It is true that as long as we are children we want to grow up so that we can do all the things our parents do and keep us from doing. But when we grow up, we wish we hadn’t, because we realize that with growing up it comes responsibility. There are so many things we wish someone had told us when we were growing up. And if someone had, then perhaps, like Peter Pan, we would never have wished to grow up. Here is a list of the top 15 lessons that no one will teach you as you grow up.
“Remember that life’s greatest lessons are usually learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes.”
1. Tough times do exist
As children, we are protected by our parents from everything that is bad and annoying. But as adults, we have no choice but to realize that bad times exist and can come at any time in our lives. Life can never be as smooth as we wish or imagine. The rough waters and storms are part of the journey called life. As they say, hard times do not last, but hard people do. So we have to learn quickly to take things in hand and move on.
2. Take responsibility
As an adult, you are fully responsible for your actions. You cannot always look for someone to point the finger at. Even with what you want to do in life, you realize that it is not easy to make decisions. In fact, it’s downright scary! But you learn on the way. After all, experience makes the man.
3. Change is the only constant in life
It is tedious, but you quickly find out that change is the only constant in life. At first, change bothers you. But you learn to accept it, to live with it, even to make the best of it. You are lucky if you can plan every little detail of life and live it as planned. The truth is that in most cases our best plans fall through. Learn to accept change and go with the flow, because that will improve the quality of life.
4. Managing finances is not easy
Fighting with parents for more pocket money during childhood and dealing with this small amount would have been easier. But as an adult who takes responsibility for yourself and maybe for a family, you realize that dealing with money is not that easy. The absolute art of juggling the money between urgent expenses and the management of other unplanned expenses rather worries you.
It may take some time and you may have to take some hits, but you will soon get the hang of how to save, how to invest and how to make more money out of your money! That way you will also learn how to cover your expenses.
5. Don’t plan too far ahead
Failing to plan is planning to fail, as a great soul once said. It is good to have short-term goals and work towards them. It is also good to have long-term plans but not to rely too much on them. Life has a way of catching up with us and forcing us to change our direction. If you plan too far ahead, you will probably be disappointed if things go wrong. Learn to be flexible and quickly turn your long-term plans into short-term plans.
Perseverance is a good policy, but it may not help you to pursue a lost cause. Instead, it may be better to recover quickly, consider your options, and take a different path that is more achievable.
6. This too shall pass
This is one of the greatest life lessons that no one will teach you as you grow up. Bad times don’t last, but then neither do the good times. It is important to remember that time has a high value and is something we have no control over. Whether we like it or not, time will pass.
So it is important to make the best of the time we have available and learn to live it. Time is important, but never returns. So cherish it and respect it, so that you can limit your regrets about not making the best use of it!
7. Relationships are complicated
Welcome to the world of relationships, because this is the foundation on which life is built. It is almost impossible to live as a loner. You have to be part of society and learn to deal with your relationships. This can be your parents, your spouse, your children, your boss, your neighbors, colleagues, aunts, uncles, or friends. They are all an integral part of everyone’s life, and you cannot ignore or escape this fact.
The sooner you learn to handle and manage your relationships, the better your life will be. But that is easier said than done. Relationships are complicated. Learning to be honest with yourself and your relationships, appreciating those that are important, and letting go of those that aren’t is an art that you learn over time to live a full life.
8. You live only once
You’ll get but only one chance in life, so make the most of it. Learn to live it the way you want, not the way others expect you to live it. Even if you shouldn’t throw caution to the wind, it’s okay to take a few risks and overcome your fear. Leave your comfort zone every now and then to do something new!
All these experiences will make life worthwhile. Explore every opportunity that comes your way, make new friends, find new hobbies and passions, and keep your interest alive.
9. ‘Failures are the stepping stones to success’
Almost every famous and successful person will have a story to tell about how they suffered failures before they succeeded. There will be rejections, whether on the personal or professional front. We should learn as soon as possible to reconcile ourselves with these rejections and failures.
