10 Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets

I recently came across an article on the 10 painfully obvious truths everyone forgets too soon and thought it was worth sharing here today. The author, marc chernoff, writes about how simple truths are ingrained in our brains hundreds of different ways but we all struggle grasping them. Today's post is dedicated as a reminder that life is short so, love yourself, forgive often and surround yourself with good people. 

1.  The average human life is relatively short. We know deep down that life is short, and that death will happen to all of us eventually, and yet we are infinitely surprised when it happens to someone we know. 

2.  You will only ever live the life you create for yourself. Your life is yours alone.  Others can try to persuade you, but they can’t decide for you.  They can walk with you, but not in your shoes.  So make sure the path you decide to walk aligns with your own intuition and desires, and don’t be scared to switch paths or pave a new one when it makes sense.

3.  Being busy does NOT mean being productive. Busyness isn’t a virtue, nor is it something to respect.  Though we all have seasons of crazy schedules, very few of us have a legitimate need to be busy ALL the time.  We simply don’t know how to live within our means, prioritize properly, and say no when we should.

4.  Some kind of failure always occurs before success. Most mistakes are unavoidable.  Learn to forgive yourself.  It’s not a problem to make them.  It’s only a problem if you never learn from them.

5.  Thinking and doing are two very different things. Success never comes to look for you while you wait around thinking about it. You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.  Knowledge is basically useless without action.  Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who work on meaningful goals.  Ask yourself what’s really important and then have the courage to build your life around your answer.

6.  You don’t have to wait for an apology to forgive. Life gets much easier when you learn to accept all the apologies you never got.  The key is to be thankful for every experience – positive or negative. It’s realizing that grudges from the past are a perfect waste of today’s happiness, and that holding one is like letting unwanted company live rent free in your head.

7.  Some people are simply the wrong match for you. You will only ever be as great as the people you surround yourself with, so be brave enough to let go of those who keep bringing you down.  You shouldn’t force connections with people who constantly make you feel less than amazing.

8.  It’s not other people’s job to love you; it’s yours. It’s important to be nice to others, but it’s even more important to be nice to yourself.  You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.  So make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you.  Know your worth, even if they don’t.

9.  What you own is not who YOU are. Stuff really is just stuff, and it has absolutely no bearing on who you are as a person.  Most of us can make do with much less than we think we need.  That’s a valuable reminder, especially in a hugely consumer-driven culture that focuses more on material things than meaningful connections and experiences.

10.  Everything changes, every second. Embrace change and realize it happens for a reason.  It won’t always be obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.