It has been said that ignorance is bliss, and while it may be for some, the fact of the matter is, when our lives are in pieces- everything is difficult. But, the sooner we face those uncomfortable and difficult moments, the sooner our lives become more tolerable.
Sadly, despite the fact that anyone over 18 is referred to as an adult, until you realize that the sun doesn’t shine just for you, you hardly qualify as an adolescent. And while I’d like to say that I was as mature as I once thought I was, my mid-twenties roughed me up quite a bit, and led me to realize a number of things.
And no one is perfect, I get that. But – the sooner you accept that the condition of your life is your responsibility and no one else, the sooner you can finally do something about it, instead of incessantly and pointlessly wining about it.
1. People will treat you the way you allow them to.
When we constantly find ourselves in the position of a victim, the problem lies within us. When we allow people to disrespect us, or to gain the upper hand time after time, when we know they are going to abuse us – there comes a point in which we are enabling bad behavior and toxic relationships.
2. The point of living isn’t to be happy – in fact, it’s unrealistic to believe you should be happy on a regular basis.
While it’s a nice thought to think that every moment of life should be pleasant and fall in line with how we expect life to be, the thing is, no one is guaranteed constant happiness. Actually, life is a lot of hard work and discomfort, with short intervals of pleasure to keep us going.
3. Bad things happen to good people.
No matter how hard we strive for goodness and to encourage positively, eventually, bad things are inevitable. Unfortunately, horrible things happen to all of us eventually, because nothing is forever.
4. A degree doesn’t necessarily equate to a successful life.
You can spend decades going to expensive schools, and without the right mind set, you will go nowhere fast. Life requires a combination of education and common sense, and one without the other can prove to pave a daunting path in this world.
5. The norm isn’t necessarily the right path.
We often assume that if the majority says something is right, then it must be. Eh, this is not the way of the world. In fact, 9/10 times, the way of the majority is surely the worst path possible. As cliche’ as it sounds, dare to be different.
6. Contrary to popular belief, money is important, and so is making it.
It sounds romantic to believe that material things, including money don’t really matter. But at the end of the day, a roof over your head is required, and so is food. Food costs money. Gas for our cars to get us from point a to be, costs money, and rent, well it costs money.
7. You have to fall apart at least once and rebuild yourself if you truly want to accomplish the unreachable.
There are exceptions to this, but in order to truly reach a level of greatness, you must learn your limitations and you must learn what it is like to feel like you are on the edge of the world fighting to climb back up. Oftentimes, through hardship, we learn the most important lessons about ourselves.
8. There are inherently evil people in this world.
As much as you want to find the good in everyone, and while there may be a little good in everyone, the fact of the matter is, some people are driven by evil. These people cannot be changed, tamed, or rehabilitated, because deep down to their core, they are driven without empathy or regard for you or anyone else.
9. Substances aren’t the only thing that’s addictive in this word.
Food can be addictive, television can be addictive, p0rn can be additive – heck, even physical love and relationships have their own anonymous group. Anything that makes you feel excited and then is taken in excess can prove to be just as bad a rock of crack. Sorry, not sorry.
10. Love alone is not enough.
You can have all the love in the world, but at the end of the day, some relationships and endeavors will never work without the right chemistry. And if your core beliefs are entirely different from someone else’s, you can love, love, love them to death, but it ain’t going to work.
Image Credit: Denis Gonchar via instagram.com/goncharden