Throughout my life I have constantly been learning valuable and powerful lessons.

Every high has delivered with it a valuable lesson.

The mundane—however empty—also taught me lessons.

Lonely days carried the weight of achingly numerous lessons.

The stabs to my back penetrated painful but necessary lessons.

In every low, there was a lesson somewhere, however deep it may have been buried.

Love has taught me endlessly and I hope it continues to teach me all that it knows, until death do us part.

Friends, relationships, family members and strangers have all showed me much more than they will probably ever realize. None of them set out to teach me, but they were teaching and I was learning all the time.

I have learned lessons from the good, the bad and everything in between.

Unfortunately, I was caught up in firefighting situations to realize many of these lessons at the time. Therefore, the same lesson would be repeated to me, again and again.

This is possibly due to my own blind sightedness and refusal to accept what I was being shown. I accept—I have been unwilling to believe and open my eyes to things that were not always quite how they seemed.

The second, third and fourth time the lesson would present itself, it was always much more painful.

It would tear sharply at old wounds ripping deeper and further into me. My awareness also opened up to scold and ridicule me for being so foolish as to trip on the same small stepping-stones.

I am ready now, to grow, fly, roam further and take responsibility. Mostly, I will stop taking steps back each time I feel like I’m getting somewhere.

Therefore, the time has finally come, for me to stand tall, make a list of every lesson I have ever learned, be brave enough to square up to them and then very sweetly whisper the words that we are now done.

Lesson learned. Enough. No more. Tired bridges burned, new bridges to cross.

I have the valuable lesson, tucked safely in my backpack, I will not be seeking that path again—I will not be forgetting it. I won’t be excusing it and neither tint my eyes, so I mistake it for anything other than what it is.

Onwards, upwards and f*ck you very much, bittersweetly grateful, but never wishing to meet again.

One by one, I’ll carve the following lessons into my memory—so that the next time I’m confronted with it, I’ll cross the road far before I even get close.

Love doesn’t hurt. Lots of other emotions that surround love may hurt, but the emotion love is pure—it does not cause pain on its own. 

Expectations will eventually lead to disappointments.

Happiness is not found in money, people, possessions, property or places—it can only be found within. Nowhere else.

The less I own the better, the freer I am to travel, the less I’m bound by financial obligations, the less meaningless belongings I have cluttering my mind and my living space. Be free of attachment.

Words can disintegrate in a flash, but their memory can last for a lifetime.

Not everyone who smiles is on my side.

Dwelling on thoughts turns them to emotions. The longer the thought remains, the more powerful it becomes. Let thoughts enter, but quickly allow them to pass. I am in control of my emotions, not the other way around.

It is okay to be weak sometimes. It is okay to make mistakes and it is also okay to be wrong. I’m human and I’m not perfect.

Quickly accept, make amends, forgive myself and then let it go.

Trust only my intuition, when it’s not mixed with paranoia.

Before anyone can ever fully love me, I first need to learn to fully love myself.

I won’t ever be able to change the world. However, I can chip away at it along with millions of others who feel the same.

As soon as I master loneliness, days alone will become solitude, something my heart yearns for.

Sometimes those who are difficult to love are the ones who need love the most. Give love without expecting it to be returned.

Patience, patience and more patience is virtuous. Everything will happen at the time it is supposed to happen.

Every single person I come into contact with is a mirror, but only if I am willing to open my eyes to look at the reflection.

And with that, take time with everything. Eating, reading, engaging, breathing, let the nourishment seep in and remain.

All the answers, each and every one, can be found within.

Anxiety, fear and frustration are never found when we live in the present moment. They are either projections of the past, or the future.

Fear of rejection prevents limitless possibilities. Fear is debilitating, but regret is far worse.

Listen to all sides, then still make my own opinion, never be swayed by how others want me to think.

Holding onto anger also means holding on to regret, frustration, resentment and many other negative emotions. Forgive everything, start slowly and let everything go little by little. Remember the lessons it offered, forget everything else.

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” ~ George Carlin

People change, circumstances change, our perception changes—constantly.

Life cannot be predicted, what we hope for the future is just an illusion. Dreaming is powerful, but be prepared for many twists and bends.

However tough life gets, it is vital to keep going forward and never backward!

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But, it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But, you gotta be willing to take the hits and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!…But until you start believing in yourself. You ain’t gonna have a life. ~ Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

Karma actually is real—and she’s a b*tch!

Magic is also real. It’s everywhere. And is definitely not a b*tch.

Everyone is on their own unique path, never compare, criticize or judge.

When I look back, everything always makes sense.

And my final lesson:

Every lesson will be continuously on repeat until each one has finally been learned.

“Love is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

~

 Relephant read:

Date a Man Who Knows You are Magical.

Author: Alex Sandra Myles

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr