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Life Lessons: Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Really Matter

Life Lessons: Life's Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Really Matter

11. Real Motivation Comes from Within

One of life’s most important truths is that no one can motivate us but ourselves. It must come from within.

It’s not about hype, it’s about knowing our own potential⎯and wanting to exceed it.

12. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines

It’s a to-do list⎯but for your life. Ever notice how to-do lists help you get things done? That’s how goals work. Make them every year, and make them as specific as you can, in as many categories as you need. It’s that simple. You’ll be amazed at the results.

13. There’s No Substitute for Hard Work

I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard this one before, but we never seem to believe it. We always seem to be looking for the easy way out. The solution? When we want to sit down and rest; take a breath and push forward. When we want to turn on the TV; think of what else (anything else) we can do. When we feel like complaining about how hard the work is, be comforted⎯you’ll sleep like a baby tonight.

14. You Have to Give Up Something to Get Something

You’ve heard the old phrase, “No pain, no gain”. It’s mostly used by athletes working to achieve a certain level of fitness. But today we’re told to think the opposite way: play now, pay later. Credit card, anyone? So what’s the difference? Hard work now makes the payoff even sweeter, whereas if you play now, the enjoyment is diminished. Because in the back of your mind, you know that nothing comes for free. You’ll have to pay⎯one way or the other. So the sooner we accept that nothing worth having will come easily, the better.

15. Successful People Don’t Find Time⎯They Make Time

We will always have enough time for the things that are most important to us. Here’s Urban’s four keys to making the most of your time:

  • Plan your day (There’s the to-do list again⎯and the more specific, the better.)
  • Make appointments with yourself (Don’t say “someday…”, say “Monday at 4.”)
  • Use the little-bit-at-a-time approach (Break down big tasks.)
  • Know your most productive time (Are you a morning or an evening person?)

16. No One Else Can Raise Your Self-esteem

Similar to motivation, it has to come from within. Today we need to distinguish mainly between self-worship and self-esteem⎯and here’s how Urban figures it has to be done:

  • Be Kind (If you’re a jerk you’ll never feel good about yourself.)
  • Be honorable (Honour others, honour your word. Value integrity.)
  • Be productive (When you’re getting stuff done, you’re feeling good.)
  • Be positive (Negative thoughts are opposed to true self-esteem.)

17. The Body Needs Nutrition and Exercise⎯So does the Mind and Spirit

Garbage in, garbage out. The phrase applies to the body (junk food vs. nutritious) and the mind (Jerry Springer vs. Shakespeare), but what about the spirit? Most ignore this aspect. It’s not what we believe that matters most, but that we acknowledge the existence of this third aspect of our humanity. When we do that, our own personal journey usually takes over. Bottom line: live with balance between all three⎯body, mind, and spirit.

18. It’s Okay to Fail⎯Everyone Else Has

So everyone fails. The difference is in what they do after they fail. Expect to fail, and know that only in trying and failing will we ultimately succeed. Then, after it happens, pick yourself up and keep moving forward. And know that you’re in good company.

19. Life Is Simpler When We Know What’s Essential

You can make your own list of essential things. The point of this lesson is to know what they are⎯and live by them. You’ll find your life will be far simpler than you ever thought possible.
life lessons

20. Being Good Is What We’re Best At

What Hal Urban is trying to get across is that we’re meant to be good. It’s what we do best, and it’s what does us best. Which means that if we are to strive to be complete people, we simply can’t ignore the importance of being good.

So there you have it: 20 huge life lessons, all rolled into 20 little bite-sized morsels. But you should know this is only a taste of what’s in the book. Hal Urban has a talent for using stories and fantastic real-life examples to uphold his points, so I can’t recommend enough going out there and picking up his book. It’s not even long. But it will make you think.

What life lessons do you live by that aren’t mentioned here? Comment below and join the discussion.
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By Rob Maxwell

Life's Greatest Lessons: 20 Things That Matter

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