By Lux Ganzon
Teach us to number our days, that we may
gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12
There are many things I wish knew when I
was younger.
No matter how much we try to live each day
to the fullest, there is always something we
wish we should have done differently or
known earlier.
1. Travel more . Traveling makes you
appreciate life more; the more you see and
experience new things and places, the more
you appreciate being alive. You see the
beauty of nature, and you feel closer to your
Maker like never before. You get to release
stress, you worry less, you become a happier
person, and you see things from a different
perspective. You realize it’s a beautiful world
we live in, and it’s amazing to be granted the
gift of life.
2. Start investing early . The power of
compound interest is the greatest
phenomenon in the world. According to Albert
Einstein, “Compound interest is the eighth
wonder of the world. He who understands it,
earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it”.
3. Time is an illusion. When I was younger,
it always felt like I had my whole life ahead
of me. So, I kept on procrastinating; putting
off reading that book I’ve always wanted to
read, not dropping a message to a friend I
haven’t seen or talked to for a long time, not
exercising daily, not saving and investing, not
going out. Now, I look back and I realized
I’ve wasted so much time planning and not
acting.
4. Friends come and go . You may feel a
certain connection with some people and
think you could be friends forever. Truth is,
if you’re not losing friends you’re not
growing. When you feel like the friendship is
not helping you grow anymore, you’re not
learning anything new, or it’s holding you
back, know that it’s normal. Also, you’ll find
out some people also change, and you will
feel like you don’t belong in their world
anymore. It’s either you’ve outgrown them,
or they’ve outgrown you. Either way, it’s
time to let go.
5. It’s okay to be the odd one . When you’re
young, most people will call partying cool and
not partying boring. If you believe it isn’t so,
that’s perfectly fine! It’s okay to be the odd
one. Don’t be afraid to be different.
Celebrate your uniqueness.
6. You’ll get your heart broken. Maybe
once, maybe twice. It’s all part of the
package. Only a very few are lucky enough to
end up with their first love. Most mortals will
have to meet a few wrong people before they
meet the right one for them.
7. It’s never too late to pursue a passion or
change career path. If you’re not happy with
what you do anymore, it’s never too late to
shift. If you’re itching to pursue something
you’ve always wanted, don’t delay it. There’s
a reason why that dream or passion has been
planted in your heart. Use it to bless the
world.
8. Take more risks . When you’re young, you
have more opportunities to fail. More
opportunities to fail means more opportunities
to learn. More opportunities to learn is more
opportunities to succeed. Plus, you become
wiser and stronger in the process.
9. You can’t change a person or save the
whole world in one go. You can’t change
anyone. That’s God’s job. Your job is to
accept and love them for who they are. The
change will follow. If they’re sucking out
your energy, learn to love them from a
distance.
You’ll go crazy trying to save the world. It’s
frustrating! What you can do is try to save
one person at a time. How? Be a friend.
Listen. Empathize. Share your time. Let
them feel they matter. Never underestimate
the power of kindness.
10. Dance, run, hike, try something new, go
out of your comfort zone while you still can.
While you still have the stamina, the energy
and the time, do something that you think
you’ll never be able to do when you grow old
and weak.
11. People you know and care about will
die . We can’t live forever. That’s the harsh
reality. Cherish the people around you, show
them you care, and never miss an opportunity
to affirm. Words are powerful, and
the impact can resonate forever.
12. Haters are going to hate ! It’s not what
you do, it’s not what you say, it’s how you
affect them. And how you affect them is not
your call.
13. Just because you’re a woman doesn’t
mean you have to be submissive. Just
because you’re a guy doesn’t mean you have
to be a chauvinist. Don’t follow what the
society dictates. Don’t get stereotyped.
14. Sleep! You’ll never appreciate the value
and beauty of getting enough sleep until you
have to just squeeze it into your schedule.
15. Vegetables really are your friends. You
don’t see the effect of eating all meat and no
veggies just yet because you are still young.
Later on, you will realize that you need all the
nutrients you could get from your greens.
16. It’s not the end of the world when you
fail . When you make a mistake back then,
you instantly feel discouraged. When you
look back now you realize how naive and silly
you once were. People make mistakes. It is
normal to fail. Even the best people in history
has their fair share of rejection and failures.
17. You teach people how to treat you . No,
being kind and considerate won’t always get
people to respect you. Most of the time, you’ll
get pushed over and abused. Keep a balance,
know when it’s time to say no.
18. You’ll need a team to help you get to
where you want to be. Don’t discriminate,
but be deliberate in choosing who you spend
most of your time with.
19. Don’t work hard, work smart. Don’t
stress the small stuff at work. More
importantly, don’t let your work schedule
your life. Take control over your life and
schedule it.
20. Choose your battle. Don’t stay angry
with people that don’t even deserve your
attention and time. Don’t linger in the past
and drive yourself crazy in what-could-have-
beens and what ifs. Don’t hurt people
intentionally, and never engage in useless
arguments.
21. Forgive and let go . Forgive your
offender. Forgive yourself for doing your part
in what happened. Stop berating yourself.
Stop asking the other person to give you back
what you lost. Stop obsessing over what
already occurred. It’s a waste of time and
energy.
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