Because of the life timeline that people were taught to follow since they were kids, some might be discouraged to try something new when that thing doesn’t fit in with the chronology of the ‘ideal life.’ Good thing, this person followed their friend’s advice. It just proves that it’s never too late to go back to school or change careers or start a new hobby as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons.

If only we had this lady’s voice speaking to us in times when we need encouragement the most. In life, we’ll be faced with many moments like the girl in the story’s swimming lessons. But as we progress through life, there might be more at stake when we succumb to fear.

Here’s some motivation to invest time and effort in improving yourself. Try out new hobbies you can enjoy doing alone or cultivate your current interests further, and you’ll never be bored when you’re by yourself. Developing a healthy relationship with yourself is crucial because, unlike with other people, you cannot run away from yourself.

People who grew up with younger siblings are familiar with the pressure that comes with the responsibility of setting a good example as the older sibling. Although it may be hard or even seem unfair having to be more cautious, it will eventually pay off as you realize that the experience made you a wiser and more responsible person.

This may not be as serious as the previous ones, but it’s still an important lesson to learn. Your dog may only get to live 10 or 12 years with you, so make all those years count. This doesn’t just mean taking them to the vet or making sure they’re fed. Dogs need love and extra attention more than anything else.

This anecdote doesn’t just remind people to be humble despite their achievements but also to consider seeing beyond people they may not like. After all, no two people in the world have the exact same set of experiences. You can learn something new from every person you encounter in life.

Sometimes we grow up exposed to a certain idea and we neglect to see another perspective about it. It’s a great exercise in reasoning and critical thinking to challenge our own ideas by talking to people who have opposing ones from ours.

We often criticize other people more harshly because we judge them by their actions while we judge ourselves based on our intentions. A little self-awareness will reveal that this is a pretty unfair way of assessing people especially since we know nothing of their reasons and intentions most of the time.

Often, people aren’t really afraid of death itself but of dying before they get to live and play out what they imagine their life to be like. Thus, it’s important that people learn how to accept and live with their mortality early on in life to fully enjoy it.

A little kindness goes a long way. As you’ll learn from your experiences, it’s not really other people’s words you remember but the way those words made you feel. Make sure to be careful about how you treat people.

Putting yourself first isn’t always a selfish act. It’s also a necessary act of self-preservation and self-love. When you learn how to treat yourself right, other people will too. While acts of selflessness are admirable, there are times when you have to put yourself first.

People always say time flies by, but we’re never really hit with the realization of its passage until we look back and see how different things have become. Small changes can compound over time.

You’ve probably asked the same question on one of your bad days. You may have felt that the misfortunes that come your way are there because the universe has it out for you for some reason. But the reality is that things can happen for no reason at all and life doesn’t discriminate when it comes to luck and misfortune.

In your twenties or thirties, relating to people in a younger age group may not seem too difficult. You may still appreciate the music, movies, or interests they’re into and know how they think. But it becomes more difficult as you get older. There comes a time when you can no longer relate to other people while the group of people around your age shrinks.

When people you trust tell you there’s something wrong with your attitude, believe them. Sometimes it’s hard for people to see their flaws because of their own bias. But it doesn’t end in acknowledgment. Once you’ve discovered a negative quality in your personality, work on it, and you’ll turn out a better person.

Got something that you’ve been meaning to do? Go do it and start on it today. You can easily get tangled up in school, work, or other responsibilities and lose sight of the things you actually want to do. Want to learn a language? Want to run a marathon or just start eating healthy? Start today. You’ll be surprised by how far you’ll progress in just a year.

Social media has made it harder for people to be content with what they have when they are being bombarded by the seemingly happier, better lives other people show on Facebook or Instagram. The quote above is the perfect antidote to the poison of discontent that grows within when we fail to see the good things we have.

A lot of people go through life not living it fully because they spend it worrying about the things that may come. Anxiety and worry are inevitable parts of life, sure, but you can learn to overcome them. Hey, bad things will happen, but good things will too. What matters is that you find the courage to risk going through the bad parts of life to get to the good ones.

