30 truths you need to hear

People are naturally geared to accept something that coincides with their current beliefs and to prove otherwise can be a serious and difficult battle. That’s why it’s incredibly important to be objective and instead of accepting what others say as truth or you get out and find out for yourself what that truth is. Coming face to face with realities that we may have been denying for years is by no means an easy thing to do. But there comes a point when these lies are no longer satisfactory, when you take a look at your life and realize that reality is far removed from the delusions you have created for yourself. You get fed up, and finally you decide to stop telling yourself lies and face reality head-on. Commit yourself to hearing some more good, hard advice, and living by it.

Below is a list of some hard things we all need to hear sometimes.

1. When you hear only what you want to hear, you are not really listening. Listen to what you don’t want to hear too.  That’s how you grow.

2. You often waste your time waiting for the ideal path to appear. But it never does.  Because you forget that paths are made by walking, not waiting.

3. You will never feel as confident as you want to feel. Stop believing that you should feel more confident before you take the next step.  Taking the next step is what builds your confidence.

4. Distractions will get the best of you if you let them. Study your routines, figure out where your time goes, and remove distractions.  You become a true master of your life when you learn how to master your focus—where your attention goes.

5. There’s a big difference between empty fatigue and gratifying exhaustion. Know the difference.  Life is too short.  Invest in the activities and relationships you deeply care about.  Value what you give your energy to.  Focus on what matters and let go of what does not.

6. Your needs matter. Do NOT ignore them.  At times you have to do what’s best for you and your life, not just what’s best for everyone else.  There’s absolutely nothing selfish about self-care and self-love.  We can’t give what we don’t have.  Enrich your life and you’ll be life-giving to others, too.

7. You don’t give yourself enough credit sometimes. Remember that time you thought you couldn’t make it through?  You did, and you’ll do it again.  Don’t let your challenges get the best of you.  Appreciate how far you’ve come. You’ve been through a lot, but you’ve grown a lot too.  Give yourself credit for your resilience.

8. Your response is always more powerful than your circumstance. A tiny part of your life is decided by completely uncontrollable circumstances, while the vast majority of your life is decided by your responses.  Where you ultimately end up is heavily dependent on how you play the hands you’ve been dealt.
9. Everything gets a bit uncomfortable when it’s time to change. That’s just a part of the growth process.  Things will get better.  Be patient.

10. Patience is not about waiting. Patience is the ability to keep a positive, focused attitude while working hard to move your life forward.

11. Mental strength is incredibly important, and easily overlooked. Go to environments that expand your mind.  Spend time with people who truly inspire you.  Read books.  Grow.  Get better.  Your life is your choice.

12. Sometimes it’s better to let go without closure. Actions and behavior speak volumes.  Trust the signs you were given and gracefully press on.

13. If you always play the victim, you will always be treated like one. Life isn’t fair.  But you don’t have to let the past define your future.  Try to take life day by day and be grateful for the little things.  Don’t get caught up in what you can’t control.

14. Life doesn’t always give you the circumstances you want. Life gives you the circumstances you need to learn, to grow, and to fall in love.

15. When you really pay attention, everyone and everything is your teacher. Take time to observe and listen.  Take time to learn something new.

16. Your hardest challenges will teach you your best lessons. There is an opportunity in every difficult situation to understand yourself more deeply, and also to improve your life.  Take one small step at a time.

17. The vast majority of your stress is self-inflicted. And the most powerful weapon you have against stress is your ability to choose one thought over another.  Learn to manage your thoughts, before your thoughts manage you.

18. Your mind will forever produce negative thoughts. So the goal isn’t to get rid of all your negative thoughts.  That’s impossible.  The goal is to change your response to them.  In fact, the strongest sign of your inner growth is realizing you’re no longer worried, stressed or pained by the things that once used to drain you.

19. Calmness is a superpower. The ability to not overreact or take things personally keeps your mind clear and your heart at peace.  Once you begin to value your inner peace over your need to react and be right, you will in fact experience more inner peace, and happiness.

20. You are holding on to things that hold you back. When things aren’t adding up in your life, begin subtracting.  Life gets a lot simpler when you clear the clutter that makes it complicated.  Not everything and everyone you lose is a loss.

21. You ignore your inner voice too often. Give yourself the space to listen to your own voice—your own soul.  Too many of us listen to the noise of the world and get lost in the crowd.

22. You often seek validation from the wrong sources. You will never find your worth in another human being—you will find it in yourself, and then you will attract those who are worthy of your energy.  So stop waiting for others to tell you how impressive you are.  Impress yourself.  Show yourself that you can grow and get better.  It’s never about competing with others.  In the end, it’s just you vs. you.

23. Forget popularity. Just do your thing with passion, humility, and honesty.  Do what you do, not for an applause, but because it’s what’s right.  Many of the kindest gestures you’ll ever make, and the most important things you’ll ever do, will never be seen publicly.  Do them anyway.

24. You have been impressed with some people for the wrong reasons. Be less impressed by money, titles, degrees, and looks.  Be more impressed by generosity, integrity, humility, and kindness.

25. People will not always tell you how they feel about you. But they will always show you.  Pay close attention.

26. Your expectations of others cause you unnecessary pain. Don’t lower your standards, but do remember that removing your expectations of others is the best way to avoid being disappointed by them.

27. Life is too short to argue and fight. Remember to be selective in your battles.  Peace can feel better than being right.  You don’t need to attend every argument you’re invited to.  Count your blessings, value the people who matter, and move on from the drama with your head held high.

28. You will gradually attract people that think and behave like you. If you want to be surrounded by positive people, you need to be positive too.  And the opposite is also true.  So do your best to surround yourself with people who push you to be your best.  Less drama—less mess.  Just higher vibrations and intentions.

29. Sometimes you subconsciously dehumanize people you disagree with. Be careful.  In our self-righteousness, we can easily become the very things we dislike in others.  Ultimately, the way we treat people we disagree with is a report card on what we’ve learned about love and compassion.  Every single person you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.  Know this.  Respect this.  And be extra kind.

30. Forgiveness is necessary for personal peace. Forgive others, not because they absolutely deserve forgiveness, but because you absolutely deserve peace.  Free yourself of the burden of being an eternal victim.