It really is amazing what we already know, but at times forget. Have you ever had those times where you realize you have made the same mistake again? It can really be annoying, right? You know you should have made a different decision based on what you learned and experienced in the past. How on earth could you have wound up here again? You knew what was going to happen.
Believe it or not, by the time we complete our teenage years, the majority of the most important lessons about life and how we should live have already come our way.
The problem is that we may have not really absorbed them completely or truly understood.
We haven’t really figured out how to apply all the lessons to our life or to our daily actions and decisions. Consequently, the lessons continue to come back to us again and again in different ways until we finally get them.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather only have to learn the lesson once.
I get it that life is about living and learning, and that slow and steady wins the race, but let’s be honest, the sooner we learn things about the way life works, the better. That is why it is good to take a day and reflect on the things we know deep down to be true, but may just need to be reminded of so we can make sure they are top of mind.
Sometimes just thinking about experiences you had and lessons you learned (or should have learned) allow you to have new insights about what is currently going on in your life.
So, take some time today to think about everything going on in your life right now and then think through some of the best lessons you already know.
How do those lessons apply to what is going on right now? What direction are they pointing you in? Are there different decisions you should make in light of what you already know? Are you missing or overlooking something important?
Here is a list of 10 lessons (some are really great ones shared by Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy.com; others are just some of my personal favorites). Check them out … add to the list, change it, but most importantly make it your own and use it to think through what you currently have going on.
10 Things We Know But Need to Always Keep Top of Mind
- Other people are some of your best teachers. Everything that bothers us about other people can often lead us to an important understanding about ourselves.
- “Seek first to understand and then to be understood” Stephen Covey. It’s not just about getting your point across and proving you are right. What matters is that you are really listening and understanding other people.
- Know what you want for the future and visualize your success, but always live in the moment and focus on what is immediately in front of you. Do it with the utmost quality and passion.
- The more time you spend out of your comfort zone, the better. Push yourself to continually discover and learn new things.
- There really is no such thing as failure, only challenges and obstacles that are meant to be overcome and prepare you for success in the future. If you didn’t fall, you would never really understand how to balance.
- “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.” Chinese Proverb
- What you focus on and direct your energy toward will grow; anything that is not managed well or given the attention it needs will deteriorate.
- The most important thing is your mindset. Don’t allow distractions or any negativity to interfere with your peace of mind.
- Always follow your own truth and what you know deep down is right. There is no other way.
- The best thing you can do is to make yourself better and better each day in some small way. Never stop learning and improving. Small daily improvements always result in huge advantages.
Live Today Better Than Yesterday.
Thanks for a great list.
It is a combination between people skills, the law of attraction, positivity and perserverence.
If you keep all these things in mind you will be a very successful person. Facing adversitity with a positive attitude, continuing on your goals until they are completed, how insurmountable the task might seem, attracting people and opportunities in your way and liked by the people around you which helps you feel better and opens even more doors.
Thanks again!
Daniel: Thanks for the great comment. I think you really summarized what it is all about. If you can just keep those important things top of mind and then integrate them into your thoughts and actions, there is no way you can’t accomplish everything you want and really understand who you are and find your own truth. There is nothing better than knowing your life is unfolding perfectly. Thanks again for the comment.
Sibyl,
That is a powerful list you have there.
I agree that the more time we spend outside of our comfort zone the greater the likelyhood for personal growth. I have noticed that every time I do something that I wouldn’t normally do there always are positive benefits. It’s just the mind tries to block what they were because it wants to prevent you from doing it again. As an example I used to hate public speaking. Whenever I would finish a presentation I would feel like I did horrible. Most of the time I did 
but in the process I learned what works and what didn’t. Now I only make 15 mistakes instead of 20 and if I keep at it I will only make 14. lol! Great post Sibyl.
Frank I truly love your attitude. Sounds like you love challenges and adventures. I bet you’ve conquered many obstacles over the years. Way to maintain an outstanding attitude.
Frank: I totally hear what you are saying. The mind is good for trying to play tricks on you and convince you not to venture too far outside of your comfort zone. However, that really is where we will see the most growth and really learn so much about ourselves … here’s to being uncomfortable
Sibyl,
Great tips! I love that we should realize that other people are our greatest teachers. Also, to push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
Excellent as always!
