Hard learned lessons

I have so much to learn from life, and I will never pretend to be wise, but there are certain things I have learned the hard way, and I wish someone could have spared me the pain by teaching me about the situations ahead of time. I hope a few of the following thoughts might help you.

Choose your friends carefully. I have a lot of people I enjoy being around, but I only have a handful of close friends. I used to think that meant maybe there was something wrong with me because I didn’t have more, but I discovered that when it comes to friends, you should pick quality over quantity. It took me several toxic relationships to learn that friendship should not hurt.

Make memories. We can become caught up in our responsibilities so much that we forget it is also important to play. Spend time with the ones you love, and find fun activities to do together.

Jen Bonn

You cannot make everyone happy, so do what makes you happy. I used to worry about what other people thought, but then I realized that no matter what I did, there would be people who thought it was great, and others who would criticize it.

Imperfections are beautiful. Trying to be perfect must be exhausting because you must do so much to maintain it, and you never really achieve actual perfection. Be the best version of yourself because imperfections are more interesting.

Understand an action before you react to it. I used to sign my students up for a national exam, and even on a good day, it took a lot of time that I did not have to spare. One year, everything on the website was glitching, so I called up the woman in charge and had a temper tantrum. The woman on the phone was so kind and understanding. At that moment, she taught me a valuable lesson, and I said, “Lisa, the next time someone has a temper tantrum with me, I’m going to react the same way you did.”

Don’t feel guilty about self-care. Taking care of yourself affects everything you do. If you are at your best health-wise, you can do your best work.

Do nothing sometimes. I am high-energy and driven to perform, but I am becoming better at curling up on the couch or sitting on the porch. Rest is restorative.

Follow your dreams even if the people around you don’t understand them.

I hope some of these resonate with you and help lift you up.