Lessons Life Taught Me That No School Ever Could
When I was growing up as a student, I was taught the
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers. I was taught the alphabet, conjunctions, nouns, and reading. We go to school to learn formulas,
grammar, and theories, but has it ever occurred to you that the most important
life lessons were never taught in the classroom? When life begins to take its turns in a person's life, that is where one awakens to the call that life is
sometimes the greatest teacher.
As I have grown, I have learned that while education in the
classroom shapes a person's mind, the situations in life come to shape the
heart of a person. I realized that school has given me knowledge, and life has given me wisdom. So today, let me share with you, briefly, some of the lessons that
life taught me that no school ever could.
1. People Change, and That’s Okay
One of the first and foremost truths I had to accept as a
life lesson is that people change, and to me, that’s okay, though it does hurt
sometimes. You have to come to accept the reality that people don’t stay the
same. The people who were once very close to us grow apart, their priorities
shift, and sometimes the individuals around us, whom we consider our biggest
supporters, are nowhere to be found.
I remember my years in school when Sir Ahmed kept telling
us to make friends and make the right ones. But while I was taught this in
school, I was never taught how to let go of them gradually. Life taught me that
change doesn’t always mean you are losing something, but rather an opportunity
for me to improve myself. While we grow, our friends will grow, and as a
natural part of us, we are meant to change to find out who we really are. I know
it is very hard for some people because I have encountered such feelings myself, but one has to learn to accept those changes without bitterness. Life has
taught me the very lesson that people change, and as they change, so will I also
change, and that shouldn’t be a big deal.
2. Failure Isn’t the End, but It Is a Beginning
Let me take you back to my years in school, where I was laughed at because I couldn’t speak English words properly. If I am not mistaken, you
have equally witnessed how sometimes our friends are mocked and teased, and
funny how sometimes we are part of that group mocking.
In school, failure feels like something you should be ashamed
of. One of the triggers of these feelings is when you get a bad grade. It makes you
feel like you are not good enough, but in life, it doesn’t work out that way. In
life, failure is that very thing that leads to success. Failure in life humbles
you and teaches you to learn to push on. It teaches you not to give up. School
will hand out reports to you, but life hands out lessons. Failure in a person's life
makes them wiser, and this time to start over again, but carefully.
3. Money Can’t Buy Peace of Mind and Happiness
I always had the thought that every rich man was extremely
happy, but later realized that was a fallacy. There were moments I had money
myself, but I wasn’t as happy as compared to days when I was low on cash.
This is vice versa, but I just want to let you know that one lesson life taught
me was that money doesn’t buy happiness. When I watched the cartoon Trolls some
years back, there was a part that has stuck in my head even till this day.
It said “Happiness comes from within”.
Having the thoughts that happiness comes with all the good
jobs, nice cars, and big houses is not entirely true. As I grew older, I
realized that peace of mind is priceless. Money can buy comfort but not peace.
True peace, as I know it, comes from living within your means and being grateful
for who you are.
4. Not Everyone Will Like You, and that, too, is perfectly fine.
In school, we often tried our very best to fit in. We just
want to be accepted, we just want to belong and be like everyone else. But life
teaches you that trying to please everyone only steals your joy.
The thing is, no matter how good you are or kind you are, some people will simply not like you, and you do not have to blame yourself
because it isn’t your fault at all. The right people in your life will see your
value without you having to try so hard, but the wrong ones will always
misunderstand you, even if you do everything right.
5. Time Is Precious
Life always reminded me that the time I lose is one I can’t
regain once it is lost. Time with loved ones matters and is more valuable than
material things. So, as an individual, you must cherish time and make judicious use of it instead of wasting it.
6. Life Rewards Those Who Keep Going
If you ask me which is the greatest lesson life has
taught me, I will say it is the lesson of consistency. I learned from my
experience in life that rewards come to
those who do not give up but rather keep going. Every challenge and setback in
life brought me the opportunity to try over and over again. If nobody is there
to encourage you, you just have to encourage yourself, rise above the deep
waters that trouble you, and overcome your fears of failing. Do not be risky, be
cautious, careful, and consistent.
7. Not To Compare Myself to Others
I always had the feeling that I was being left behind and
all my friends were moving on, but I felt stuck. behind. Life taught me it was
not necessary to compare myself to others. Life taught me to take my own path and
find my own joy. And that was exactly what I did all these years.
Closing
No school could ever teach me the lessons life has taught me, and I know, as you have read this, there are lessons life is teaching you that
no one is teaching you. It is just to make you smarter and wiser. There is no need to give up on yourself; all you have to do is allow life to shape you in
the best ways possible.
