What if you wrote down some lessons based on your experiences?
I took this idea seriously about two years ago. I bought a journal and committed to writing life lessons based on whatever I was learning.
Initially, I wrote a bunch of lessons. On certain days, I distilled what mattered the most to me and jotted new lessons. It went on until I had written about 243 lines.
I stopped after that because I realized that a lot of what I was experiencing had become repetitive. But I had already gathered what I was really seeking by that time.
So, I moved on.
Revisiting those lessons
Now that I look at what I had written, I realize how those nuggets of thoughts laid down my own principles and philosophy in front of me.
Those lessons (or kind of meditations) were meant to create foundational ideas about the kind of person I wanted to become and to keep me moving forward. Today I read all of them again.
I’ve shared the ones that I really, really believe in after these images.
Here are the lessons that I genuinely believe in:
- Respect the process more than the result
- Time heals
- Take the initiative; don’t wait for instructions
- Don’t mention a problem without a solution
- Be vulnerable to some
- Doing little beats planning forever
- Start – you need not know everything
- Say yes first and learn later
- There’s no big leap, only tiny steps
- Think; don’t Google
- Find out instead of saying ‘I don’t know’
- Rescue yourself; don’t play the victim
- Don’t make assumptions; listen
- Serve without expectations (actually)
- Don’t be perfect; show up
- Never take your blessings for granted
- Contribute
- Going the extra mile pays-off
- Don’t cling
- The moment I start, I’m “in” again
- A few people are enough
- Create more
- Do the small stuff right for bigger opportunities
- Ask
- Take a break: think about the life you want
- You only remember the lessons you teach yourself
- To be confident, do what bothers you
- Make time for what makes you restless
- Things need not be complicated to be right
- Perseverance leads to answers
- Stop distracting yourself with work
- Don’t pretend to please the world
- Family first
- Get the ball rolling
- Stick to it longer
- Cutting corners isn’t worth it
- Choose collaboration over competition
- Show up
- Mix consistent efforts with honest intentions
- Stand your ground
Well, that’s sort of aspirational
If I start again, I might write these same lessons in my journal. I’m still working on them, getting closer to becoming who I once wanted to be.
An exercise like this is worth it.