Hello dearest readers! Great to see you again. As you know, 2015 is just around the corner. I am sure you have accomplished some stuffs this year, while some of you might still have things to accomplished. No worries, let me give you a virtual pat on the back. I will say goodbye to wonderful 20s and I will be 30. Phew, how fast time goes by! It's a food for thought for me, I am now not that young anymore and I should've been more mature and wiser. Speaking of which, there are some lessons that life taught me so far, which I find very valuable, and I hope those of you who are younger than me would find them useful.
Not good in numbers? It doesn't mean you're stupid!
This is one lesson I learn in my early 20s. I spent my time feeling sorry for myself in high school. I had no confident at all, you know why, because I am not good in math (or any other lessons that requires number). My friends look like a rocket scientist to me because they solve math problems within no time, while I on the other hand always struggled just to solve the simplest problem. It's one of the worst days in my youth. I had done all I can, hiring a private math teacher, taking courses, none worked. Number and me just couldn't get along.
I thought I would never pass the test to college. I was wrong, completely wrong. There are in fact many colleges for those who are not good with numbers. My college is one of the most respected one in my country, every year thousands of student take the test. Well, maybe I was just lucky? I don't know. But to tell you the truth, I did a lot better in college and I gained back my confident. So whenever I hear people say "college is so much harder than high school" I'd just chuckle. So if you are a high school student and not good with numbers, you certainly are not alone. Hang in there, and when you finally get to choose college, pick one that you enhances your pluses then rock it like a boss!
Money can't buy everything
Sounds cheesy? Yes, I know. Frankly, I believe money would make your life easier, but it won't make you happier. Easy life and happy life are two different things. I learned this lesson also in my early 20s. Being single, I had all my salary for me. No need to think about kids and I had very minimal bills to pay. I could travel wherever I want, bought every trendy outfits on every boutique I saw, money never was a problem. Was I happy? Yes, I was, but only for a limited time. I felt there was a hole inside me and that I long for loved ones to share all my hard work with. Money, outfits and all of the fancy things couldn't give me happiness no matter how shiny they look from the outside.
Having children makes me a lot happier (and a better person). Yes, I don't have as much freedom, I cannot spend money as I used to, but guess what, it doesn't matter! My family is all that matters. Seeing my children growing is the best thing ever.
Family always comes first
As I stated earlier, my family is the most important thing for me. They're my everything and when I am down, they will be there for me. This is a hard thing to balance especially if you have full time job like I do. I am fortunate though, despite of it requires a lot of time, my work is not stressful to begin with. If you have full time job too, try your best to balance it with family time. Spend quality time with your children whenever you can. Dedicate the weekend as family days.
Remember, it doesn't have to be fancy. Cuddle up and read some whimsical books to them, go out and get ice cream, anything. Children grows extremely fast, you will miss this lovely days. Also go for a date with your spouse. It helps bringing back the memories of what made you two fell in love. It is worth to be cherished, trust me.
Work efficiently
If you have a day job, this is worth to notice. I don't mean to sound like your boss, but to work efficiently is for your own good. In my case, I am only paid until it's 5 PM, so it's important for me to finish the tasks at 5 PM max, otherwise I will do the work for free. Not cool! Time is expensive, be wise. Your employer value your time, you should too! I know procrastination is very tempting, you should stay away from it. Your time is something that you can't get back, so be careful.
A person who stays up late at work is not a hardworking person, he/she just doesn't know how to manage his/her time efficiently. You don't want to be that kind of person. So invent a way to make your task easier. If it's routine and repetitive, make a template. Make sure your desk/cubicle is tidy, organize your stationery or other tools and don't forget to put them back at where they belong. It may sounds meaningless but imagine how much time and panic it causes when you forget where you put your files?
Money can't buy everything
Sounds cheesy? Yes, I know. Frankly, I believe money would make your life easier, but it won't make you happier. Easy life and happy life are two different things. I learned this lesson also in my early 20s. Being single, I had all my salary for me. No need to think about kids and I had very minimal bills to pay. I could travel wherever I want, bought every trendy outfits on every boutique I saw, money never was a problem. Was I happy? Yes, I was, but only for a limited time. I felt there was a hole inside me and that I long for loved ones to share all my hard work with. Money, outfits and all of the fancy things couldn't give me happiness no matter how shiny they look from the outside.
Having children makes me a lot happier (and a better person). Yes, I don't have as much freedom, I cannot spend money as I used to, but guess what, it doesn't matter! My family is all that matters. Seeing my children growing is the best thing ever.
Family always comes first
As I stated earlier, my family is the most important thing for me. They're my everything and when I am down, they will be there for me. This is a hard thing to balance especially if you have full time job like I do. I am fortunate though, despite of it requires a lot of time, my work is not stressful to begin with. If you have full time job too, try your best to balance it with family time. Spend quality time with your children whenever you can. Dedicate the weekend as family days.
Remember, it doesn't have to be fancy. Cuddle up and read some whimsical books to them, go out and get ice cream, anything. Children grows extremely fast, you will miss this lovely days. Also go for a date with your spouse. It helps bringing back the memories of what made you two fell in love. It is worth to be cherished, trust me.
Work efficiently
If you have a day job, this is worth to notice. I don't mean to sound like your boss, but to work efficiently is for your own good. In my case, I am only paid until it's 5 PM, so it's important for me to finish the tasks at 5 PM max, otherwise I will do the work for free. Not cool! Time is expensive, be wise. Your employer value your time, you should too! I know procrastination is very tempting, you should stay away from it. Your time is something that you can't get back, so be careful.
A person who stays up late at work is not a hardworking person, he/she just doesn't know how to manage his/her time efficiently. You don't want to be that kind of person. So invent a way to make your task easier. If it's routine and repetitive, make a template. Make sure your desk/cubicle is tidy, organize your stationery or other tools and don't forget to put them back at where they belong. It may sounds meaningless but imagine how much time and panic it causes when you forget where you put your files?
Stay away from toxic people no matter how close you are
Once or twice in your life, you will meet this kind of person. All they do is to annoy you (not in funny way), put you down or everything you do is wrong in their eyes. Take my word on this, you don't have to deal with that. If they cannot stand you, that's their loss, not yours. You can't make everybody happy, period and it's not your job to make them happy.
Stop paying attention on what people think about you. They don't pay your bills, why would you care? Instead, just spend more time with your loved ones or friends because they are who matters, not some slacker co-workers at your office.
I actually have more to write but since this post is already a mile length, I should end it here. I hope they can give you something to think about. People say life is hard, but it's actually depends on how you take it. Since happiness is on your own hands, make sure it's easy enough to achieve. Now let's talk about you? What life lessons have you learn so far in life?
