LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY

1 Listen to your gut and go with it. You can seek advice, but don’t ask ten people what you should do before coming to a decision.

2 People who are always telling you they are too busy to show up for you when you need them, are not worth wasting your time on. No one is that busy. As a good friend once told me many years ago….”Who are they? The Prime Minister?”

3 People don’t generally change. Do not spend your life trying to get someone to like or love you, whether that be a boyfriend, friend or even  a family member. The sad fact of life is: most people are who they are by a certain age and will not deviate too far from that personality. A dog is a dog and a cat is a cat. Accept that some of us will never see eye to eye. Agree to disagree and move on.

4 Keep your word. As old-fashioned as it may sound nowadays, a promise is a promise. People will respect you for it. It goes hand in hand with loyalty and integrity.

5 When feeling down, take a nap if you can. I remember driving down a neighborhood street several years ago, in the passenger seat of my friend’s car. As we passed a condo building, we saw yellow police tape. This was not a familiar scene to us and we wondered what had happened. We soon found out a woman had jumped from a top floor to her death. I always remember my friend’s comments at the time and found it a bit strange. She said; “Why do that? Everything looks better after sleeping….take a nap when it feels like the world is crashing in.” I looked at her and said nothing, it was such an unusual statement, simplistic – yet profound. The more I thought about it, the more it resonated and still does today, more than ever. I’m not implying a nap will solve all your problems, but it will give your brain time to recharge, and for you to possibly see things from a new perspective.

6 Great words of hope and optimism from the greatest book of all; The Holy Bible, “This too shall pass.” Those four words got me through a lot of adversity in my life. We have to believe in our heart that things will get better. Without hope, we don’t have the strength to persevere.

7 If you find yourself always being less optimistic, sad, or plain unhappy after speaking to someone or being in that person’s company, then perhaps that is a relationship you have to reconsider. People you care about, and who care about you, should make you feel rejuvenated, not depleted. This does not refer to a sick relative, friend or someone who is going through a difficult time.

8 Another gem that we all have probably heard before. My good friend once said this to me when I could not decide if to send an email… “Try always to sleep on something; if it stills feels it’s the right thing to do in the morning, then do it.” It seems like it all goes back to rest and sleep, doesn’t it?

9 Lastly, a favorite saying from someone who was very near and dear to me that I lost. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Sometimes we just need to learn from our experiences and move forward.