30 Life Lessons No Self-Help Book will Teach You

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After a long, ill-advised absence from the cyber-space, I’m back with a deluge of life-changing advice for the gullible.

Do “life lessons” change lives?

Not unless you’re gullible enough to believe them wholeheartedly. (Hint: The best thing to do with the next 30 bullet points is to not believe them, ’cause if you do, they might change the way you look at life!)  

With that disclaimer, here goes:

  1. Life is not fair. (Yeah that’s #1.)
  2. You can’t change others. Stop trying.
  3. Nothing is permanent. Neither good times, nor bad.
  4. Not everything is under your control. Do your best with the ones that are, and let go of the rest.
  5. There is such a thing as sheer luck, and no – you don’t necessarily have more of it by working harder.
  6. Your “ideal” partner doesn’t exist. Find someone who absolutely, perfectly fits the “must have” bill and tear up the “nice to have” one. 
  7. His/her looks matter zilch in the long run. Not “very little”. Zilch.
  8. Some days are just bad days. Let them pass.
  9. Take a lot, a lot of time to trust.
  10. Life lessonsPhoto by handywallsii

  11. Hard work is necessary, but not sufficient for success.
  12. The only way to get started is to get started.
  13. You’ll never make as much money as you’d like to make. Shift your focus from “money” to “happiness”.
  14. In the long run marriage gives you companionship. If you’re expecting anything more, don’t marry.
  15. Stable relationships are boring most of the time sometimes. It doesn’t mean love has died.
  16.  In any situation, respond. Don’t react.
  17. You don’t have to love your job. Most claim to, but few actually do.
  18. Feel your emotions. But don’t be controlled by them.
  19. Your career is less important than you think. Develop other aspects of your life before it’s too late.
  20. Murphy’s Law usually holds true. Prepare accordingly.
  21. Sometimes the best way of winning someone back is to let them go.
  22. Sometimes there is no way of winning someone back. Accept it.
  23. Life lessonsPhoto by WayneWho?

  24. Being open to new ideas isn’t always a good thing. Know your core values.
  25. “Everything” is NOT possible. Accept it.
  26. A failure isn’t always a new beginning, a learning opportunity or “the best thing that could’ve happened to you”. Sometimes it’s a big, hairy, real failure with nothing but negative implications for your life. In such cases, acceptance itself is an achievement.
  27. Sometimes the glass is completely empty. It’s called life. You don’t always have to hallucinate. :D  
  28. There are exceptions, but in general good things happen to bad people. Get over it.
  29. Don’t always feel guilty about not being productive. Sometimes, live.
  30. You do have a split second before you let yourself fall in love. Use it.
  31. Happiness is the only goal you’re certain to achieve if you chase it. Everything else is uncertain.
  32. Never measure yourself with others’ yardstick. The only real failure is failure to find true happiness in life. 

What do you think? Let me know. :)

10 thoughts on “30 Life Lessons No Self-Help Book will Teach You”

  1. Loved it…simply superb … Wonder how many people in this world actually believe in the “… ‘Zilch’ …” statement. i.e the 7th statement. It is only after personally going through a lot, that people will zero down on this conclusion… If the mass could heed 2 d advice & learn from other people’s experiences, the world would b a much better place to live in…

  2. I hate reading this.. because I know it is true. But sometimes the situations just overwhelm completely, one is not able to see anything beyond it. In such situation we connect dots the way we want to, so we feel more pain cause the problem is end of life.

    1. Here’s a magic rule: When the problem looks like the end of your life, shift your focus. Remember, the end goal is always happiness. If it doesn’t come from one particular source – big deal. It’ll come from somewhere else. :)

  3. 25. Sometimes the glass is completely empty. It’s called life. You don’t always have to hallucinate.
    Don’t know why but this point solaced me…. :D

  4. Hi,

    The 7th point. Is it zilch actually?… I guess i have most of the other wisdom ticked about her. Shes’ ok looking but not how i thought. I am not looking for a model but just something that makes me fall for her and yes physically. I know almost for sure that everything except that is good about her. And i have problems as in i am a lost soul and i think being with her makes me feel safe to deal with my troubles. However i just cannot get this “one physical x factor” thing out of my mind. I ll appreciate your thoughts here…..

  5. Whatever I want to say may seem demeaning but it is not.

    After reading all the points what I felt was, most of it (actually all of it) was cliche. All of us here some or the other way know and understand all these points very well but the problem faced is we don’t know how to actually apply them practically.
    Like #21: I know that sometimes it is just impossible to win someone back but how to make myself understand that remains the biggest question. My brain knows that already but every single time heart wins the fight.
    Help me on this.

  6. So true….this is what we should be taught In school or when we are teenagers…
    Imagin…
    How much better life it would have been for all of us…

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