What has life taught you?

[Lifelessonstoremember]

My life hasn't gone the way I hoped it would.

What have you learned about life - how to manage suffering and how to be happy?

Don't give up your job, income, savings, pension, to look after a man's house and children - you're an unpaid servant, aka a slave held in servitude by a misplaced sense of loyalty

Absolutely this.

100% this.

That grief and pain can live alongside joy and beauty. Nearly 10 years since my eldest son died. The pain is an undercurrent of my forever. But I love fiercely, laugh often, live as best I can, but cry more than most know.

That I am stronger than I thought.

It has taught me that you can't trust anyone.

It has taught me that you don't get back what you put out, there is no such thing as karma.

It has mainly taught me that without strong Christian values and old fashioned social etiquette expected to be abided by, most people are only self invested without a care for anyone else's pain or happiness.

I don't know if 'are you ok day' is a global initiative (I'm Australian), but I find it hard to comprehend that society now needs to be reminded on one day of the year, to have a think about checking in to see how others are.

Everything ends. The good and the bad. Enjoy the good when it is here and navigate the bad as best you can, knowing both will end eventually.

That wonderful things can happen at the most unexpected times, so hang on in there.

I was very lovely, worn down and quite depressed at 35, having dedicated a huge portion of my life to teaching. I left, walked through the door of the office for my new job, and met a woman who is now a lifelong best friend.

You really never know what lies ahead.

Only spend time with people who add value to your life

Agree with the poster above that good things are waiting around the corner we just have to be patient and put ourselves in better situations when we are feeling lost and low.

Also know what you will and won't accept in friendships and relationships, eg I've had a cull of friendships since covid - sounds dramatic but it's sort of happened naturally, I used to be an overgiver and put myself last and I stopped trying to stay in touch with certain friends to see if they would, and they didn't. I digress, my friendships now have to be two way and pretty evenly balanced in a way they weren't always in the past and my relationship with my dh, I can now accept him being a workaholic but I make it work for me now and have a cleaner, buy in cooked food regularly etc, use the after school club now, basically do whatever I can to make my life / work balance easier and helps me cope with running things mainly on my own.

Also I regularly treat myself to bits I want without any guilt these days - I work hard, we can afford it and I enjoy it! And take the kids out regularly now too.

Don’t expect too much, and you’ll be less disappointed. Count your blessings, don’t take them, however small, for granted. Value good health.

For me life has taught me that success doesn't equal money or owning things. And happiness is a choice. I've been neglected by parents, over of whom knew about me being abused and raised as a teen but did nothing. I've been beaten and raped by my first kids dad. I've been diagnosed with a myriad of health issues and very serious mental health problems. I've had serious drug addictions and I left school with no GCSEs.

But none of that really matters. I made the choice to have therapy. I chose to try to be happy instead of bitter like my mother. I take responsibility. I see beauty and happiness in the tiniest of things whether it's a tiny flower growing in a crack or my rescue dogs eyes, still trusting people despite her own experiences. I've spent 3-4 months in weekly therapy every year for 19 years now and since then I've gone on to get a degree, a masters, raise 4 children, and to choose happiness. And I succeed in about 98% of situations.

@minmooch I was going to write almost the same thing.

That is life short. Make the most of it when you can. And if you experience the unthinkable, you can create the best from the rest of your life. Nearly 5 years since dd and whilst I have sad days, my life has grown around my grief.

The only person you can truly trust is YOU.

Make sure the only person you rely on financially is yourself. Always.

Make sure you grab every training opportunity so that you always have the foundations to earn.

Life is like the windscreen of a car. A big expanse of glass looking forward, but also a much smaller piece where you can see what's behind you. Life should be approached in the same proportion. Be aware of what you've passed, but look mainly forward.

Karma is NOT a thing.

The only thing you should ever aim for in life is to be happy.

Never to listen to the first story you are told. There are two sides to every story. The truth is in the middle - every time 👍