Of course, we all want to keep the people around us happy, especially our friends and family. But we need to be aware that there should be limitations on the lengths we go to just to keep other people happy.

The fact that you realize that you don’t (and can’t) know everything is in itself a telling sign of wisdom. As the old saying goes, “the more you learn, the less you know.” This is especially observable in comparing the confidence in which a novice and an expert in a certain field have in their knowledge of that field. Notice how a novice often thinks they know everything while experts show more doubt?

You’ll face so many battles in your life it would be impossible and tiring to fight all of them. While you may be eager to defend your principles or stances at all times, you should learn to distinguish which instances need your 100% and which ones don’t.

If you’re struggling with a mental illness or a personal problem that leaves you hopeless, this message is for you. Don’t give up just yet and hold on for one more day… and another and another, because things can’t stay as bad as they are today.

Here’s something for people who suffer from social anxiety. When you find out just how little other people notice the things you think are wrong about you, you’ll have more confidence in finally doing the things you want to do despite the people who may be watching and waiting to judge you.

In life, you’ll make plenty of mistakes – there’s no doubt about that. The secret is not wasting time regretting those and to start learning from them instead. You’ll have an easier time dealing with mistakes and moving forward with your life a wiser person despite them.

Just as you’re the main protagonist of your own life story, you are also just a background character in someone else’s. The truth is that the world doesn’t revolve around one person and every person has their own stories to realize and struggles to overcome.

Sensitivity is unfairly seen as a negative trait by society. Growing up, people are often punished for letting their emotions or vulnerable side show in public. This shouldn’t be the case. We should start encouraging people to embrace their sensitive side instead of suppressing it. The story above shows a great way to move forward.

Seeing how good other people are at their art or hobby may discourage you from starting or improving on your skills. But remember, even the masters started as beginners. When you put in the same amount of time and effort, the chances are high that you’ll also reach an advanced level like your idols.

Here’s a simple way to prevent yourself from doing things you’ll most likely regret. When you feel yourself on the verge of a bad decision stop and ask yourself, “Would an idiot do that?” If the answer is yes, you know what not to do.

Focusing on the things that make other people different from us can blind us from the fact that, at the end of the day, we’re all just people who can feel the same emotions. Let the story above be a reminder to be more understanding and accepting.

The funny thing about religions is that every one of them believes they have got it right and that their interpretation of life’s purpose and the world’s fate is the only truth. Being exposed to only one belief system blinds people from other ideas that may contradict or be more reasonable than theirs. While believing in one religion isn’t bad, people should at least open their minds and learn about other faiths to better assess their own.

Everyone can learn something from the disabled person in the story. When people reach a hard spot in life, it can be difficult not to get swallowed up by their negative thoughts. It always helps to find new and positive ways to look at seemingly unfortunate situations.

If you’re lucky, you’ve only encountered bosses who were always professional and didn’t let their emotions or personal bias against employees influence their decisions. A good boss will always react accordingly to the matter at hand no matter how big the problem is.

We’re all the main characters in our own stories. People who we may consider to be the ‘bad guy’ most likely don’t think of themselves in that light. Real life villains aren’t always like the ones we see in movies.

Always appreciate the generosity that other people show you, no matter small or insignificant it may seem. You never know, they might be making more significant sacrifices than they let on when they choose to give you something of theirs, whether it’s material things or their time.

People gifted with sensitivity are cursed with feeling and empathizing too much sometimes. Meanwhile, others are doomed never to treat anything seriously when they only focus on finding the comedic aspect of life. Striking a balance between thinking and feeling should be your goal as you go through life.

When we realize that everyone ends up in the same place at the end of their lives, we can be more accepting of the differences between us. We’re all the same in the end.

There are days when we wake up in fear of facing what another day has to challenge us with. On days like this, remember this quote. Remind yourself of the other awful times in your life when you felt this way. You’ve lived through them, didn’t you? So, what’s stopping you from doing the same this time?

