In the last twenty years of my life,
I’ve learned
That there is a flickering light despite the dimmest of situations you may be facing, that you have it in you five times more than you could ever imagine, that in the moments you doubt yourself it’s a chance for you to prove yourself wrong
That most people won’t care and don’t care about your well-being, that you have to be strictly selective about who you open up to as the people around you affect your goals, your mentality, your capacity to love, that regardless of whether a person is a part of your inner circle, your actions are best-motivated with empathy
That you should question every single status quo, that before you jump to an agreement that everyone else has, question it, hold your opinions to a high standard, evaluate everything you know and everything you believe so that when someone else begins to question it, you have already asked yourself and solidified all that you believe
That the value of money is all about what you make it, how you place it in your life, that putting wealth on a pedestal is the surest and easiest method of gaining unhappiness, remember that being worry-free is a great goal but instead of focusing on the materialistic desires, focus on what you hope to give back in the process of getting where you want to be
That planning everything out to the T is wonderful if it relieves your worries or gives you focus for the day but that on occasion, flexibility and spontaneity reminds you of why life is worth living, that taking your nose out of the to-do list a couple minutes is beneficial
That every soul will live entirely different lifestyles than you, and that individuality and sexuality and religion and everything that is a choice is an amazing form of self-expression which leaves no space for criticism
That not keeping your word is self-destructive in the sense that you devalue the weight of your words to other people and even more importantly, yourself; you forget that your words and the promises you make to yourself should be upheld and that you either learn to commit or you fail to follow through; both are within your capability
That your body is a limitation in certain manners, that you have to keep it fed and well-rested, but that it is the greatest tangible thing in this world that you own; that if you haven’t begun to take care of it properly, it is not too late to start, that if you develop a love for your body, it’s slightly easier to love your mind
That in the midst of a raging storms in your emotions or in your thoughts, in your worries, in your fears of not being enough, surrounding yourself with silence is where clarity will reach you best and it’ll remind you that all will be well
That this life is dynamic and people come and go more easily than we prefer but so do events, that the bad will pass so ride it out and that the highs run their course as well, so cherish it
That feeling understood and listened to is one of the most beautiful irreplaceable feelings of life, that not enough people will put effort into understanding you either and that when you meet someone who does, keep the connection
That music is resounding in more ways than one, that it heals your soul in a way that very few things can, that listening to certain things prime your moods and your day, so choose wisely, that singing even without a “talent” is therapeutic
That jealousy is a thriving beast on insecurity, that to rid yourself of jealousy is not by ripping others apart but by re-evaluating why your self-worth is not secure and if there are people who make you truly doubt your capabilities and your worth, take your space
That perfection is not your enemy, that perfection doesn’t exist, rather striving for progress when mistakes are made, owning up to them, reflecting on what went wrong, then creating steps forward is the best thing to do