6 Timeless Lessons Our Elders Mastered Early While We Learn the Hard Way

These life lessons can make you wiser for the rest of your life.

My mom is a baby boomer.

Although she was brought up in a time with no technology, she actually was wiser than I am in my 20s — this realization unsettles me. She believes that technology is supposed to help us give access to information, yet we often misuse it.

My mom, at her time, gained insights from books and TV programs filled with lengthy ads that brought her patience. Meanwhile, we live in a technology-driven era and seem to be lacking the essential life lessons that should ideally be acquired in our 20s.

Below are some compiled life lessons from elderly individuals I have met. These lessons have guided them through life, helping them build successful and fulfilling relationships while finding happiness with what they have:

Let’s get started.

1. Take shift seriously, not shit

There are two kinds of people when a problem occurs:

• Those who focus on the problem
• Those who focus on the learning

Shit happens. Prioritize learning and what the problem is trying to teach you. The chances are each problem comes once in your lifetime, and if you don’t learn from it, you lose the chance.

Every problem teaches you something. As per my mom, each situation provides you valuable insights into potential pitfalls and the steps necessary to prevent their recurrence.

Through this, the old folks learned the art of speaking less but speaking wisely, opening and sharing their thoughts with the right people, adapting their conversations to suit others, and becoming more independent in their lives.

No matter which era you live in, we humans are a product of thousands of generations, and that’s why certain lessons about life remain the same over time.

These life lessons can make you wiser for the rest of your life.

2. Don’t stay in a cycle just because it’s familiar.

A person who only looks through the lens of negativity will always see negativity.

Comfort zones are ring cycles that nobody wants to change. Somehow, repeating the same cycles feel pretty easy.

Continuing to do something just because you’ve been doing it for a long time is not a good reason. History shouldn’t be used to excuse bad actions. If you repeat a harmful cycle just because it was done in the past, it still doesn’t make it right.

What’s right is right.

There is a fine line between what you want right to be and what is actually right.

Go with the actual right. Stop repeating cycles just because it felt familiar before.

3. If you spend too much time on your enjoyment, you may have to sell your essential belongings tomorrow.

It’s okay to say:

• You only live once (YOLO)
• There is no tomorrow
• Enjoy today

But ever thought about if you live to see another day, where does this leave you? Unless you wanna be a person who asks his family for a loan or some money, think about your long-term plans.

Today, you can be good, but remember to make tomorrow good as well.

Your task today is to enjoy but also remember to plan for tomorrow. Do not just be mean and waste all your money just for today. Instead, balance your short-term happiness with long-term security.

Finances play a main role in your life. Old folks used to save money for tough times, but nowadays, that’s not so common anymore. Instead, you can invest your money in smart ways. For instance, you can put your money in the stock market and enjoy the profits when the value of your investments goes up.

Earn more than you spend — that’s a rule of thumb.

4. When they go low, you go high.

Marcus Aurelius believed:

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one”

Your duties don’t stop just within your family. You also have responsibilities as a neighbor, employee, and good friend. Show care and kindness even when you’re outside your home.

When you see someone in difficult times, go high and help them — refrain from causing more pain. Don’t wait with a phone in hand to think about what you could do, do it. Don’t wait to see other people suffer — imagine yourself in their shoes and act accordingly.

When people go low, give them a hand.

Don’t hesitate. You haven’t experienced everything life has to offer, and you can’t predict how things would be if you were in that situation. So, be brave, get up, and support.

5. Stop focusing on the goal and start focusing on being the type of person that can actually achieve the goal.

• You can’t be everything.

Because you get one life, and to become a doctor, you require four years. Similarly, to become a specialized doctor and an experienced one, you require an extra couple of years.

Meaning you cannot be everything as it will leave you will little to no room to enjoy. You can’t be a millionaire, a money spender, a money saver, a book reader, a Kindle reader, fast food eater, and a healthy eater.

You can only be one thing. Choose your path.

• Money spender or money saver?
• Book reader or Kindle reader?
• Fast food eater or a healthy eater?

Have clear goals. Because I know you’ll see another famous figure on Instagram and want to become a real agent because, according to them, it’s more promising.

Old folks only become what they were meant for me. They were pretty precise and mature in their field. Become the type of person that will lead you to the goal.

If you want to become rich, you have two options: save money and invest. Focus on the one path that will lead you to your goal.

6. You’re not happy when you have everything you want. You’re happy when you’re in the process of getting what you want.

This life lesson is solely from my mother, and it applies to everyone around me.

I often buy home organization products, but sometimes I accidentally choose the wrong size. Then, I have to cancel the order, and I end up not ordering anything again.

The joy here is the ordering and receiving phase. Shopping is not as exciting as we may seem. I usually cancel a lot of others right after ordering, and a lot of people around me too.

This is because the order is a quick pleasure boost, and it gives you instant happiness about ordering something new. However, the final product is not at all awesome as you may expect.

We, humans, enjoy the process of doing things more than the end result. It’s because the journey of doing something, like renovating a home or packing for a trip, is more fun and exciting.

That’s the reason my mom has more photos in the album of us traveling, packing, and cleaning the house, as it’s a memory we love to cherish.

Final thoughts:

The above habits may look simple to you, and let me tell you — they’re simple.

We knew these habits before, but we never thought successful life could be that easy. Old folks believed in the same habits and made their time in this life worthwhile. We, on the other hand, with our doubting and judging, leave with no room to actually try these habits and see the results for ourselves.

So, you must try. These habits work for the oldest of people — hence they can work for you.