7 Important Things You May Have Forgotten About Life And Owe It To Yourself To Remember
Once in awhile, you need to slow down, self-reflect, and think about all of the good you have in your life.
1. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. It is not certain that tomorrow will come. Life can end in the blink of an eye. But instead of living out each day like it may be our last, we spend a lot of time wasting our energy focusing on the things that do not matter. We hold grudges, start fights over disagreements, and look at life through a negative lens. We let drama, selfishness, and bitterness overshadow all the good in our lives, forgetting that tomorrow it could all be over.
2. Appreciating all of the good. Once in awhile, you need to slow down, self-reflect, and think about all of the good you have in your life. I know sometimes a lot of bad can happen and life can certainly get tough. But that doesn’t mean to throw everything else by the wayside. Life gets busy, everything now moves so quickly. But we have forgotten how to slow down, self-reflect, and think about things we should be grateful for. In most situations, life could be a hell of a lot worse, and we are so quick forget that.
3. Sometimes you have to admit when you’re wrong and apologize. We are imperfect creatures, we don’t always do the right thing, regardless of what our intentions might be. But for some reason, many of us have a hard time admitting when we’re wrong and we let pride get in the way. We’ll fight until the end to try and “prove we’re right.” But is that fight really worth it? Is it worth it to waste time when maybe you could just agree to disagree and move on? Or better yet, you could use this opportunity to self-reflect, figure out how you could prevent this in the future, apologize, and move forward. Sometimes admitting when you’re wrong will not only make things better, but you’re bettering yourself in the long run and learning to grow.
4. What communication really means. Sometimes all that needs to happen, in the wake of conflicts or fights, is to communicate with one another about how we feel. Today, people are so quick to hide behind a screen or post their feelings on social media, or completely blow up and get angry at a situation, or worse, just shut off communication completely with that individual rather than solving the actual issue. Face-to-face serious talks happen less often, but they should happen if conflicts arise and you want to find a happy solution. Real communication is expressing your feelings in a non-attacking way, and seeing each other’s perspectives and point of views, and even if we don’t 100% understand, we try our absolute best to.
5. You cannot use people as emotional punching bags. A good friend of mine sent me an amazing quote the other day: “The only reason why people are mean to others for no reason, is due to their own insecurities. It is an outlet of their internal battles externalized in the form of aggression and insensitivity. Forgive & let live.” This could not be more true. All too often people who are unhappy with their own lives, take it out on others around them, especially the ones they love most. Sometimes they don’t even realize they’re doing it. If you’re unhappy with your life, fix it, work on it, try something new. But do not take it out on those around you. It all lies within yourself to change your way of thinking and to make lifestyle changes that will bring you happiness.
5. It’s okay to fail. We all get off track every now and then, but we’re so hard on ourselves and we get upset when we fail. The thing is, it’s completely okay to fail, or to feel lost and do some soul-searching. Sometimes it can be the best thing for us. Hitting rock bottom only means that now, you can only go up from here. Never bury yourself with pity and self-doubt if you fail because it’ll never get better if you do. Use your failure as a learning opportunity. Shake it off, try again, explore other options, and get back out there.
6. What’s actually important vs. what is not. To those who have forgotten what’s important in life: family, friends, love, relationships, and health. There are many people out there who are truly suffering and have experienced true loss, while many of us take those in our lives for granted all too often. Sometimes we get lost in the things that don’t matter, and we forget to take a step back and remember what does. Years from now, you won’t remember the stupid fights, or the petty drama, or all those silly things we sometimes shift our focus on. You’ll only remember all of the happy memories, the adventures, and the quality time you spent with loved ones.
7. It flies by. Faster than we can imagine. So don’t waste it. In the end, all that will matter is who we chose to be, how we bettered ourselves along the journey, and all the memories we’ve created. Think about it right now: When you look back on your life, what will you remember? 