Essential Life and Money Lessons I've Learned This Year
Things, as we've learned can change from one moment to the next without
warning. Most of us have been running on autopilot for months even years,
but suddenly, thank you Corona, we were wide awake.
2020 has taught most of us the most important life lesson: you are only
truly alive in the present moment, because you don’t know what the next
moment may hold. Things can change.
I decided to spend a bit of my days thinking about what my life has taught me
so far. I had to really look at my self-care routine. I'm not talking about
about scented candles and spa treatments only. I'm talking about cultivating
the most important relationship of your life: the relationship with your true
self.
Here are the first things that came to mind about Life and Money
LESSONS ABOUT LIFE
- Pain is part of life. People die on us. We lose jobs
and sometimes our homes. We get sick. Such is life. And this
hurts. I've learned that somethings you don’t get over, you just get though
it. Sure, you would feel despair and grief at first, but at some point you
would decide to make the most of your life. You would seize the moment and do
the things you’ve been wanting to do. Day by day, moment by moment, learn how
to be present and appreciate what or who is right in front of you.
- The older we get and the more responsibility we take on, the more serious and
somber life can feel. We lose touch with our innocence and forget that life is
suppose to be fun. It’s important to make time for play amidst the
seriousness of life. This doesn’t have to be anything drastic. We can get
amusement from laughing at a funny joke, watching a puppy frolic, or playing a
fun game or activity.
Just celebrate the life you had, not the life you could've had. - Magic Johnson
- The way we perceive a situation is never truly objective. Each of us has our
own filters and explanatory styles, which skew our views of the world. This is
why we need self-compassion. It involves treating yourself with
kindness when you make a mistake, fail, or experience a setback. Speaking to
yourself harshly, won’t motivate you to do better. In fact, studies show it
tends to have the opposite effect. So cut yourself some slack, laugh at
yourself, and remind yourself that no one is perfect.
How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you. - Rupi Kaur
- Comparison is a waste of time and energy. Everyone is running their own
race and life isn’t a competition. A 2018 study published in Personality and Individual Differences found a direct link
between envy and the way you feel about yourself. Researchers found that
people who compared themselves to others, experienced envy. And the more envy
they experienced, the worse they felt about themselves. It can be a vicious
cycle. Thinking that other people are better or have more will erode your
confidence in yourself. When you start comparing yourself with others, try to
find inspiration in their successes and strengths instead of feeling
threatened.
LESSONS ABOUT MONEY
- Here’s the reality, security is an illusion. You can lose a high paying job.
You can lose your house. But if you have the skills to make it all back, you
will never have to worry. That is what financial confidence is – having the
mindset, skills, and ability to become self sustaining no matter what
conditions you are in. And, waiting to be generous until you have lots
of money is backwards – generosity actually is a catalyst for
prosperity.
- Often, the richest and wealthiest individuals were the ones that started the
earliest and waited the longest. Most people prevent themselves from building
wealth because they keep wasting their efforts on short-term efforts. Wealth
often comes suddenly, after waiting a while. The key is to get started, and
patiently play the long game.
- Stay in the know. This is especially important for women who aren’t the ones
who are managing the household finances. It’s totally fine to take a step
back, but you should not completely wash your hands of things. You need to
stay in the know so that you’re confident you could manage things on your
own if need be. And just because you don’t currently feel confident about
your money management skills doesn’t mean you can’t change that. Life is
about learning, we should never lose sight of that and never stop
challenging ourselves to be better.
- You don’t have to wait until you know that you have more than enough for
yourself before you help others. When you loosen your grip on money you allow
more to flow to you. Of course giving of your time and talents is great too.
But don’t let your volunteerism be an excuse for not giving financially as
well. Now, I’m not just talking about charitable contributions. The greatest
opportunity in this current crisis is for you to not only survive adversity
but to perhaps discover the power of helping others through the
storm. Also, have fun being generous.
What’s an essential life lesson you’ve learned this year?
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