Mostly we tend to take rejections and failures a little too personally. “Why is this happening to me?” is the eternal question we ask ourselves. It is important to understand that fate has something planned for everyone. It is our duty to strive for success and progress. Rejections should only be viewed that something was not meant for us, and not as something personal. We are destined for something else, perhaps even something better and greater. Being positive helps greatly in overcoming such situations.
“What confuses us most in life is the picture in our head of how it should be.”
10. Worrying never solves anything
Oh! This is something that everyone knows, but it’s so difficult to implement. Life has its own ways of getting us through. Although we know that some things and situations are beyond our control, we tend to worry about them rather too much and get stressed.
It is true that worries never solve any problems and only contribute to them. To solve problems, it is important to know that they must be thought through, with a clear, calm mind. Sometimes all you need to do to put things in perspective is to take a day off and be alone. A calm mind works better. If you follow your heart when in doubt, you can never do anything wrong. Also, learn to discuss things with a few trusted people. This will help you immensely. It is said that joy multiplies when you share it with others, and sorrows are divided.
11. Expectation management is the key
This is something that will prove useful to you for the rest of your life. Learn expectation management. Often it is expectations that lead to misery. If you set expectations correctly, you will get more out of relationships, whether personal or professional.
It is also important to learn not to expect too much from others, as most people tend to let you down. After all, to err is human, and that is expected. So if you learn this lesson that no one told you during your childhood, it can help you all your life.
12. No one said life is easy
It may come as a surprise to you, but no one ever said life is easy. It’s supposed to be challenging. In fact, the beauty of life lies in the uncertainty of tomorrow. You have it in front of you to make the best of it, as you see fit. The possibilities are endless. And that is what makes life interesting.
Difficulties are a part of life, and they come as our teacher to give us valuable experiences. When we gain experience, we grow old and we learn to take life in its course. We expect the unexpected and learn to let go of things that are beyond us.
13. Health is wealth
Get your priorities in life in order, quite early and young. Everyone wants to blossom and make money. We all want to have and enjoy all the good things in life, and this is not possible without money. But the more we work towards monetary and material gains, the more likely we are to fall into the trap. We can be severely affected by stress because it has a direct effect on our health.
It is important to realize that you are important. And health is a big part of you. If there are health problems, then all is lost. You can’t buy happiness and health with all the money in the world. That’s why it’s important to learn to take care of ourselves. Sometimes people ignore health issues so much that there is no going back and life is lost. Taking time out for yourself, especially for the sake of health, should be routine rather than effort. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle contributes to being not only healthy but also happy. After all, prevention is better than cure!
14. A positive attitude helps
Being positive is a big plus. It is not easy to do this, especially when life is always challenging. But if you master the art of trying to see the positive side of things, it can go a long way.
There are people who had terminal cancer and even doctors had given up hope. But they refused to give up on themselves and fought hard and with a positive attitude for their lives. That they survived to tell the story is a fact of life.
15. Humanity above all
Above all, you are human. If we care about this value, we can hardly do anything wrong in life. How you deal with people and how they look at you is a big part of your social identity. We must learn to care for others.
It is important to treat everyone with due respect – regardless of religion, culture, race, color, profession, gender, or age. Respect begets respect and love begets love. What goes around comes around, and therefore it is important to learn this lesson of life as soon as possible – no one will teach it to you – and when you are young.
All the good things you do to others will come back to you in one form or another, as will the bad deeds. Learn to believe that you can be happy, positive, successful, etc. Faith helps above all, and if you base all this on the concept of humanity, then it all fits together.
Conclusion
There are, of course, a few other things that nobody told you when you were growing up. These life lessons that no one will teach you can sometimes come as a nasty shock. It is alright to say that they give you valuable experience, but when you are confronted with them, it can be extremely difficult for you to digest or get through or get over them. This is the way life is meant to be, and no amount of experience can actually prepare you for certain things that life throws up. It is better to understand this life lesson in order to better enjoy life as a whole.
