Ever had those moments in life when someone imparts a nugget of wisdom that sticks with you forever? Well, I’ve had my fair share, most of which coming from the amazing women in my life. From my mom’s heartwarming lessons about helping others to a friend’s genius trick to ward off unwanted attention, these stories have shaped how I navigate the world.
The importance of helping others
My mom was always someone who always taught us that helping and being there for others was a way to not only make others feel good but also ourselves. She often said, “If you can do anything in life, do something that can make other people’s lives better.” She was always someone who people could depend on, and she was always doing things for others. Her selfless actions not only taught but also inspired me to want to always do something that can help others, even if it’s in small ways.
Wipe your eyes with a napkin if you’re wearing eye makeup
A good family friend taught me the importance of using a napkin to wipe your eyes when you’re tearing up if you have makeup on instead of a tissue. A coarser material will pick up the tears better and not smudge your eye makeup.
There are two sides to every story
Whenever I was experiencing a problem with someone and I told my mom about it, she would always tell me that I needed to give people the benefit of the doubt. That used to make me so mad at the time. There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to rant to your mom and being told that there’s two sides to every story but the older I get the more I seem to realize that she was right (as usual). It’s so important to treat people with kindness and understand the importance of giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Be kind to yourself
While this is something that a lot of women in my life have taught me, one of my best friends constantly reminds me of the importance of being kind to myself. We all have days where we’re just really not feeling great, and we need to give ourselves a bit of a break. I used to always feel guilty for giving myself a me day, but my friend always reminds me of the importance of being kind to myself and that it’s okay to have days where you do nothing and/or you treat yourself. She also always reminds me to never use words about myself that I would never think of saying about someone else. It can be really easy to be hard on ourselves but it’s important to remember that we need to treat ourselves with kindness too.
Learn a different language to scare away men
A friend I met while studying abroad taught me this and honestly, she’s a genius and I can’t believe I never thought of this before. I feel like most of us women have experienced a random man coming up to us and just not getting the hint to leave us alone. Well, she came up with an almost foolproof way to get them to quickly leave. Even if you only learn a few words, if a man comes up to you and you pretend to not know English and start speaking a different language, a lot of the time they will just go away. The more obscure language the better probably but I did this a few times with French and it had the men instantly going the other direction.
Don’t wait to do what you want
Another thing that my mom always taught me was that life can be very unpredictable and that your life can change at any given moment. It’s because of this that she taught me not to put off doing the things that I want to do and to do things that will make you happy. My mom was all about making memories and experiencing life because you truly never know how quickly your life can change. Don’t put off doing the good stuff until later, enjoy your life now.
From my mother’s selfless teachings to ingenious tricks from friends, these nuggets of wisdom have really stuck with me. I am so grateful for all the women in my life and all that they’ve taught me that has shaped me into who I am today.