During the aftermath of natural disasters, the first people to offer aid are often those who’ve survived a similar catastrophe before. They know what it feels like, such as losing everything they have in a matter of hours, and can easily empathize with people who are dealing with what they’ve gone through.

This idea is also expressed well in a quote by writer and educator Randy Pausch, “…it’s not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, it is the things we do not.” So, leave no stone unturned. Do the things you want to do before it’s too late.

Indeed, it can be difficult to stay present in the world we’re living in. With so many things fighting for our attention, we can neglect to enjoy or appreciate the moments we’re currently experiencing because we’re busy thinking about other things.

You can’t control the things that happen to you. You can only control how you react to them. Accept the fact that life can be random, and the world will throw unexpected things at you. But instead of focusing on how to control these uncontrollable things, focus on how you can teach yourself to react to them in a way that will favor you.

There are tons of talented people in the world, but not all of them make it to find success in their respective fields. So, where did they go wrong? They relied too much on the talent or potential they started with; they failed to learn the value of working hard to actually achieve the things they set out to chase.

No matter how well you argue or prove your point, other people won’t still be convinced to agree with you. And that’s okay. Learn to accept this fact and walk away from arguments that will only cause you emotional distress.

Don’t waste your time hiding your true self for people who don’t appreciate you for the awesome person that you are. If people truly care about you, they won’t judge you for being yourself and will instead love you because of and in spite of your flaws.

Kids who grew up being told they’re smart often end up as ill-prepared adults. Since school was easy for them, they neglect to develop the discipline to study and work hard. In college, they find that other people are finally catching up with them while they struggle to deal with school perhaps for the first time.

Knowing how Hunter S. Thompson lived his life gives the quote above more weight. He took the risk of immersing in gangs and various subcultures for his work and just the fun of it all. Although the final years of his life weren’t ideal, those didn’t change the fact that he lived an adventurous life and left a legacy in the field of journalism.

Sometimes hitting rock bottom is a blessing in disguise. When you’ve fallen so far down, there’s nowhere to go but up. It’s when you can’t think that things could get any worse, then life starts getting better again.

As Malachy McCourt once said, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Harboring hate for other people within yourself harms you more than it harms them. It can be hard to forgive people who have wronged you, especially if they’ve never even apologized, but forgiving and letting go of grudges is a favor you must do for yourself.

Life is going to be hard at times no matter which path you take. However, some paths lead towards accomplishments to enjoy, and others lead to little gain.

A lot of people are paralyzed by indecision whenever they think about what they want their life to be like. Everything becomes uncertain after you get out of school and lose the rigid structure it imposes. On the other hand, this unstructured, unsure stage in your life can be liberating. You’re an adult. You can go anywhere and do anything. So, pick a path you’re happy with, go with it, and you’ll eventually end up in the place you’re meant to be in.

Halfheartedly doing things you don’t really want to do is a bad habit to get into. Always remember that every output you show will reflect on your character. If all people see from you are is minimal effort, they’ll think that’s the best you can do. And eventually, they’ll be right.

When you are going through a hard time, remember that in the grand scheme of life, what you are going through is only going to be a passing moment. You have so much more of life to experience still.

Not all of us are born into privilege. Although you would definitely want to focus your time and attention to achieving your goals, a lot of factors may hinder you from doing so. Instead of wallowing and lamenting your situation, turn things around by making the best of it.

This kind of attitude works exceptionally well for people who work in customer service jobs. Sometimes customers unload their frustrations onto unassuming people. It can be draining having to be on the receiving end of a person’s tirade but understanding that their anger is not personally directed at you will help you let unpleasant encounters slide off your back.

Let’s end this list with a reminder to be kind to yourself. Ask yourself, what would your friends think if you said the negative things you say to yourself to them? Would they still be your friends? If the answer is no, then you need to start improving your relationship with yourself and learn how to treat yourself better. Stop punishing yourself for small mistakes and focus on the good stuff instead.