Top 8 Life Lessons You Wish You Knew Earlier

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken”

                                                                         — Oscar Wilde

Only James Bond and Ethan Hunt can reach new places they’ve never been before with minimal information, help, and time.

But for us regular people, finding a new address or meeting new people often requires frequent assistance, and even then, we sometimes end up in the wrong place.

This usually happens because of our own mistakes, lack of research, understanding, effort, and occasionally, due to others’ mistakes or evilness.

This journey is known as life.

We start out with a certain goal, planning for walking a certain road. But due to a lot of factors, most of us often start walking a different road, and end up somewhere else.

However, this gives us valuable life lessons from our own experiences about how things work and how to handle them. They can hit us out of the blue or take a long time to sink in. These lessons vary from small “aha” moments to big changes in how we see the world.

In this article, let’s check out the best 10 life lessons of them, which I want to tell my 20-years-old self.

Table Of Content:

• Introduction
• Top 8 Life Lessons
• EndNote

Top 8 Life Lessons

Dear Self,

Life is a journey of learning. Past mistakes are lessons, not burdens. Focus on shaping your future. People come and go; cherish those who stay. Stay true to yourself, boldly sing your life’s song. Embrace imperfections, learn, and grow. You’re on a path to fulfillment and success. Keep moving forward. But remember these 10 key points like your Bible —

#1. Practice Self-Love

Speaking of self love and self care, I’ve always been afraid of being seen as selfish. Whenever I thought about putting myself first, I worried about judgment and the negative stigma attached to it. Consequently, I’ve often prioritized others’ needs over my own.

But I’ve realized that neglecting myself means not fully experiencing life. Selflessness shouldn’t entail sacrificing your well-being for others.

It’s about understanding that by prioritizing yourself, you can better fulfill your responsibilities to others. If something were to happen to me today, despite my efforts, people would move on. No one will accompany me to the grave. So, why not start prioritizing myself for a change?

#2. Be Comfortable With Loneliness

Accepting that no one is entitled to love you was a tough truth for anyone. But it’s a fact.

Growing up without much love, I often felt envious hearing about others’ happy childhoods. I often found myself lamenting life’s injustices, giving my all to make others happy without receiving the same in return.

It just made me realize that no one is obliged to stay in your life or love you back. Life isn’t always fair, and not everyone you encounter will be fair either.

So, it’s better to get comfortable with being alone. It’s a journey of self-discovery. It’s about finding peace in quiet moments, where you can think clearly and be creative.

Being okay with loneliness doesn’t mean cutting off from others; it means finding balance between time alone and time with people. It’s a way to become more independent and to build better relationships based on respect and understanding.

#3. Start Investing Early

Investing early is the secret building. The advantage lies in harnessing compound interest over time, where even small contributions can snowball into substantial savings.

This approach allows your money to work harder for you, multiplying your initial investments exponentially. By beginning early, you give yourself the advantage of time, smoothing out market fluctuations and maximizing the potential for growth.

#4. Say ‘Goodbye’ To Toxicity

It’s not easy to cut people off from life, especially if you are in a friends’ group or family. But if just one person amongst a circle turns out toxic for you, just get out of the circle overnight.

It might feel like doing something unethical, and illegal. But know that it’s one major part in your self-care. In the long run, you’ll feel much better.

I spent a long time feeling bad about myself because of toxic relationships. Letting go is hard at first, but eventually, you’ll feel relieved to be free from all the negativity they brought

#5. Relationship Isn’t Meant To Be Only Happy

True happiness in relationships begins with self-fulfillment. But the moment you start relying solely on your partner for happiness, it burdens them and strains the relationship.

Unmet expectations can lead to neediness and frustration. Being content with yourself allows you to contribute positively to the relationship, bringing out the best in both partners.

#6. Say, “No” Confidently

Learning to say “No” is a transformative skill that many struggle to embrace. It’s not just about declining requests; it’s a declaration of self-worth and an essential practice of setting a boundary to improve your  mental and emotional well-being.

As a former yes-person, I found that constantly accommodating others drained my energy and diminished my self-esteem. Most importantly, even if you say, “Yes” to everything, not everyone is going to like you.

Rather, chances are you will end up getting used.

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The moment you start saying, “No,” people will try to break your confidence and turn it into a forced, “Yes.” They might label you as selfish or uncooperative.

However, staying calm with a firm “No” is the key. In my life, it marked a turning point towards reclaiming my time, identity, and personal values. It reshaped relationships, fostering respect and reducing the likelihood of being taken advantage of.

#7. Kill Your Insecurities

Insecurity is like an appendix. It doesn’t help, but if you don’t take initiative to kill it, it will kill you everyday.

Accept the fact that you will never be the smartest, coolest, richest, or best-looking person in any room. But everyone excels in different ways and only this can free you from comparing yourself and feeling insecure.

This mindset encourages you to invest energy in developing your own skills and qualities instead of feeling inadequate or jealous of others.

Remember, the real competition is with your past self, never with others.

#8. Just Do it

We desire success, and fear failure. But what’s worse than failure is regret.

The great Sufi poet, Rumi, said, “What you seek is seeking for you.”

Even a mother doesn’t breastfeed her child if it doesn’t cry. Similarly, you also need to open up about what you are seeking, that’s the first step of building a network and finally reaching your desired point.

But if you don’t ask, you won’t get anything. If you don’t ask, the girl would not know you were interested. So, don’t be afraid to ask and follow up. The worst that can happen is getting a ‘no’.

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by asking for what you want.

Believe that good things will come to you. Stay positive, work towards your goals, and expect good things to happen

EndNote

In the end, just remember that no feeling is final. Every lesson learned is valuable, no matter when it arrives. Even if we wish we’d known earlier, each experience enriches us.

Let’s embrace these lessons and grow into the imperfect but best versions of ourselves that we aspire to be.

With love and pride,

Your older, wiser self!