Several years ago, I started to collect thoughts and inspiration around things I’ve learned in life. As I reviewed some old notes, I came across a list I’d started and thought this is the perfect time to share the wisdom that I’m fortunate to have learned and wished I had known even earlier in life. These ideas are not new, and in fact, have been shared in various forms around the internet before. But these top ten ideas are the bits of wisdom that most resonated for me.
Find Your Happiness Within
Far too often do we find ourselves chasing after things (wealth, material possessions, etc.) in hopes of that thing making us happy. And the reality is, if you’re not satisfied with yourself, all of those things you acquire are just temporary bandaids across a more massive wound. The “newness” of the items will wear off, and you’ll find yourself quickly wanting something else “to make you happy.” To indeed be happy, you have to find that happiness within yourself. It does not happen outside of you.
Wake Up Early
Growing up, I was amazed at my grandmother, who would always wake up before 6:00 am. That sounded crazy! The sun isn’t even up yet! In my teenage years, I was the opposite — a complete night owl. I figured if I stayed up late, I’d have all kinds of time to get done what I cared about most. But inevitably, what happens is you go to bed late, and it’s challenging to get up in the morning. You’re sleepy and groggy, and it’s way too easy just to hit snooze on your alarm clock. Once I started going to bed early and then waking up early, I was amazed at the head start I could have on my day. If I used that time to go to the gym or get extra work done, I felt such a sense of accomplishment as my day was already off to a great start while everyone around me was still waking up.
Surround Yourself With Creative or Smarter People
One of the best ideas I’d ever heard as a leader was to always surround yourself with people smarter than you are. Doing so helps you stay sharp, and you’re still in an environment where you can learn.
Break The Impossible Into Smaller Chunks
The adage of ‘the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time’ is entirely accurate. Countless times I’ve gone up against what seemed like an impossible goal or just something where I didn’t know where to start. But if I could break a more massive task down into something smaller, it became that much easier to make incremental progress. And, forward motion on something, even if it is slow, is still moving forward.
It’s Okay To Say No
As a bit of a “people pleaser,” this has been one of the most challenging concepts for me to practice. But that doesn’t lessen its impacts at all. We all have way too many things on our plates and too many goals in life to accomplish. We have to say no to things. And it’s much easier to turn a no into a yes than to go the other way around.
Always Ask Questions
Questions are incredibly powerful. Questions help us build a deep connection from creating clarity in showing understanding and pushing thoughts deeper. I’ve also realized that multiple people can hear conversations very differently, despite the same words being spoken. Getting clarity through questions is essential to understand that the message was received as it was intended. Whoever said ‘there’s no such thing as a stupid question’ was also right. We always say that phrase and don’t give it much attention, but it’s true.
Problems Don’t Go Away Over Time
There may be times where you think, ‘oh, if I just deal with this later, maybe it’ll resolve itself on its own.’ But the reality is, problems won’t just go away on their own. And the more you put them off, the worse they can become. You’re going to have to face the problem sooner or later, so you might as well face it sooner while it’s still manageable than to put off the inevitable and risk it becoming worse.
Assume Positive Intent
In today’s pandemic-stricken world, where we see people lose patience and become irritated at the drop of a dime, I remind myself always to assume positive intent, regardless of the situation. We don’t know what someone else may be dealing with or what their life is like. And given those unknowns, there are two ways we can approach a situation and interact with them. Unlike what we learned in algebra, two negatives are not going to make a positive. If we can take the high road and stay positive, we have nothing to lose.
Surround Yourself with New Mediums
I love this idea. Explore new mediums, new ideas, new cultures, new cuisines, and new people. The world is utterly fascinating, and learning more about it and who we are and how we’re different helps us both understand others better and broadens our thinking as well.
Leave Time for Play
Finally, as a kid at heart, I feel it’s intensely important to leave time for play. If that’s playing a video game, or doing puzzles, watching reruns of classic cartoons, or whatever ‘play’ might mean to you, the simple act of being creative and using your imagination is a healthy distraction from the stress of the world around us. No matter what may be going on around us, if we can find a moment, even if briefly, to step back, enjoy a little laugh and try not to take things too seriously, we can get through anything.
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