrum of human emotions and express them, rather than hold them inside.

Live a life true to yourself

Because you are the author of your life, you should write the narrative you want to experience, regardless of how fantastical it may or may not seem to others. Dream big, but don’t settle for anything less than what you’re capable of. I want to be able to reflect on my life and be happy that I followed my dreams.

Not only do I want you to have the confidence to follow your dreams, but I also want you to understand that it’s okay for your dreams to change. Just because I started off wanting to be a teacher, it’s okay if down the road I decided that I REALLY want to be a translator or a writer.

Everyone ought to be passionate about something that makes them incredibly happy; to achieve joy; should follow their happiness as frequently as is humanly possible.

Focus on learning, not just education

When I was in primary school, I still recall that I consistently ranked in the top ten. Though I concentrated more on extracurricular activities when I was in middle school. I frequently competed in marching contests and skipped a few classes. And in high school, I attempted to concentrate on both, but I had a hard time finding the motivation to study.

Sure, I do want to succeed in school and have a good education. But more than that, though, I want to focus on learning. I want to place higher importance on knowledge than on a student’s grade point average. I want to love it and find joy in learning something new every single day. Nowadays, I pick up a new word nearly every day as I work on translating documents. I really enjoy my job, despite the occasional frustration (lol!)

Be positive as much as possible

I don’t expect people to always see the good in everything. Some clouds really don’t have a silver lining. I’ve developed the habit of viewing life from various perspectives ever since I learned to be open-minded. Every person is different and has different ideas, and we all have the freedom to choose to think positively or negatively. But I do hope that when the choice is yours, you’ll go with positivity.

Communication is number #1

The most important skill you can ever learn is how to communicate yourself to others clearly. As social creatures, I think if we actually took the time to fully hear one, we’d avoid so much conflict. We tend to only pay attention until we hear something we don’t agree with, which leads to more misunderstandings. Then, without waiting to hear the whole thing, we begin formulating our rebuttal right away. I wish people would also pay attention to what others have to say.

Better done than perfect

I’m not someone who craves praise and does everything perfectly. For me, better done than perfect. In the first month before I launched my website, I wanted everything to be perfect; themes, content, layouts, everything. And all that preparation left me sleep-deprived for two weeks!

But in reality, I can’t. I’m a beginner and I don’t know which aspect I should pay attention to first. Call it what it is: fear. Then, launch and learn. The first year was a website full of blogging tips. Today, it’s full of self-growth, wellness, and career advice and keeps getting better!

Never act like you’re better than anyone else

No one individual in this world is better than another, which is another life lessons I believe we grownups need a series of lectures on. It doesn’t matter how much money, influence, or fame you have. I still value you just as much as you value me, and vice versa.

And I hope people are aware that appearances can be deceiving and that what really matters is on the inside. Never judge a book by its cover and get to know someone before making assumptions about them. We don’t get to decide someone else’s story for them. We can’t possibly understand what other people go through or why they are the way they are since we don’t walk in their shoes.

Read every day

Since I was seven years old, I have always found reading to be the best way to discover creative ideas. Likewise, reading only has good side effects; the more you read, the more ideas and knowledge you acquire. Read something every day to expand your mind, even if it’s just for 20 minutes.

Live like tomorrow isn’t promised

The one life lesson that I always try to remember is to “live like tomorrow isn’t promised” because, in reality, it isn’t. Love deeply. Be genuine, sensible, and passionate. Treasure every single moment. Make memories. Make an impression. Leave a mark on those you leave behind.

So, there you have it. We all have space for development, so maybe these life lessons have motivated you in some way to become a better version of yourself.

Do you have more life lessons you want to add here? Let me know below.