Thanks Angela for the comment. Always great to hear your thoughts and it sounds like you, J.D. and I are all on the same page. It is all about listening to other people and really discovering the great lessons they can teach you.
Hey Sibyl!
I love number 8. I believe everything begins and ends with your mindset. If that’s out of whack, you’re going to find yourself stuck eventually. Great reminders here. Thank you!
Marlee: We are totally on the same page. I am a big believer in mindset. If you can just focus on getting that right and make sure you are maintaining a great mindset, everything else just kind of goes along with that.
> Other people are some of your best teachers
I find other people to always be my best source of insight.
Like a kid in a candy store, I love learning all that I can from everyone I can. Everybody has something they are incredibly good at, and that’s what I try to learn from them.
Yes J.D I too am opened to others people Best Practices. Its clever to learn from others mistakes.
J.D. What you said is so true. I think the key is being open enough to really listening and discovering the great knowledge other people have to share with you. Thanks a bunch for the comment.
Hi Sibyl,
This is a great list. But there’s one thing that’s missing: Having fun. The secret of a successful life is “having fun.” Perhaps the first thing you might want to ask is: What’s the easiest thing that I can do right now? Chances are it’s something you’ve been waiting to do…and wanting to do. And by doing it, you’ll be that much closer to meeting your goals.
When there’s something I think I feel obligated to do, a “should do” rather than “a fun new skill or project to develop,” I’m pretty sure it’s just not the right time for me to take that particular action. Resistance from deep within isn’t the same as fear of action, it’s a message from your authentic self.
You should respect the message. Maybe it means that you’re not looking at the task in the right way, or maybe, as noted above, the timing’s not right for you.
Hey Steve: Thanks for the comment. I will give you that … perhaps I did miss having fun
I do believe that there is nothing more important than having a great frame of mind and happiness ties directly into that. Our mindset literally impacts all we do and how we feel. Having fun and maintaining the best mindset is key. Thanks for adding that to the list.
“There really is no such thing as failure”
I like this statement. I once read that one famous person said when he was asked of his recipe to success: “If you want to experience more success, double your rate of failure”. Every time we fail, we expose ourselves to more information, we know more and we can better plan the way to success.
Matthew: Thanks for the comment and it is so true. We really will do so much better if we have a better outlook and understanding on failure. It really does help us learn and prepare for future success. It can be challenging to realize that when you are in the thick of things, but the reality is that it is so true. Thanks so much for the comment.
Hello Sibyl!
I hope things have been well for you. I loved this and what really stuck out to me the most is:
“The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed”
So hold your horses, don’t think it’s come to far and it’s time to quit, because right on the other side of the door is what you’re after.
Great list of what to keep on top of mind.
Thanks for sharing Sibyl – have a great weekend!
Hey JK: I love that proverb too. I really think it is one of the most important ones to keep top of mind anytime we are doing anything. It is very possible that we are going to encounter speed bumps and challenges along the way, but if we are determined and persistent, there is no way we can’t be successful. I love that proverb because it reminds you of that reality.
Thank you so much for sharing this list… I will do the same for myself and others. The entire list was great, but these really resonated with me for this month and what I am spiritually/universally learning at thist time. Break patterns I have behaviorly set and BALANCE…
“4.The more time you spend out of your comfort zone, the better. Push yourself to continually discover and learn new things.
5.There really is no such thing as failure, only challenges and obstacles that are meant to be overcome and prepare you for success in the future. If you didn’t fall, you would never really understand how to balance.”
A wonderful and inspiring post
Kenya: So glad that you liked the post and that you found it helpful and inspiring. I think it is great that you have a focus and know the lessons you are learning at this time. That really is the biggest part of the equation and it really allows you to direct and focus your attention on the right thing. Thanks so much for stopping by and thanks for the comment.
Great list Sibyl. It is always good to take some time to reflect since we can often get stagnant when it comes to learning those valuable life lessons.
Hey Todd: Thanks for the comment and I totally agree that we have to always make certain we are moving forward. Life is always changing and if we think aren’t moving forward, then we have to do something about it.
Sibyl,
Thanks for sharing this informative post. These tips should be called “The 10 Commandments to a Better Quality of Life.”
