10 Truths I Wish I Knew Sooner

1. Life is not about you. This is the greatest lie that people contend with today. Most of us are egotistical and self-absorbed, but it’s nonetheless true that life comes to a point when you realize (hopefully) that life isn’t about you. It’s about your relationships and the people with whom you share them. The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself.
2. Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle.
3. It’s okay not to be okay. You don’t have to be happy all the time. Let your story unfold as it should; disappointment, grief, anxiety and all… in this beautiful, tragic, awful, and adventurous life.
4. Most of life is out of your control. So stop trying to control everything. Your power lies in your choices but you need to work on having faith in the little things. There is a difference in taking control of your life by pursuing things that interest you and learning when to let go and allow life to unfold for you as it should. Let things be. Let yourself be. Except everything as it is. Nothing more and nothing less.
5. Hard work beats talent any day, when talent refuses to work hard. Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God. Don’t let your gift go to waste or keep it all safe and wrapped up for yourself. That’s not only an injustice to yourself but also to the rest of the world and even to God! Talents and gifts are meant to be shared.
6. Ask for what you want. Didn’t your mother ever tell you if you don’t ask for what you want, you won’t get it? When you step out and speak about what you want, the world hears you, and the universe responds.
7. A good laugh and a long nap are the two best cures for any problem. Or as a kid once told me,  “Sometimes you just gotta take a nap and get over it.”
8.  Life becomes a lot easier when you learn to accept apologies you haven’t gotten. Folks, people are going to disappoint you and hurt your feelings. And some of these people will never feel bad about it. They might never even acknowledge it. You have to learn to forgive people even if you think they don’t deserve it. Forgiving someone does not say that what that person did was OK. It simply means you are no longer going to allow it to hold you hostage. Forgiveness heals you. 
9.  Care about what people think and you will always be their prisoner. The opinions of other people won’t define you unless you let them. There is nothing that anyone can say that will change who you are, unless you take it to heart and let it. So take people’s opinions for what they are- opinions. And don’t waste your time dwelling on them.
10. It’s a poor idea to lie to oneself. To lie to ourselves in the name of comfort is the ultimate mistake. Life decisions not based on reality are bound to be faulty. Be honest with yourself.