Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and employ what I know now.

Maybe I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes. Maybe my mistakes would have been fewer.

Regret is a wound that never heals—because we can’t go back in time and change what transpired.

Although our lives might appear to be perfect without mistakes, we are meant to make them. Through my mistakes and regrets, I’ve become a wiser person.

Now I know how to differentiate between what’s right and what’s wrong. I know how to evaluate my pain and my happiness.

I’m no expert in life (or love), but I will share with you 10 things I have learned the hard way:

1. Choose your friends wisely. Choose those who listen, who give selfless advice, who help out in tough situations, and who give without expecting something in return. Choose the ones whom you will find next to you when you need them the most.
 
2. Don’t trust anyone 100 percent. No matter how much you feel you can trust someone, never grant them your full trust easily. Leave space for the unknown because people are unpredictable. Expect that no matter how much someone loves you, you never know how or when they might betray you.

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3. Be kind—but with boundaries. To be human is a wonderful gift. We must help others and give them our time and attention, but we should never give more than we can handle. I’ve lost a great part of my life trying to fix other people when I was the one who needed attention and fixing.

4. Never show your weaknesses. Simply because some people will use them against you. Know who to be vulnerable with.

5. Don’t give up on love easily. If you meet someone who loves you for who you are and you feel happy and at peace around them, don’t easily give up on them. Love is worth fighting for.

6. Emotions change. Betrayal hurts, but maybe if we are aware that emotions change, we might accept that some people might change, hurt us, or betray us.

7. Be your own master. Grab your freedom with both hands and don’t let anyone take it away from you. Take other people’s advice, but at the end of the day, listen to your own intuition.

8. Love yourself. The love we have for other people shouldn’t overshadow the love we have for ourselves. Love who you are the same way you’d love someone else and give yourself the time you’d limitlessly give other people. People leave, but you, you are staying for a long time in your own life.

9. Stay away from people who bring you negativity and sadness. Give chances, but know when to stop. Your own comfort comes first.

10. Don’t undervalue karma. Many times in life, we might find ourselves hurt and with no closure. The ugly news is that we might never get the closure we want, but the good news is that karma is real.

I’ve learned a lot from my experiences and my mistakes, but I always remind myself that I can always do better.

The past is gone, but today is here, and I’m willing to put all these lessons into practice.

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