Elderly people are creatures with timeless pearls of invaluable wisdom.
And, living your life based on their pieces of wisdom is the best thing you could do.
#1. There Are No Alternatives for Hard Work
As the goes by the saying, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
In the cycle of life, mankind came to a point to strive in order to live. At that time, accomplishments and achievements were the results of dedicated hard work.
Hard work does not only mean waking up at 5 am in the morning to do some extra work or staying up late to revise.
If I could give my answer as a poem, it would have included lines like:
Hard work is about stepping out of your comfort zone,
Hard work is about pushing off your limits,
You’ll walk on a thorny path,
But, in the end, you’ll taste sweet success.
As much as I hear people talk about it, hard work is a mindset. Some might strive to do the best they can while others take pride in slacking off.
Today, you could say men’s obsession with success but refusal to pay the price has led to many grabbing hacks or shortcuts to climb the social ladder.
But, as said by a very wise person, “hard work is the only shortcut to success.”
#2. Always Make Time for Family
It’s no big secret that family is one of the most vital institutions in an individual’s life and plays a crucial role in shaping their personalities.
If I were to talk about the importance of family in my life, I’d say without my family, I would not have been alive today. Without them, I would have wandered aimlessly in life without a direction.
In all, family is not one important thing, but my everything.
Born in this world, our first human contact is with the immediate members of our family.
However, the fast pace of this modern world made us forget the importance of family.
I won’t deny the fact that there can be issues arising in families, but a golden and fundamental rule to remember is that no family is perfect. You just ought to appreciate what you have instead of resenting it.
The second rule is to understand that parents, siblings and children will have different scars and life experiences. But, differences doesn’t mean you always have to fight.
#3. Never Go to Bed Angry
I’ve been hearing this since I was seven years old.
Growing up, I’ve never really paid any attention to this one.
But, pal, no matter how unimportant this might sound like, trust me, there’s nothing worse than going to bed angry with your partner or any of your family members.
I don’t want to scare you but I know a few people who died in their sleep and never got a second chance to say “sorry.”
You never know, tomorrow may never come.
#4. Never Stop Learning
We’ve all heard how education is a never-ending process that starts at birth and ends with death.
Well, indeed the key to insatiable wisdom is to learn, learn and learn till you end up in a tomb.
#5. Be Kind to Others and to Yourself
Growing up with a very compassionate and kind mom and dad, the word “kind”, I guess, imprinted itself on me.
Not that I want to brag about it, but I can’t stop myself from acting kind, polite and gentle with people.
Which is why I often get this question: What do you get from being kind?
Many would say nothing. But, I’d like to say happiness.
Strangely, hurting someone or saying something in anger can sometimes make you feel so bad, even worse when you are on the other side of the harm.
Today, the threshold of humans may be determined to consume all goodness of this world, but if you stand firm in your principle and be good to all, your reward is greater than what you can imagine.
How about sharing one piece of advice with us that may have been conveyed to you through your grandparents?