15 Life Lessons You Can Only Learn Through Experience
Life’s Lessons: Test First, Lesson Later
In school, we’re taught a lesson first and then given a test. Life, however, works in reverse: we’re given the test first, and the lesson comes afterward. No matter your education level, wisdom and experience are only gained through living. Here are 15 things that you’ll only understand with time.
The Importance of Having a Goal
As Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “He who has a ‘why’ to live for can bear almost any ‘how’.” You might graduate with honors and have a successful career, but you could still feel unfulfilled if you lack a purpose. Ambitions and aspirations can’t be replaced by a diploma, and even wealth won’t bring happiness if you’re only working for the money.
Learning Independence
To find yourself, you must first understand yourself, as Socrates once said. To learn independence, you must first experience dependence. Eventually, you’ll realize that your personal happiness comes from being self-reliant. As we grow, natural dependence can turn into an artificial one, often because we’re afraid to face the world alone. It’s best to be prepared for this.
The Uncontrollable Nature of Time
Life teaches us that we won’t always get what we want. Many things in this world are beyond our control, especially time. No matter how good your time management skills or intuition are, you can’t always control the course of events. It’s better to relax, manage your emotions, and wait to see what life has in store for you this time.
Patience is a Virtue
As Oprah Winfrey once said, “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” If you can’t control time, you need to be patient to get what you want. Life doesn’t follow a set timeline like school does. You must learn to wait and believe that your desires will be fulfilled when you’re ready for them.
Overcoming Failure
As Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” When you got a bad grade in school, you could easily make up for it by studying harder for the next test. In adult life, failure can cost you a good opportunity or even derail everything you’ve worked for. But failure is just a part of life, and success often comes after a series of setbacks.
The Need for Love
As Lao Tzu once said, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” We don’t need puppy love or a love for learning; we need real love that’s reflected in support, respect, and passion. No one teaches us how to find love or how to love; we must learn this on our own. But as one wise person said, love isn’t something you find, it’s something you build. For more insights on love, you can visit this article.
Life is Tough
As Scott Peck once said, “Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult.” As you grow older, you realize that life won’t be easy. You can’t just say, “This is a tough semester, it’ll be over soon, and I won’t have to think about it anymore.” Responsibilities only grow with age.
Heartache and Growth
Maturity, it turns out, is all about accepting “not knowing.” You might choose the wrong career or the wrong partner, endure heartache, and lose faith in happiness. But over time, you’ll understand why all of this was necessary. A broken heart is a lesson to be learned and remembered forever.
The Power of Choice
As Cassandra Clare once said, “In the end, it was the choice you made, and it doesn’t matter how hard it was to make. What matters is that you decided.” We can’t control everything, but we always have a choice. This choice lies in how we react to the world around us, whether we let circumstances define who we are, or if we believe in ourselves no matter what.
Asking for Help
As Jocelyn Jackson once said, “God gave us tears so that other people could see that we need help and help us.” No matter how independent you are, there will come a time when you need help. No one is immune to disappointment and grief, and sometimes it’s hard to find the strength to get back up. Life teaches us that we can’t do everything alone, even if we keep trying.
The Impermanence of Everything
Everything in life is temporary. If things are going well, enjoy it because it won’t last forever. And if things aren’t going well, don’t worry, it won’t last forever either. Pain is temporary. Feelings are temporary. Even our time on this planet is temporary. That’s why we should do everything we can to be happy here and now, realize our potential, and not fall victim to negative emotions.
Nothing is Impossible
As Marcus Aurelius once said, “If it is endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining. If it is unendurable, then stop complaining. Your destruction will mean its end as well.” Life is tough and extremely fascinating. In an instant, a wonderful opportunity can arise that changes everything. Be open to getting closer to your dream.
Don’t Cling to Plans
As Woody Allen once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” It’s good to have a plan for how you want to look in 5 or 10 years, but don’t get too attached to it because we change, and so do our aspirations. Life teaches us to have plans B, C, and D.
Facing Your Fears
As S. JoyBell C. once said, “Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it.” Life teaches us that at some point, we might encounter scary things: losing loved ones, saying goodbye to a good job, moving far from home. You can’t just avoid your fears, so you must learn to cope with them and move forward.
Self-Love
If you don’t value yourself, don’t expect the world to raise your worth. If you want to improve your life, love yourself. Not in a narcissistic way, but with compassion. You need to let go of your mistakes and failures, believe in your strengths, even if others don’t. You must learn to walk away from people who harm you and take care of yourself because if you don’t love yourself, why should others?
