At some point in your life, you have probably heard a token of advice along the lines of “When one door closes, another one opens,” or “Do what makes you happy.” And most of us have probably rolled our eyes at the cliché-ness of the statement, being too young and too naive to understand the true meaning behind the statements. In reality, these lines are filled with a lot of valuable information and have a deeper meaning about understanding yourself and your life. So here are five of the most common said cliché pieces of advice that are actually good words to live by.
- Be Yourself
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It may not seem like the easiest piece of advice to follow, but being yourself is probably one of the greatest pieces of advice you’ve ever received. In a world full of people pretending to be something they’re not, it is hard to try and be your true and genuine self. People may not totally accept all of your quirks and may try to put you down, but that’s just a part of life. At the end of the day, being yourself is probably the easiest thing you’re ever going to do once you figure out what “being yourself” really entails. Finally deciding to be yourself will bring so much happiness, wonderful people, and laughter into your life making all the things you had to go through to get to that point worth it.
- Listen to Your Heart
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I promise you that this is not a subtle plug for the Bachelor’s new program, but actually a good piece of advice you’ve probably heard at least once in your life. When faced with a tough decision or a problem that can’t be solved with your normal approaches, listening to your heart is the next, and best step. Your mind might not always be in the right place, but deep down, your heart always knows what the best move going forward is that will not put you or anyone else in danger or harm. Listening to your heart allows for you to put aside all of the analytical aspects of the situation you’re dealing with, allowing for you to make the decision that you know is right and helping you to succeed at life.
- Fake it Till You Make It
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One token of advice that will forever be relevant in life is fake it till you make it. Fake it till you make it doesn’t entail lying, it goes off the basis that when faced with a tough situation, pretending to be confident and optimistic will ultimately help you to succeed. By feigning confidence, you are simply trying to better yourself enough in order to complete a task and thrive in your life. There is a fine line between ‘faking it till you make it’ and lying, so make sure when abiding by this piece of advice you tread on the ‘faking it’ side rather than the lying side (because that will just cause more problems for you in the future).
- Follow Your Dreams
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Dreams are a powerful thing. They give us hope for the future and serve as the driving force for us to achieve our goals. Without dreams in our lives, we wouldn’t have any goals and would fail to accomplish anything. Dreams provide us with the drive and motivation to achieve the accomplishment of following our dreams. It may seem superficial and childish to ‘follow your dreams’, but following your dreams is actually one of the most mature pieces of advice you can receive. As the great Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it;” Anything is possible, if you just believe.
- When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade
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Possibly the biggest piece of cliché advice you have received throughout your life is ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ When we first heard the statement we were probably too young to understand the true meaning behind the anecdote. What this statement really means is that when life hands you the foundations of an opportunity for something great, take them in stride and use them as a starting off point to follow your dreams and accomplish your goals. Take the little things that life presents to you and turn it into something bigger and grander. When life hands you lemons, take them and use them to your advantage to achieve anything you want to in your life.
When it comes down to it, the most cliché pieces of advice you’ve received throughout your life are actually some of the most important anecdotes about how to live a happy and successful life. Without these clever little sayings, who knows where you would be in life. But, by listening to your heart, faking it till you make it, and being yourself, you have the opportunity for when life hands you its bright and wonderful lemons to follow your dreams.