Everyone has some kind of guiding principle or mantra for their life. Whether their life is driven by religion, some other greater power, family, or anything else, something shapes people into who they are and how they live their lives. These are all lessons I’ve learned throughout my life and variations of words I’ve heard said by others, but these principles are some of those that help me live my life the way I do. Let’s get into it.
Perspective is everything.
A few weeks ago, it was snowing really hard in Boulder, and I hate the cold, so I was really upset about it. I was complaining about it on the phone with my dad and he said, “Well, you can’t change the fact that it’s snowing, but you can change how you look at it,” and he is so right. I think that this applies not only to bad weather conditions but also to most bad situations in life. Obviously, there are some truly terrible situations, like the Ukrainian-Russian war, but in most bad circumstances, it is possible to change your outlook. This has helped me tremendously in being an overall happier person because while I could be sad and mope around in my room all day if I am upset about something, I would rather just take some deep breaths and change my perspective.
Trust the Universe.
I know this isn’t for everybody, but especially in the last year, I’ve learned to be a bit more flexible with the direction in which life takes me. Trust me, I am the type of person who likes to plan and know everything, but as we’ve all learned since Covid, that is just simply not possible. So, I started trusting the Universe and believing that it will ultimately guide me toward what I need, and away from what I don’t need. It helps me to think that there is a greater power of some sort out there that has my best interests at heart.
If it’s yours, you can’t lose it.
This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the previous advice, but this is something that has helped me change my outlook on life. It helps me feel more at ease when something doesn’t go the way I imagined, and that happens more often than not. I am a firm believer that what is meant to be will be, so if something slipped away from me recently and it’s meant to be in my life, I know that it will be back when the time is right. This applies to anything from significant others, to job offers, to everything in between.
It’s better to arrive late than to arrive ugly.
Finally, for some comedic relief, it is indeed better to arrive late than to arrive ugly. I love this quote so much, and I am someone who hates being late, but it happens to the best of us. So, if you’re going to show up late, at least look cute while doing it. I say if you’re already running late, you might as well take your time and show up more glamorous than you thought you would.
While these don’t have to be words that you live by, they are words that I live by and that help me every day. I’m excited about all the lessons that life still has in store for me, and it will be interesting to see the principles that will guide my life in the future.