11 Important Realisations That Will Change Your Life

Tips to improve your life

When I graduated from university, I had no idea what I wanted out of life.

I didn’t know what career path I wanted to follow.

I had no idea if I wanted to spend the rest of my life in one place.

Despite spending three years developing as a person at uni, I felt like I had been thrown in the deep end without a life jacket when I graduated.

I ended up drifting. I was lost. I had no good habits. I didn’t listen to myself when deep down, I knew what I wanted to do.

I was scared to grasp the opportunity and tackle it head-on.

The past eight years have been a rich source of learning. I’ve improved myself in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

The realizations I had during these years have profoundly affected the way I live my today.

Hopefully, they can have the same effect for you!

1. You’re on borrowed time.

“Life is a one time offer, use it well” — Unknown

You will not be around forever.

Life is short, but long enough, to fool us it will last forever.

Use the limited time you have wisely.

You don’t want to look back, and regret missed opportunities when you’re older.

2. Take your health seriously

“Health is like money, we never have a true sense of its value until we lose it.” — Josh Billings

This applies to mental and physical health.

One cannot flourish without the other. They are complementary.

I spent a lot of time in the gym, but I neglected to look after my mental health.

My body was improving, but my mental state stagnated. I was still stressed, I was still lacking in confidence.

It took a panic attack, out of the blue, to force me to reevaluate the way I was treating my mental health as well as my physical health.

What’s the point of having a great body, if your mind is still weak?

You only have one body, take care of it.

3. Collect experiences not possessions

“My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants” — J.Brotherton

Collecting material items is pointless.

I have a friend who always buys the latest gadgets.

He always has a new iPhone, he changes his car at least once a year. He buys loads of new clothes.

What does he get out of this?

Nothing.

He is so obsessed with acquiring the latest must-have item, that, ultimately, these items end up controlling him.

You can’t take your possessions with you when you die. Save your money and spend it on experiences instead.

4. Hard work trumps talent

“There is no substitute for hard work”. — Thomas Edison

I’ve found, whenever I put my heart and soul into a piece of work, I get a solid return. I underperformed in my end of school exams. I was expecting As in my GCSE results.

I ended up with mostly C’s, two B’s and one A. I was disappointed. I hadn’t worked hard enough. The next year, I dedicated myself to achieving better A level results.

I was determined not to make the same mistakes twice.

At the end of the year, I got full marks in one exam. I was five marks off full marks in another, and I got 79 out of 90 marks in another exam.

I put the work in and it paid off handsomely.

Whenever I have applied myself the same in this way, I have always succeeded.

Always!

If you want to be successful, you have to work for it. Opportunity waits for nobody.

5. Eliminate self-limiting beliefs

“Whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I would often believe the voices in my head telling me I would fail.

“Why are you bothering, she’ll never go out with you!”

“I don’t know why you’re studying this much, you’ll won’t pass the test anyway!”

I believed the voices in my head. I gave into their incessant chatter. I fulfilled their prophecies. It was when I realized that everyone has to start somewhere, that I realized the voices were wrong.

The most successful corporations and businessman have all worked their way up from nothing.

When I realized this, my mindset changed.

Circumstance does not determine your future, your mindset does.

6. Never stop learning

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo

The end of our time at school or university is seen as the end of the learning period.

This couldn’t be more wrong.

You never stop learning.

The moment you stop learning is the moment you start regressing.

You have to view learning as an opportunity to grow and learn new pieces of information or skills that will benefit you in the long run.

The biggest mistake we tell ourselves is that we already know enough.

Every day is an opportunity to learn and grow as a person, don’t waste that opportunity.

7. Don’t stop reading!

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” — Ernest Hemingway

Economies are fragile.

If you read up on topics and acquire new skills, you will be prepared for whatever the future may hold.

Books are a valuable source of knowledge.

Imagine if you could read the thoughts of the most powerful man in the world at one point.

Well, you can.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is one example. It consists of his thoughts about life and how to improve one’s self. This book was not intended to be published. Yet, you can buy it today!

Sure the book is 2,000 years old, but the ideas inside are as relevant today as they were when he put pen to paper.

That’s the thing about books, they are timeless.

8. Question everything

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein

Approach the world as a child would.

Be inquisitive.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

It doesn’t show weakness, but eagerness. An eagerness to improve.

9. Be sure

“ If you’re not doing what you love, you’re wasting your time.” — Unknown

Mark Manson introduced me to the concept of ‘Fuck yes’ when I was browsing his site one day.

If you wouldn’t say ‘Fuck yes’ to an opportunity in life, don’t do it.

Simple as that.

Why do something that doesn’t thoroughly excite you?

10. A Degree is not as important as it seems

“ Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey

Yes, it will open doors for you. But, some of the most successful people in history never had one.

Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Bill Gates. They are all examples of successful entrepreneurs who did go to university or didn’t finish their studies.

You don’t need a degree to be a success.

You need an idea and the ability to work hard, really hard and execute.

Nothing more, nothing less.

11. Plan for your future

“ Failing to plan is planning to fail.” — Alan Lakein

Live in the present, but have an idea of where you’d like to be in the future.

Ensure, that everything you’re doing now is working towards that future goal.

It’s important to live in the present, but if the present is not looking to improve your future, you’re going to go around in circles.

Have a definite idea of where you want to end up and get there!

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