Be Brave

When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you...

There will always be times in our lives when we need to reinvent ourselves. They could come when we experience big changes, such as leaving our jobs, moving on from relationships, transferring to a new home or losing a loved one. If you yourself are going through a major shift in your life, you may have to find new ways of thinking or doing things, or risk failing to reach your full potential.

Resilience. Problems and obstacles are guaranteed to happen. Some of them will be difficult and may knock you off course; the important thing, however, is that you learn from these difficulties, never lose focus and always get back up.

Support. Humans are social bienes. The key is to find the right balance between independence and dependence.

Find out what your strengths are. This step provides valuable information on how you specifically deal with certain situations.

Plan.This step calls for a thorough assessment of your current emotional, psychological and financial status so that you can develop plans that are realistic and practical.

Be brave. Fears and self-doubts may arise when we encounter difficulties and setbacks. Sometimes they may also come when we’re taking risks. You have to manage these negative emotions well and not allow them to discourage you.

Accept failure, learn and resume your journey. Failing is normal especially when we’re trying out something new. When you fail, simply recognize it, learn from it and move on.

We should never regret too much in our lives. However, there comes a time when we realise there are things that, if we had known them earlier, could have benefited us a lot in our younger years. Maybe we only come to these realisations through personal growth and experience, but sometimes we can go through life not being fully aware of situations until we hit a crisis point that leads us to question whether we truly did or cherished things to the best of our ability.

We spend so much time rehashing the past or planning for the future that we forget to experience the present moment. The present moment is what is happening to you right now. Happiness can only exist in the present moment ‒ the past has gone and the future hasn’t come yet so the present moment is all we have.

Society, or our family’s expectations tend to make us think there are things we should do. Stop limiting yourself because of other people’s expectations. It’s your life and no one else’s.

We all have fears ― some are justified and some are not ― but to grow and really get as much out of life as you can, you need to face your fears more often. Remember that many of your fears are only a product of your mind; they don’t actually exist. When you start to realise this, doing things you find intimidating and scary will actually become easier.

We can often make huge assumptions about what others are thinking whether they are judging you for something or thinking badly about an opinion you had. The bottom line is the world doesn’t revolve around you. Everyone around you is dealing with their own problems, worries, and insecurities and the chances are, they aren’t paying as much attention to you as you may think. So stop caring and, even worse, assuming what others are thinking. You wouldn’t want anyone to assume what you’re thinking so why do it to others?

One of the most important life lessons is appreciation. The older we get, the more we appreciate the things in our life including people, experiences, lessons we’ve learnt, and even our possessions. Establishing this habit early on the better, because gratitude and appreciation is the true key to happiness. The sooner you can be enlightened to this and integrate this into your everyday life, the more you’ll be able to live in the present moment and be thankful for what makes your life a good one―no matter how small the thing is you’re appreciating. This will transcend into the rest of your life and establish the positive mindset needed to live a happy and healthy life; your older self will thank you for it!