14 Things We Don’t Need to Learn Too Late in Life

14 Things We Don’t Need to Learn Too Late in Life

14 Things We Don’t Need to Learn Too Late in Life

I always like to be in a situation where it seems like I’m doing things wrong, but when in fact I’m not.

It is in those moments that I identify criminal minds in me. And when these things happen (it happens all the time), two things immediately come to mind.

Listening to British rock music and going into a state of relaxation and deep reflection
Talking to an 80-year-old person
Option 1 makes me calmer and full of energy and motivation, and option 2 makes me twice as mindful.

When I talk to people who are older than me I learn this:

You can’t fix something that is fundamentally broken by hard work

This was a painful lesson.

You can’t fix something that is fundamentally broken/not working just by waiting and working very hard.

You can’t fix a business concept that doesn’t work just by pulling very hard on other aspects, hoping that this will mask the deficiencies.

A relationship that fundamentally doesn’t work (because you don’t fit in, for example), cannot be repaired by both of you putting in a lot of effort.

Some things are broken, and if the foundation cannot be fixed, it is better to let it go.

There will always be more money, but not more time

Usually, in life, you have to choose between time and money.

If possible, always choose the time. No matter how many times you may get stressed, there will always be money.

Time doesn’t come back, and in the end, we all know that the things you do with your time will stay with you longer than the numbers in your bank account.

Don’t hold all your cards on the table

We live in a society where we always have to keep our options open and constantly look for “the best”.

The best relationship, the best job, the best plans for the evening (a movie with friend A? or a party with friend B?).

Anyway, you know, this constant comparison only makes us unhappy.

So don’t keep your options open. Choose something that you are happy with. And don’t hesitate.

Keeping your options open only leads to restlessness, wasted time, and paralysis. This doesn’t mean that you can’t change your choices if you are unhappy, of course. But then change it too, and don’t keep doubting whether you should.

Discipline gets you to Mars

So many times I started something because I liked it, or because I was done with the alternative. But as soon as the first wave of excitement wore off, the new one passed, and everything turned out not to be so easy, I stopped again.

Intrinsic motivation is important.

However, what I have learned is that discipline is key. This will help you to achieve your goals, even on the days when you are not in the mood.

Something you don’t pay attention to will never grow

Where you put energy, it expands.

So keep in mind what you do and don’t want in your life and go accordingly.

A healthy business cannot grow if you focus only on the competition.

A healthy relationship cannot grow if you are too busy with other potential partners.

Healthy self-esteem cannot grow if you simply don’t devote time to yourself.

What you nurture grows.

You just have to start

I hear so often from people that they don’t know exactly what they want to do in life.

Life is not a straight path.

There is no straight line that says you are now for “success”.

Just start somewhere. See what works, what doesn’t work.

And most importantly, what you like and what you don’t like. By doing and trying, you automatically get closer to what you want to do in life.

If you change the way you see things, the things you see change

This saying hung on my bedroom door when I was 17.

It was a quote that opened my eyes at the time.

An event is simply what it is. You give it meaning.

If you change the way you look at something, the whole thing changes, because that thing is shaped by your perception.

Self-knowledge is the most important asset you can have in life

Spend a lot of time understanding yourself.

If you know what works for you and what doesn’t, you can act on it.

Analyze yourself:

Why do you do what you do?
Why do you think about things in a certain way?
And does it align with the way your ideal version of yourself would think and act?
The better you know yourself, the easier it is to recognize and avoid your pitfalls, and the better you can take care of yourself.

Buy fewer things you don’t need

The less stuff, the less you have to worry about.

There wasn’t a better feeling than a few years ago to get rid of almost everything I owned.

If you don’t use it regularly, or it has real sentimental value, get rid of it.

Follow your north

My biggest mistakes stem from ignoring that little voice in the back of my mind. Although I have never regretted listening to my intuition.

Lesson? Follow what you want and not what the world wants.

But don’t forget to listen to your mind too

Sometimes your emotions keep you in situations where you know you deserve something better.

Because it’s hard to walk away. Because it’s hard to let other people down.

In this case, you need to listen to your mind. You have emotions, you are not your emotions.

Follow the path that you want and not the path that the world wants you to follow

Believe me, all these questions and misunderstandings, it’s all worth it if you look around on a random Sunday afternoon and think “gimme a break, I’m just living my dream”.

Just do your own thing.

Don’t feel like looking for a job from 9 to 5? Don’t do it.
Don’t feel like buying a house and getting married? Don’t do it.
Don’t feel like having children? Don’t do it.
Want to write a book or travel the world? Do it.
Do it for yourself, there are not many tricks to it.

The chances of success are much greater if you do something you enjoy

Of course, there are many other factors involved in the field of ‘success’, such as talent. But the most important factor for success is perseverance.

And your perseverance will be much greater if you enjoy something, than if you only do it for the money.

Change your mind, change your life

Whether you believe you can or cannot do something, you are always right.

You can only achieve something if you believe it’s possible.

If you don’t believe you can run 10 miles, you won’t be able to. If you believe it, you may not be right immediately, but you will begin to see the steps you need to take to get there. And with that, you will eventually reach your goal.

Pay close attention to your mindset and what you believe about yourself because it is your most powerful tool.

To recap:

You cannot fix something that is fundamentally broken by hard work
There will always be more money, but not more time
Don’t keep all your cards on the table
Discipline gets you to Mars
Something you don’t pay attention to will never grow
You just have to start
If you change the way you see things, the things you see change
Self-knowledge is the most important asset you can have in life
Buy fewer things you don’t need
Follow your north
But don’t forget to listen to your mind too
Follow the path you want, not the one the world wants you to follow
The chances of success are much greater if you do something you like
Change your mind, change your life

CONTRIBUTED BY Paulo A. José

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