Instagram

Friday, August 22, 2014

CH235: Life Lessons at 28

A listicle of sorts.

1. Everyone needs to experience a heartbreak.
- It helps us mature and understand what we truly want and need in a relationship. It teaches us about compromise, commitment and the lines we need to draw so as not to lose ourselves

2. Travelling and seeing the world is enriching.
- it gives us perspective on the lives other people live. We get to see other cultures that may be similar or entirely different from our own. We get an appreciation of diversity. We learn respect and understanding. We open our minds.

3. Travelling alone will change you.
- I've travelled by myself on a handful of occasions and I know the experience has changed me for the better. I've learned to cope with the unexpected. I've learned to plan and organize better (sometimes a bit obsessive compulsive). I've learned to embrace the fears travelling alone can bring. I've learned how to be independent and learned as well how to be dependent when the need arises (like asking for directions in a broken Spanish-English when I got lost for a short while in Madrid).

4. Family is a blessing that keeps on giving.
- having blood ties is important. Cherish them. Value them. I feel for the most part of my life, I've overlooked the value and love a family can bring into one's life. I guess having huge age gaps from my two other siblings and my dad mostly working abroad can be considered as causes, but well, I've become independent because of the circumstances.

5. You don't need a lot of friends, just a handful of close important ones is enough.
- it is important in the shaping of our being to have REAL friends we can be true to ourselves with. Like family, cherish them. Make the relationships with them grow. Foster them.

6. Career is important.
- we need to have work and have goals. A careers and it's development gives us purpose. And the obvious fact - it gives us money to become economically independent. It funds our endeavors, hobbies, interests and passion.

7. Having a sufficient number of sexual experiences changes you.
- it's up to you how you make of it. But for me, it's been a positive experience. Monogamy is still important for me, but through sexual experiences, we can discover things about ourselves and our body that will have been otherwise undiscovered. We also can learn social skills, and build our confidence. We become more secure of ourselves and the cloud that fogs sex and the mysticism that sometimes surrounds it are unmasked. We figure out what we like and how we like it done (hahaha). We realize, sex isn't really how pornography makes it out to be. We get our own opinion of sex through the experiences we've had.

8. Reading books, news, literature is important for a holistic development.
- Lord knows how much news I read each day. From current affairs, to tech news, to business, to stocks, etc, it is important as citizens of the world to become aware. It is like travelling in a sense - only your mind and its imagination go to places. Being informed is a necessity to making the right decisions.

9. Appearances matter.
- the other day I was thinking (after seeing my nephews and nieces' pictures), thank God they're cute. And to myself, thank you Lord for I'm not bad looking. Not to be vain or narcissistic, but it's a fact and reality of life where people can be discriminated based on appearance. Physical features can get you to places, but it is also a matter of taking care of yourself and wearing the right clothing etc. Fitness is not overrated!

10. Learn to appreciate museums, arts and theater.
- it's not just for the rich. Knowing a bit about art and giving ourselves time to appreciate them is worth every second. Discovering Koons, pollock, Van Gogh, monet, Picasso, dali, etc gives us depth and character. It enriches our souls. Watching musicals and theater allows us to appreciate diversity and talents that exist in the world.

11. Self acceptance ushers in an evolution of character.
- it's like a line that goes "how can you love others, when you don't know how to love yourself." I'm not being specific here as it should apply in general (based on observation), but people who have accepted themselves for who they are tend to be less stuck up. For my experience, I've learned to be more open to the people who matter - close friends and family. I've become happier. We may be poor and going through hardships, but self acceptance is the first step to moving forward. Yes, we may be poor now, but we're not going to be miserable. I accept that I'm poor or struggling now and make the most of it to ensure I get myself to somewhere, someplace better.

2 comments: