Lessons Most People Learn Late In Life
Throughout our lives we keep rising and falling, picking up important lessons along the way. Some of these lessons come with experience, yet there are people who directly learn from life or through reading or other means available in this world.
No matter how much we learn from the books there is a significant difference between practical and theoretical experience. Furthermore, there are many life lessons that we simply cannot learn until we face a certain situation in life. Most people would say that there are some lessons that come too late, catching us off-guard and unprepared.
The following list unveils some of the most important lessons in life that people learn the hard way.
1. Learn from failures
Imagine a life where everything comes easily. Most likely, we won’t appreciate the destination. Getting what we want immediately and easily doesn’t satisfy anyone. Sometimes the goal or destination isn’t the most important thing. In life, everything takes time — do, undo and re-do. We won’t find a shortcut to success or anything worthwhile in life.
Whenever we start something new, we’re going to struggle in the beginning due to inexperience, and it’s normal. However, we must know that we must fail. It’s a part of becoming successful. Failure can teach us valuable lessons, and it gives meaning to our success. Knowing this will help us persevere through and achieve what we want.
2. Trust yourself
We must learn to trust our own instincts, thus our own selves. In most situations, we already know what we need to do, and if we don’t, we know who or what can help. So, learn to trust our gut. Be willing to take risks. If in doubt, just take a small step at a time. If we fail or realise that we’ve made a mistake, acknowledge and change the direction and move on.
If we tend to hide in our comfort zone, now is the time to stop. It gives us false security because it’s not safe. Our comfort zone is not a safety zone. If we stay in our comfort zone, we’ll look back one day and realise that we’re unsatisfied. The great news is that we all can change. If we’re indecisive or holding back due to fear, trust your instincts and take a step today.
3. Feel Your Power
We must know our own strengths and powers. While we may be one of the billions of people on earth, It takes one person to start a movement or change the world. Even if we don’t want to change the world, our words and actions impact the people and world around us. What we say can change the direction of a person’s life. So, let’s think carefully about what we say and believe. Knowing that we’re powerful will help us overcome fear. It’ll give us the courage to take risks and bounce back up from a failure. We’ll also feel more resilient.
Being powerful means that our happiness is in our hands. Happiness is internal. Also, it’s a choice and requires effort. If we’re not happy, we must find out what’s stealing it away from us? Are we comparing ourselves to others? Or is there something in our past that’s holding is back? If so, let’s make peace with our past. Forgive and focus on the present. If a comparison is stealing our happiness, remember that we all have our journey. Focus on our path, and remember that we, humans are more powerful than we think.
4. Stay Flexible
It goes without saying that flexibility and adaptability are must-have skills in one’s life. We must be willing to change because it’ll lead to amazing things. If we have a dream or a goal, be flexible when things change. Let’s not close ourselves off because adapting can lead to life-changing opportunities.
We’ll be surprised by the miracles and doors that can open. Everything in life is temporary, and nothing lasts forever. Whether it’s an event, season of life, or a possession, it’ll come to an end. Things will pass, and it may even be forgotten. While it’s a harsh reality to accept, it’s also a great reminder that our life is now. So, let’s not let the present escape us.
5. Continue to Learn
This very issue keeps coming back almost in every other article. The only thing worse than learning something too late is being too stubborn to learn at all. Be flexible, open-minded, and take the lessons as they come! Regardless of our age or education, always remember that learning is a lifelong process. School is just the beginning. So, keep on learning. Continuing to learn opens our minds thus we abreast with changes.
If we start to think that nothing more can be learned, we’ll slowly die — intellectually as well as emotionally. There’ll always be something to learn in our surroundings. This world is massive, and there’s a lot to learn and experience. To continue learning, we can read books, listen to audio books, watch videos, learn new skills, get a new hobby, or travel. There are many ways to learn. The point is to be open and intentional about living a life where we continue learning.
Conclusion
Life is full of lessons. Some of them we learn earlier on in life. However, sometimes the harder ones can take much longer to learn, and usually, we have to undergo some kind of struggle to grasp the concept that life is trying to teach us.
Precisely, we’re now left with a choice. We know the above five lessons that the majority of people wish they had learned sooner. So, what do we think we should be doing now? Don’t let another day go by without implementing the lessons, and remind ourselves of them daily.
About the Author
Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.
