Welcome to the school of hard lessons called life. It’s during this ongoing course that you will learn many things. Some of your classes will be a breeze, and you will pass with flying colors. However, other courses will challenge you and make you feel as if you’re losing your sanity.
No matter where you’re on this educational journey, you will undoubtedly have some hard times. Oddly enough, the people who start this trek with you probably won’t be by your side when you complete your mission. Thankfully, you will pick up many bits of wisdom as well as some new friends along the way.
25 Hard Lessons That People Take Away From Life
What life lessons have you learned through your time on this planet? Have you gained wisdom, developed perception, and have a different outlook?
Perhaps, you thought money grew on trees when you were a child, but you’ve been hit with the hard reality that anything you want takes hard work. Age and maturity help mold you into a better person, and the hard times are when you learn the most.
Here are the 25 most common hard lessons that you learn as you grow and mature.
1. Not Everyone Is Your Friend
Many people won’t stand beside you when the going gets tough. Those you think are your true friends may just be in your life for a season.
2. If You Don’t Stand for Something, You’ll Fall for Anything
You need standards and morals in life, and if you don’t take a stand for what you believe, then you will fall for anything that comes your way. It’s okay to break the mold and to be different than those around you.
3. Doing Wrong Is Always Easier Than Doing What’s Right
It’s always the most difficult to go against the grain. Doing what’s right may cause you to go against family and friends, but you will feel much better about your choices in the end.
4. Choose Your Friends Wisely
Being a friend doesn’t have the same meaning to each person. Some of the worst hurts and disappointments in life will come from those that you call a friend.
5. Love Doesn’t Always Last Forever
When you’re in love, you feel like it might last forever. However, according to a survey referenced by Marie Claire magazine, the average person falls in love four times in their life.
6. Some Folks Aren’t Worth Fighting For
You may put a lot of time and effort into someone who isn’t worth the fight. Not all people are good for you, and you should always choose your friendships carefully.
7. Those Closest to You Can Hurt You the Most
The sting of betrayal is often deeper by those that you love and care about the most. Why is it that the ones closest to you can hurt you greater than anyone else?
8. You Need A Perfect Balance of Work and Play
Your life can’t be all about work. It would help if you had time to refresh and renew your mind, body, and soul. If you don’t take time to rest, your body will force you. So, make sure that you have a well-balanced life.
9. Never Jump to Conclusions or Make Assumptions
It’s easy to make assumptions about others or jump to conclusions, but you will often embarrass yourself when you make these leaps.
10. High School and College Aren’t the Best Times of Your Life
Some people believe that high school and college are the best days of your life. However, others would agree that when you walk down the aisle to promise your love to someone special and look into the eyes of your baby for the first time, those things can’t even compare to juvenile fun.
11. It’s Okay to Ask Lots of Questions
Even though you may seem like a pain for doing so, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask many questions. The more questions you ask, the better you understand things.
12. Always Read the Fine Print
Before you sign any contract or make a significant purchase, always read the fine print. It’s always those little details that get you in the end, and you may not realize what you’re signing.
13. Never Date Those You Work With
Getting involved with people in the place you work is just messy. If things go sour, then you’re going to have a rough time going to the place that provides your income.
14. Your Happiness Is Not Dependent on the Opinions of Others
Do whatever makes you happy in life, even if it makes everyone else around you angry. You only have one life to live, and it’s yours to live as you see fit.
15. Never Do Business with Family or Friends
Doing business with family and friends can cause major rifts. Even if it’s the smallest of deals, one of the hard lessons you will learn is that family and business don’t mix.
16. College Isn’t Always A Requirement
Did you know that many people don’t go to college and still become successful? The mastermind behind Apple Products, Steve Jobs, never went to college. He was one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. According to Money Magazine, he was worth over $10 billion at the time of his death.
17. You Don’t Have to Like Everyone
You’re not going to like everyone in life. There will be people you work with and live next door you to that rub you the wrong way. No law says you must like them, but you should still be civil.
18. It’s Easy to Fall into Love, But Hard to Get Over
Some of the hardest lessons to learn are about love. You can fall in love overnight but getting over that love once you break up can take a lifetime. True love puts an imprint on the heart and soul.
19. Your Parents Weren’t Wrong About Most Things
You’ll soon learn that your parents knew what they were talking about all along. The hard lessons come when you try to defy their age-old wisdom to create a new path. Why is it that at some point in almost everyone’s life, they must go back to mom and dad and tell them that they were right?
20. People Are Struggling Worse Than You
Even when you feel like life has knocked you down, there is always someone who has things much worse than you. It’s easy to have a pity party and feel sorry for yourself, but you don’t have to look far to see that your life isn’t nearly as bad as it seems.
21. You Don’t Know Everything
One hard lesson you learn pretty quickly is that you don’t know everything. A “know it all” attitude will rub many people the wrong way, especially if you still have a lot of learning to do.
22. Rock Bottom Is Meant to Teach You Lessons
If you didn’t fall on hard times and get knocked down occasionally, then there would be no growth. It’s those seasons in your life when you’ve hit rock bottom where you grow and change to become a better person.
23. True Friendships Are Hard to Come By
If you find one true friend in life, then you’ve found a gem. A recent survey states that the average American has 16 friends. Now those friends can be from a mere acquaintances to someone you see every day.
However, if you find one true friend that sticks by your side through thick and thin, then you’ve found a gift.
24. Your First Love Probably Won’t Be Your Last
Though your first love feels like the real deal, it’s often not the person who will be with you for life. Puppy love usually occurs when there’s still a lot of growing up to do, and most people don’t marry their first love.
25. Nothing Is for Certain in Life
There are two things in this life that you can count on: death and taxes. Sadly, anything else is uncertain. Your life can do a 180-degree turn in a matter of minutes. It would help if you learned to roll with the punches to keep you from going mad.
Final Thoughts on Learning Lessons the Hard Way
Remember Frank Sinatra’s song that talks about how he did things his way? Well, sometimes doing things the way you want in life will cause you much pain. Everyone learns hard lessons as they age, but some of the worst problems you will encounter come when you’re being headstrong and won’t listen to sage advice.
Too many times, people wait for life’s storms to pass so that they can breathe again, but these hard lessons come to teach you something. Find out what the Universe is trying to tell you and embrace the ability to make changes to become a better you.
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