I love that title Jennifer
So glad that you liked the post and thanks for the comment. Always great to hear from you.
I always enjoy these lessons but at the end of the day it’s all about connecting with other people, friendship, love and laughter.
Without that what is the point?
That is a good point
Connection with people is definitely up there very high on the list. It allows us to learn the most about who we are and most importantly learn from other people. I think that is a great addition and should be at the top of the list.
“Always follow your own truth ” – i take this with me from now on!
Thanks for the comment Sapir. Following your own truth will always lead you in the right direction.
AMEN!
my pleasure
Hey Sybil! Number 10! That’s my and my alma mater’s motto: Meliora! …the pursuit of being better.
The blessing of a brand new day is that we are given opportunities to learn from our successes and failures.
Thank you for offering this post
That is one of the greatest beliefs to have. What a great motto. If you really embrace all success and all failure, there really is not anything that can come your way that will throw you off course. That really is what it is all about.
I love your No. 1, other people always present me with a great opportunity to grow and to love a different part of myself. Plus, you’re no. 5. Such a great list of things we should keep in our minds. Thanks for sharing.
Lynne
Lynne: So glad that you liked the list and thanks for the comment. Isn’t it so true that other people always give us the greatest opportunity to grow? All we have to do is take advantage of what they are offering us
Hi Sibyl,
How right you are. When we don’t learn the lessons they do just keep coming back until we finally get it. I love it when I hear people say, “Why does this keep happening to me?” They just don’t understand that they have to learn something from every situation. Thank you for reminding everyone to learn from the little things in life. Makes for a much happier life when we do.
Blessing to you,
Debbie
Hi Debbie: Always great to hear from you and it is so true that often times we can overlook why something is continually happening. 9 times out of 10 it means we have missed the lesson and have more to learn. The sooner we get it … the sooner we can move on to the next one
Thanks so much for the comment and for stopping by.
Hi Sibyl,
There are really too many things to remember in life. Unless they are second nature to us, it is not surprising that we forget some of the wisdom we have collected in life. Of the 10 lessons, the following stood out for me.
5. There is really no such thing as failure.
Learning to manage failure and mistakes in my life was a major turning point. When I learned to perceive mistakes and failure as lessons I needed to learn to improve and grow, my life changed for the better. Nowadays I am not as disturbed by failure and mistakes as I used to be. Because of this, I am able to reflect and make the needed changes to my actions to succeed.
6. The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.
Perseverance was a quality I used to lack when I was younger. I was all too ready to give up at the first sign of trouble. But as I got older, I realized the importance of perseverance. To ensure that I never forget how important it is to never give up, I searched through the ages for role models who embodied this quality. In the end, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor John II Komnenos are 2 heroes I have that always remind me never to give up. No matter how great the odds were, they always persevered to protect and defend their people.
Thank you for showing us how to live today better than yesterday!
Irving the Vizier
Hey Irving: Thanks for the thoughtful comment. It is always great to get your feedback on the articles and hear what you have to say. I really appreciated what you said about both points and I totally agree with you that learning to manage “failure” is one of the most important lessons we can master. Always great to see you here. Thanks for stopping back by.
Sibyl, thank you so much for this list. I alway love reading your articles. I always learn something from them and you inspire me.
No. 5 is so true. It reminds me of a country song I love, although I can not remember the name of it, but it’s about how “walking’s easy when the road is flat, the Good Lord gave us mountains, so we could learn how to climb.” I always keep that in mind when things are getting tough.
Brenda: Thanks for the comment and the kind words. I am so glad that you enjoy reading the posts. It means a lot so thanks for sharing that with me. I totally agree with what you said because it is so true that the reason we have obstacles put in our way is so that we can grow stronger and learn how to manage through anything. Thanks again for the comment.
I try to follow my own truth and not surrender to the norms, for example, I am a vegetarian and all of my friends and family try to convince me I am wrong to believe I can save some animals by not eating them. although some times I feel like eating a big mac
I now I have to fight for what I believe in
very powerful blog, i will spread this good news to others!!! thankz
Anna: Thanks for the comment and I think that it really is about being confident to find and follow your own truth. I am glad that you are doing that and when you do, I don’t think it is possible to move in the wrong direction. If you are passionate about being a vegetarian, you should continue and keep with it
Just do you.