9 Uncomfortable Truths You Should Accept Early in Life
First, they might hurt. But in the end, they’ll make you happier.
We all want to know the truth, but if the truth is uncomfortable, we get annoyed and wish we never heard about it at all. The reality is, most people don’t want to face the uncomfortable truths of life, even if they say they do.
They just want to live with their blinds on and avoid as many problems and difficulties as possible.
While this might first sound comfortable, it eventually leads to an unfulfilling and repetitive life.
And in the worst case, denying the uncomfortable truths will make it harder for you to take responsibility and design your own life.
If you constantly choose comfort over courage, you’ll end up being the puppet of others. If you, however, manage to embrace the following truths, you might be able to design an extraordinarily fulfilling life.
You Should Either Have a Partner Who Supports Your Dreams or No Partner at All
Being around people who’re trying to keep you small is painful. And if it’s your partner who’s trying to ignore your dreams, it hurts even more.
One of my best friends has recently been in a relationship where his goals were way more important than hers. He didn’t care what exactly she wanted to achieve or do. All that mattered was that she made it as easy as possible for him to move forward.
If she ever talked about her ambitious career goals, he laughed at her and told her why her dreams were unachievable.
Even though we sometimes can’t choose whether we fall in love or not, we can indeed choose whether we stay with someone.
If your partner is constantly trying to talk you down and discourage you, it’s probably the wrong partner.
A rich relationship should be full of support and encouragement. If someone doesn’t want to see you win, he’ll probably also fail to be by your side when you need him most.
That’s why you should always surround yourself with people who can cheer for you and support you in becoming your best self but who’re also there for you when you hit rock bottom.
Life Isn’t Fair
If you expect life to be fair, you’ll be disappointed.
Shit happens, and sometimes, there’s no reasonable explanation for why things happen or why people do what they do.
Focus on the things you can control and let go of the rest.
Worrying about the things you can’t control is a pure waste of time and energy.
Money Rules the World
No matter if you like it or not — money matters.
The vast majority of the global population spends 40+ hours per week working for money. And they do so for the majority of their life.
Most people hate their jobs, but they have no other choice because they need to pay the bills.
And even though we all spend such a significant part of our lives working for money, most people deny its importance.
But the painful truth is that saying “I don’t care about money.” just makes it worse.
You do care about money because you have bills to pay. The earlier you embrace this truth, the easier your life will be.
Stop denying the power and importance of money and start learning how to use it to your advantage.
Track your income and expenses. Stop wasting your income on useless things. Live below your means. Learn how to use your money, so it works for you instead of against you.
Money isn’t everything, but it certainly makes lots of things easier and more fun.
Just because a relationship has lasted a long time doesn’t mean it’s working.
According to a study from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, only 60% of those polled reported being very happy in their relationship in 2014.
And even though global divorce rates are soaring, we often overlook that millions of people across the globe don’t leave their toxic or unfulfilling relationships.
But what’s worse is that we often think of the duration of a relationship as an indicator of happiness.
The truth, however, is that millions of people stay in relationships they’d love to leave because they’re used to it.
They think they already invested so much into the relationship and end up being trapped in the Sunk Cost Fallacy, which makes things even worse: They don’t want to end the relationship because they already invested so much time. Yet, nothing changes, and they’re unhappy and dissatisfied. But with each new attempt, they invest even more time and energy, so they become even more attached to the relationship, and the cycle repeats itself for years, decades, or a lifetime.
In the end, both partners end up having wasted way more time and energy than needed, and they’d both be better off by just parting their ways when they first realized there’s a mismatch.
There Won’t Ever Be a Better Time to Start.
Most people waste their lifetime procrastinating instead of living their desired life because they think there will be “a better time to start”.
The truth, however, is that working on your dreams will never be easier, and the best time to start was yesterday.
You never know how much time you have left, and life is certainly too short to postpone the things you’re most looking forward to.
Making a Wrong Decision Is Better Than Making No Decision
When was the last time you struggled to make a decision?
This morning when choosing what to wear? Last night when deciding what to eat for dinner? Or last week when you had to make a significant decision that could shape your entire life?
Whatever it was, I bet it wasn’t long ago and that you’re struggling to make small decisions every day.
And it’s not even your fault.
With endless possibilities, opportunities, and choices than ever before, it became significantly more difficult to decide.
A few decades ago, you could order a black coffee, coffee with milk, and decide if you wanted to have sugar. Today, you can spend half an hour reading the menu of Starbucks.
And that’s still only one of the most insignificant choices of our lives.
Most people are so afraid of making a wrong decision that they don’t decide at all. They end up being trapped in analysis paralysis and waste a significant part of their life thinking about their decisions instead of just taking action.
But here’s the painful truth: Overthinking isn’t productive. It’s just a form of procrastination because you’re afraid of making the right decision.
You Only Get Stronger by Doing Hard Things
Staying in your comfort zone and doing what you’ve always been doing sounds appealing, yet, it’s exactly why you might be failing to move forward.
If you only do things that feel easy, you’ll end up living an ordinary life and fail to turn your ambitious goals into reality.
Achieving something worthwhile always takes courage, discipline, and risks.
Doing the easy things will never lead to satisfaction. Doing the hard things, however, isn’t easy, but it’ll ultimately be worth it.
Nobody Is Flawless
…and if someone pretends to be perfect, you need to be extra careful.
We all have flaws and make mistakes. That’s what makes us human and what makes life so interesting.
Yet, one of the biggest strengths is to be self-aware and reflect on your faults.
If someone pretends to be perfect and can’t ever talk about his weaknesses, it’s a sign that he lacks self-awareness. These people constantly tell you what you are doing wrong but fail to see their own mistakes.
Social media is stealing your time and energy (but it doesn’t have to)
Social media isn’t bad. Most people just don’t know how to use it and become its victim.
You can decide whether you use social media to make your life better or if you end up wasting your time scrolling through useless posts.
You can decide whether you are a creator or a consumer of content.
Being a creator is fulfilling, energizing, and can even be profitable.
Being a consumer, however, will cost you time, energy, and probably even money.
The #1 goal of every social media platform and website is to keep you glued to your screen for as long as possible. It’s up to you to break that cycle and use technology to your advantage.
Final thoughts
Life isn’t always easy, but it’s good.
Even though you might be facing challenges and difficulties, it’s a privilege to be alive.
If you can stop chasing shiny objects and focus on the few things that actually matter, you can indeed live a simple and good life.
Keep in mind that nobody really cares about you or your problems and that you’re the only one responsible for the life you live.
Make sure you’re surrounded by people who support your dreams (or at least don’t put you down).
Keep in mind that money matters, and make sure you don’t waste it.
Avoid staying close to people just because you’ve already been close to them for a long time.
Don’t expect life to be fair. Create your own rules.
Don’t forget that making quick decisions is always better than making no decision.
Start as early as possible.
Do the hard things, so you can become more experienced and stronger.
Don’t believe in anyone being perfect. We all make mistakes.
Use social media to make your life better and richer.
The more time you spend ignoring certain truths, the more time you ultimately waste. Allow yourself to break that cycle and embrace the truths that might first be a little painful. In the end, it’s those truths that’ll help you live a rich life.
