Earlier this month I celebrated my 25th birthday. And like I think most of us do on our birthdays, I found myself reflecting over how things have been changing with time.
In thinking about how much has changed, I started to realize how much I have grown, learnt, and accomplished over the past few years. This was great, because I can definitely be hard on myself at times, not feeling like I am doing enough. But I find that reflecting on how far I’ve come really keeps me feeling positive and motivated.
So as I thought about all the things I’ve learnt, with all these experiences (and their lessons) popping in my head, I had the idea to share with you some of the life lessons I feel are most important.
So here it is, 25 lessons from 25 years of living:
- We are standing in front of an empty canvas. We are free to do with this life, whatever we choose to. Don’t ever feel like something needs to be done, or you have to do something. Feel empowered in your ability to choose (but also know that all actions require that we sacrifice something), then take that paint brush and paint whatever it is your heart desires.
- The only certainty is uncertainty. The only thing we can ever really know for certain, is that we can never fully be certain. We can only hope to shape our beliefs around what feels most true to us, but life will always be an unsolved mystery, and this is one of the things that makes it so beautiful.
- Life is far more enjoyable when you are mindful/present. When I started making the conscious effort to be mindful during my day-to-day life, I began to discover greater beauty and joy in the world. Don’t let it all pass by while you remain distracted.
- Everything is One. This holds true at the deepest layer of our existence, and the more connected you are to this truth oppose to a sense of separation from others and from the world, the greater your experience of love and life will be.
- If you seek to understand before trying to be understood, the interactions you have will be a far more positive experience, as both you and the other person/people involved will end up feeling more heard, understood, and connected.
- Your relationship with yourself is the most important one you have, because it is reflected in all of the other relationships you have. Work on the relationship you have with yourself, learn to love and enjoy yourself, and watch as all your other relationships improve.
- Greatness is not an act, it’s a habit. Worthy and significant ambitions aren’t achieved through one big single action, rather, it’s in our small consistent steps forward that we move towards greatness.
- We’re here to have fun. Don’t take life too seriously.
- If you ever have a thought or emotion, or act in a way that doesn’t serve you, it’s because there is a part of you that thinks it does. Explore yourself to understand this part of your psyche and you will reveal the way to addressing these things.
- Love is about what you give not what you get.
- Perception create reality. If you want to see some change in who you are or your life circumstances, find those changes in this moment. Rather than waiting to see it to believe it, believe it and you will see it.
- Through cultivating inner stillness, we may discover truth, clarity, and inner peace. Mindfulness and meditation are the tools for finding an inner stillness that allows us to see through anything that obstructs our connection to truth and peace.
- Great health lays a foundation for success in all areas of your life.
- The beauty of each step is in bringing your awareness into the moment you are taking it, and allowing yourself to fully enjoy that moment. Don’t be overly fixated on only thinking about where your heading (i.e. what you want to change), as this can cause you to miss out on enjoying the journey..
- The people you are surrounded by heavily influence your life situation and the direction it takes. By making the conscious effort to surround yourself with people that you aspire to be more like, or who encourage/push you to be more like the person you wish to be, you will significantly improve your likelihood of success.
- That friendly comment/question that popped in your head to say to that stranger? You should say it.
- Finding inner peace is dependent on your capacity to be accepting. Embrace the entire experience, because it is when we resist (i.e. push away) some aspect of it do we feel discontent.
- Remember that on your deathbed you will without a doubt ask yourself the question, “did I live a good life?” Think about how you would’ve had to spend your life so that time comes, you feel assured that the answer is yes – now go out and live that life. (P.S. I just uploaded a motivational video on this topic to my YouTube Channel)
- We feel our greatest when we are in a place of alignment and authenticity. Work towards unfolding all the layers that prevent us from feeling comfortable being and aligning with our truest and highest selves, and you will continue to experience greater joy.
- Fulfilment is found in aligning with your core desires and acting in line with them over cravings. Listen to the guidance of your intuition, because in it you will find the answers to what is in your best interest.
- Our perception of truth is often limited. There is so much that we don’t see. My experience with seeing more and more as time goes on, makes me feel confident in this.
- Focus on spending your time either doing the things you love or being productive (doing things that move you towards your core desires). The more you cut the time that doesn’t fall into either of these categories, the more fulfilled you will be your life
- It is so important to consciously cultivate and connect to a sense of gratitude, this prevents you from living in a frame of deficiency (feeling like you don’t have or aren’t enough), and opens way for the experience of abundance.
- A great sense of harmony with life and with others is found in connecting to sonder – n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own..
- Love is our true nature and fear is learned, this is a journey of letting go of fear so that we may relearn our true nature.
- BONUS LESSON: The perfect amount of time to dunk an oreo into milk is 9.5 seconds.
You're an Action-Taker, So Here's How You Can Apply this Wisdom
There it is Ascenders, 25 26 of the most important things I have learnt in my 25 years of life. I am still working towards applying these lessons each and every day, because knowing what’s important, and acting inline with what’s important are two very different things.
There is no amount of wisdom that will get you anywhere if it isn’t applied – so what I’ve done to help you take action is put together a PDF list of 27 Life-Changing HABITS that you will immediately reap benefit from if you commit to implementing into your lifestyle.
Make sure you fill out your information below to get that PDF sent to you, because I know that being an Ascender, not only are you wise, but you are an action-taker.
