So yeah, this year’s been a bit of a whirlwind so far. Although I’ve definitely felt happier and more in control this year, it also been a year of massive changes. So who knows if I’ve actually grown up a bit in the last 24 years or if all the changes just mean I’m having to step back more often to get my head round what on earth is actually going on. Either way, here are some little bits of advice that I’m only now appreciating.
- Everything you put into your body is either fighting disease – or feeding it.
Yeah ok, this one probably isn’t ground-breaking. However it does put the whole ‘get your 5 a day’ thing in plain black and white, which makes it seem a lot harder to excuse those pasta dishes and glasses of wine.
- You can only compromise so much, before you compromise yourself.
This one was said by good ol’ mum as I sat in a teary-bleary mess on the sofa at 2 in the morning wondering how on earth my birthday had turned out like this. It’s natural to try to make things work, whether that be a relationship, a friendship or a job. Yet when it boils down to it, you can only try so much before you have to save yourself by walking away.
- If a boy likes you, it will be easy. All of it.
Ok this one is massive paraphrased from another blog, which I really wish I could find again (though I do know it was by this blogger.) and admittedly I do feel a bit like a teenager writing it for the whole wide web to see, but it’s pretty sound advice. It seems that only know I’m realising this but its better late than never, eh?
- Everything changes in a day.
Oh golly. If there was a quote for this year, I think this would be it. For better or worse, you never know how the day is going to turn out… even if it still seems really mundane by 1pm. I guess the point of this advice is two-fold – you should appreciate what you’ve got while it’s there, while knowing the bad times won’t last forever. Things will always change.
- You Can Only Be Successful, if You’ve Got a Clear Definition of Success.
In my time, I’ve known a few people who have said they would count themselves as successful once they had a ‘good job’ or a ‘good wage.’ I’ve also seen them go on and achieve things and still be frustrated and disheartened. The good job or good wage was no longer good enough once they had it. Unless you can clearly state your measure of success, whether that be happiness, security, how many countries you’ve visited or your wage if that’s your thing; you will never feel like you’ve achieved enough of it.
- How People Treat You are a Measure of Them, Not You.
Wow. Aren’t I busting out all the clichés in this post? But either way I’m sure we have all been in a situation where someone has either underappreciated your efforts, stole your thunder or just been down right horrid. Only now is it sinking how someone treats you, actually has nothing to do with you. It’s all about them, their outlook and what sort of place they are in mentally.
- Accept The Things You Can’t Change.
If I was a multimillionaire, I’d like to think my house would have huge grounds and there would be bunches of fresh flowers in every room. I dunno, something about flowers sitting on a windowsill just seem to cheer me up. Then I remember all my millions would be sat going dusty, instead of being enjoyed because I would be hiding in bed feeling sorry for myself in a hay-fever induced mess. No matter how many tablets I’d have, I’d probably not be able to saunter around the grounds with a parasol. Somethings you just cannot alter, so you’ve got to accept it and let it go.
- Leisure Time shouldn’t be Lazy Time
A while ago, a read an article where the writer was basically cursing what he saw as the biggest misunderstanding of our time; he claimed that as the world divided time into ‘work’ and ‘leisure’ it left a lot of people confused, believing the two were opposites and exclusive . Because ‘work’ was often about showing up and putting in effort to get results, many people allowed themselves to waste their free time by not doing much. I mean don’t get me wrong, some days we all need to slob about in baggy pants and watch crap TV but to truly feel like we’ve made the most of our days off, it’s important to actually actively engage in something, even if it is just for fun.
- You Are Insignificant.
Taken in the wrong way, this little snippet from John C Parker could seem down-right insulting. But if you take it how it’s meant, it can be quite liberating. The idea is that basically in the whole history of humanity you are a tiny blip. By all means, make your life the best you can. However if you mess up, don’t stress because nobody will remember it anyway (unless you’re a high profile MP destined to be covered in GCSE history classes, obz)
So yeah, there the nine pieces of advice I’m only just appreciating. I’ve gotta go now and do wise peopley stuff, as it seems like the only thing to do after writing this… see ya.