27 Lessons

1. Love begins with you. To be able to love someone to the best of our ability begins with loving yourself. When you don’t love yourself- your love is incomplete. But when you do love yourself, your love becomes healthier.

2. All problems cannot be solved through discussion, heart-to-heart conversations. I used to really believe that I just had to find the courage in me to bring up the difficult situation, circumstance to the other person and that as long as I do, I would be understood. Not everyone meets you halfway. And sometimes, you have to let things go instead of bringing them up.

3. You don’t need to have someone to enjoy life. I find that society promotes many dependent and unhealthy relationships. It is good to have your tribe, as human connection is a big part of life, but when you can enjoy your time, your life by yourself too, that’s when you can be more at peace.

4. Being too nice can be a flaw. When you are too nice, you can attract certain people in your lives who can intentionally or even unintentionally take advantage of you. It is good to be considerate towards others, but not overly so.

5. You really do move on. When you are going through something hard in life, you can often feel like there is no way you can get over what happened, but most of the time you do. What used to be a painful experience can become something you look at and see it in a completely different light.

6. You are capable of far more than what you know or give yourself credit for. I remember when I thought of the Trekking experience I had in Nepal, I was thinking how would I manage to do hike for three consecutive days. But I did, and it felt so pleasantly satisfying to know that I could. We really can do so much more than we know.

7. You have a story you have been telling yourself from a young age that has impacted the way you see life. This story is especially evident in hardships, moments of difficulties. When you identify and know what the story is, that is when you can bring change.

8. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, do what feels right to you. No matter what anyone says you should do, or what the supposed right answer is, if it doesn’t feel right to you, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself by doing it. And when I say ‘feel right, I am talking about that gut feeling. Plus, right and wrong are often very subjective.

9. You are not for everyone. Even the most loved people in the world have people who don’t like them. I don’t think it’s possible for everyone to like someone, especially because we live such different lives and think so differently from each other.

10. When you feel anxious for the future, your future and present are both affected. By indulging in those thoughts for a long period of time, even your present is filled with anxiety. Because we are worrying/ feeling anxious about it, we are letting it affect our present too.

11. Listening to your body is a very important part of being human. An example of this is when I did Reiki; there were many discomforts, pain that parts of my body was holding on to. It was like the Universe was saying ‘Listen to your body, your body remembers.” Looking at it more scientifically, we also know of muscle memory. When we choose to listen to it, we hear the story it has been storing for us.

12. Focus on what you can do, what is within your control. Not on things that are completely outside of your control. And trust me, there are plenty of things under your control! You cannot predict all the things that life throws your way, but you can choose what you can do with them.

13. Life and death are two sides of one coin. You experience one so you can experience the other. Every being that lives in this world, will one day die too. It is the unchangeable cycle of life that comes with being in this world.

14. Life is full of surprises. Unexpected things do happen in life, but in a really pleasant way. I considered the possibility of everything being a fragment of my imagination, expectation, but many things have happened in my life that I would have in no way known existed, which has certainly proved that short-lived thought wrong.

15. The Universe is on your side. I used to have the tendency to think that the world was really out to get me. So I blamed myself and the world for things not turning out the way I wanted them to. However, I was looking at the world in a negative light and overlooking the fact that good things and bad things happen to everyone. We all have to go through our trials and tribulation in life.

16. You cannot change anyone. If someone says they will change for you, or with your help and support, that is most likely not true. When someone has the desire to change, it has to be for him or her. You have to believe that there is a change, find it of value, and choose to implement it regularly. A lasting change is a set of behavior made internally and applied externally.

17. There is more to someone, to someone’s story than what meets the eye. People don’t show all their cards on the table. Perhaps they don’t feel comfortable doing so or are not even fully aware of their own story. Whatever you think you know, know that there is probably more to it, especially when it concerns another human being.

18. Be OK with not knowing. You cannot know all the answers. When something happens, you will not always know why it has happened the way it has. And you are not supposed to know. Be okay with the uncertainties of life, because when you are meant to know, meant to understand, you will.

19. When you are grateful for what you already have, you gain a deeper appreciation for life. When you genuinely appreciate what you have, you attract more good things into your life. Spending time writing in my gratitude journal even in the dark days, has helped me appreciate what I have.

20. Getting older is a part of life that happens when we are fortunate enough to experience them. My friends and I have often looked at people who are younger and missed being younger. However, I have come to learn that there is no point in looking at someone who is 16 and wishing we were 16 because we are once 16 and the 16 years old too will one day (hopefully) get to our age. It is the cycle of life so we should appreciate each age we are in because this age too will pass away.

21. “There is a time for everything under the sun.” Seasons come and seasons go, life changes from dark, to gloomy, to bright, to sparkling- it all happens in life at one point or another. Such is the experience of human existence; we encounter all sorts of things. The important thing to remember is that everything is temporary and it will all pass, both the good and the bad.

22. Your higher self is already in you. The advanced version of you, the one you want to be, the one you catch a glimpse of from time to time, that version of you is already inside of you. I was on a run one day when I had this realization that the version of me with abs already exists; I only have to meet her (however long that may take). It is the principle that applies to other parts of your life tool. You have only got to open yourself up, give yourself the growth or time or space (whatever it is you need) to meet her.

23. It’s okay to run on a different schedule than anyone else…. as long as you let yourself run, to discover, to find, whatever it is you are meant to. Everyone has a different path in life, and no two paths are ever the same. It’s okay if yours looks a little crooked at times. Do what you can with what you have been given and remember that grass looks greener on the other side.

24. Make decisions by honoring your head, your heart, and your gut. When you combine the energy of all three forces in you, you will head towards the path you are meant to take much sooner.

25. Failing is a natural part of life that happens to everyone. The important thing is what you decide to do with the failure. The choice you make impacts not just the present but also your future. I had this three-strike rule, where I would try something three times and if I showed no sign of progress, I’d give up. It seemed reasonable at times to do that, but perseverance is a beautiful quality to have, and you cannot predict how long something can take. Perhaps that too is a beauty of life.

26. We don’t know what tomorrow brings but the present moment is what counts. Appreciate your loved ones. Dance to that song. Run that marathon. Write that book. Time is so precious, more so than we let ourselves believe. Rather than keeping the love in, allow it to pour out. Even if it is hard, honor yourself and this present moment by genuinely trying in any way, shape, or form.

27. You are not alone. There is support coming your way from forces seen and unseen.

Reflective Questions

What have been some of your biggest learnings so far?

If you were writing a book on your life, what would you include?

Compared to who you were 10 years ago, or even a year ago, who are you now?

What has helped you come this far in life?