Notes from a Student of Life

From one student of life to another, I share my notes on what I have learned so far in my journey.

I have learned that...

1. Life always begins with a cry so don't expect to get through life without one (or more... okay, fine! many!).  Cry your heart out when you need to.  But when the tears dry up, you better be ready to roll again cause life will not let up. 
2. Just because I am strong enough to handle pain doesn't mean I deserve it.  Just because life makes you feel pain even when you don't deserve it doesn't mean life is shit.
3. Life is like a movie and we all are the writers, the directors and the actors of our own movie.  The kind of movie you want to be remembered by is really all up to you. 
4. Heaven and hell do exist - right here, right now.  You are free to choose where you want to be.
5. Missing a lot does not mean you failed to live a full life.  We can't experience them all and we can't have them all.  A full life is a life filled with what matters most to you, not to the people around you.
6. Spend time alone for yourself every day. Everyday you are forced to spend time with people you don't necessarily want to be with. Workplace is a classic example.  So spend time alone for yourself even if you do not want to. It is the only way to know yourself and to learn to love yourself.
7. Remember what your mother taught you, it came from the most sacred place of love that exists. 
8. Your heart is your best compass.  It can measure many things that science cannot. So it only makes sense to follow it when making decisions about the things that matter to you the most.
9. Keep loving no matter what.  We all need to love and we all need to be loved.  The world is filled with so much love in as much as it is filled with so much hate.  The key is in knowing where to look and knowing what you want to find. 
10. Love is patient, love is kind.  Most of the time, those who are not the easiest to love are the ones who need it the most.  Always be patient and kind.
11. The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.  Choose wisely who you give them to and treasure the ones who give them to you.  Every tick of the clock we give someone is equivalent to every beat of our heart that counts down our physical existence.
12. The best things in life are free. You can't buy love, respect, laughter, happiness, heck you should not even dare try buying a hug.  These things are free, you need only ask.
13. An eye for an eye will make the world blind. Patience, tolerance and forgiveness are powerful tools that can bring out the best in even the worst of people.
14. Being kind is more important than being right.  Righteousness without kindness breeds fundamentalism. 
15. Before you judge any person, step into their shoes and try living their life. If you reach as far as they have, I guarantee you, you wouldn't even want to judge.
16. Sometimes you are heard the loudest and the clearest when you are silent.  
17. Pain and suffering are the two most common results of unfulfilled expectations. Expect less, hurt less, suffer less. 
18. If you find yourself losing jobs or losing friends or losing relationships constantly, maybe it is time to consider the possibility that you could be the problem.
19. You are beautiful even when you don't see it.  Even butterflies don't see their own wings.
20. Motivation does not make people move, inspiration does. Inspiration comes from passion and passion is contagious.  
21. Selfishness is the result of thinking that the world owes you.  The world owes you nothing.  The faster you can come to terms with it, the sooner you will discover happiness.  Happiness comes from giving, not receiving.
22. You are not the center of the universe, but you are an integral part of the it. We are all part of the synergy. Every single one matters and it is the relationships that connect us. We owe it to the world to make good that connection.
23. Success is relative. To someone who values money, success is billions.  To someone who values relationships, success is family and friends.  To someone who values reputation, success is prestige.  Success is simply a measure of the kind of person you are.
24. There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. As the song goes, "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad".  Do what makes you happy and everything else follows.  The only guide here that you should follow is, if what makes you happy kills you, that is just dumb. Find something else that can make you happy.
25. When tired - sleep, when hungry - eat.  Much like a modern engine, the human body has sensors that tell us at very specific moments the things that it needs to make it function at its best.  Listen to it.