Six Things I Have Learned In The Past Decade

 

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“Life has pounded me down and thrashed me around, time and time again but I always get right back up because I still love life -Just as the earth still loves the rain.”
~ Suzy Kassem

We are the third day into a new year and a new decade. Each year of the last decade has been challenging because they have forced me to make many changes in my life. Through the years I’ve found that while holding on meant that I was brave. By letting go of things that no longer served a purpose in my life, I found happiness, my worth as a person and most of all I found my strength to go after what I wanted. The past decade taught me a lot about myself and about my relationship with my family, friends, colleagues.

I had to learn to rise above every and anything I had no control of- Many times I made myself ill worrying about things that were out of my control. By ignoring the things beyond my control gave me more clarity to pursue things I did control have control of!

I’ve learned to live for me and to stop building my life around othersI’ve learned to say NO- This was difficult in the beginning but it became easier when I realised how much pressure I was putting on myself by committing to things that took up chunks of my time!

I’ve learned self-love- Life forced me to love myself enough to take better care of mind and body. Now, self-care comes above all else! 

I’ve learned that people are never who they say they are but rather who they show you they are!

I’ve learned that miracles happen every day, we just have to be wise enough to recognise them when they do!

I ‘ve learned that battles are never won single-handedly, there are times you need to say, “I need help!

I’ve learned sometimes silence is golden, you don’t always have to win an argument to be right and respect is earned not inherited through rank or relations!

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned in recent years is to never give up. It didn’t matter how many times I got knocked down, I never gave up. There are times in your journey when you will feel more motivated to give up than to move on but you have to remind yourself that you deserve better, that you deserve more. All the pieces to life’s puzzle may not fit at that moment and the picture may be a bit blurred. But trust me, at some point, all those pieces will click into place, that proverbial light bulb will go off. And you will look at the picture with great clarity, you will look back on all those times you fell down with a smile on your face because at that moment you will understand why the journey was so difficult.

It may be true that the shortest distance between A and B is a straight line but that doesn’t mean you’re not gonna hit a few potholes along the way.  Many people did not make it as far as you or I have. Some of them gave up. Some of them have passed on. But the fact that you are reading this right now, means you are still in the game, you may have hit a few potholes but you’re still here and you’re never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. That’s the glory of life.

In this New Year, reevaluate your position in life and in the life of those around you. Once you’re done that take note of how you can be true to yourself.  Here are four mindful ways you can do that:

1. Guard yourself jealously, know your self-worth.

2. Give yourself some respect, people will treat you the way you allow them to.

3. Be selfish with your time. If you’re going to waste your time, waist on yourself not someone else.

4. Be tenacious in your actions, no matter how colossal or minute. Have the audacity to go after your dream(s).

“You will face hard times in life. Sometimes they are supposed to come, sometimes not. Get through them no matter what, ’cause the good life is always on the other side.”
~F.C.

 

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©Etta  D. Richards

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