Luckily, most of what you need to know to live life wisely has already been said and written. A lot of intelligent people have already lived and shared their ideas and experiences. This is one of the best aspects of reading good books. You can learn from others, rather than having to figure it out yourself.
Consider these ideas:
- Action often trumps knowledge. Someone who knows a little but does a lot will beat someone who knows a lot but does little. Ensure that you’re not procrastinating under the guise of gathering more information.
- Focus on the things you can control. If you can control it, why worry? Just take action to manage it the best you can. If you can’t control it, there’s no value in worrying.
- You can’t control other people. You can’t make anyone else do anything. Instead, focus on being the best you can be.
- Your life is passing by quicker than you think. There’s no time for worrying or waiting. Get busy living your life today! Express gratitude for every happy moment!
- Progress is more important than perfection. Striving for perfection is a waste of time. Just focus on doing a little better today than you did yesterday. Good things will happen.
- Failure is a required part of success. Stop trying to avoid failure. Learn from your mistakes, do your best, and keep moving forward until you reach your goal.
- People think about you a lot less than you think they do. It might be a relief, or it might be insulting, but few people care about your successes and failures. Either way, it’s true. If someone criticizes you, it’s usually a reflection of their own shortcomings, not yours. If you feel critical of others, you might want to explore the origins of your own feelings.
- The best policy is to take responsibility for everything in your life – good and bad. If you accept responsibility, you can celebrate your successes and fix anything that’s unacceptable to you. Blame others and you’re powerless.
- Choosing whether to be right or to be happy is an important decision. When dealing with others, there are times that you can’t be both right and happy. Which is more important to you? You might not want to let being right damage your relationships.
- Dealing with your fears is much easier than avoiding them. Deal with a fear and it eventually goes away. Avoid it, and you’ll soon be structuring your life around it.
- Most of the things you fear will never happen. And if they do, it won’t be as bad as you think. Besides that, every bad or hard situation has a silver lining.
- Your time is your most valuable possession. Time is the one thing you can’t get more of. How you spend your time determines the quality of your life.
- People are doing the best they can. You don’t know what others are going through or have gone through. Everyone is doing the best they can at that moment.
- Place a priority on your health. Everything suffers if your health deteriorates. Be thankful for every moment of health and energy.
- Avoid making decisions when you’re emotionally compromised. Science has shown that your ability to make wise decisions is hindered by strong emotions. Wait until you calm down.
- Quitting is failing. You’ve only failed if you quit.
- The easiest way to get what you want? Visualize and daydream every day. Allow your feelings of happiness to rise (sing and dance) as you daydream. Savor your feelings of elation and happiness. Then take any steps you can toward making those dreams come true.
Choosing to live your life wisely is your right. The wisdom of others can be a great starting point for living life wisely. Happiness is always a choice. It’s a choice you can make ahead of time.
Do you have any bits of wisdom you’d like to share?
The simple fact that you exist guarantees you deserve the best that life offers. You ARE enough exactly as you are!
