Whether from our own experiences or observations, life holds countless lessons. If we don’t learn them we will remain forever within the same boundaries. We will not grow, improve and excel.

I’m a fan of Oprah’s “What I know for Sure” column in her O magazine? She celebrated the idea by telling the story behind it and sharing 20 things she knows for sure. I write often about life lessons, so I was inspired to identify and pen my own list of lessons I’ve learned from the experiences and observations in my own life.

Life lessons come with every life experience whether good or bad. They are also flavoured by our spiritual beliefs, observations and conversations we’ve had. Some of the things we know for sure, as Oprah calls them, we learned from family members, old and new friends and even our enemies. Our present view of life and how we approach it is often born out of lessons we have learned and hold close to our heart. They are sometimes gleaned from other people’s experiences. We see their pain and suffering, their joys, successes and failures and we come away with lessons that teach us to think and act differently.

Contrary to what you might think, you don’t have to be old to recall life lessons. However, if you have difficulty naming some, start with who you are today, your accomplishments, your regrets, your blessings, your dreams. When you think of the years you’ve lived already and all that you have done, said, heard, seen and encountered, you can be sure that you have lessons tucked away. Maybe you never took the time to acknowledge them, understand them and live by them.

Here’s my list of life lessons:

1. How you grew up is not an indicator of who you are, what you want or how you approach life
2. People will always try to control you if you let them
3. All your life you must fight to be who you really are
4. Your passion for your dream is enough motivation to do everything in your power to accomplish it and live it enthusiastically
5. Every circumstance in your life comes with lessons. It is up to you to find them in the fold of pain, anguish, grief and heartache, learn them and live them.
6. People are generally hostile to your dream. So don’t be too liberal in revealing it. Guard it well; keep it close to your heart.
7. You can’t escape being like your parents in some respects, no matter what
8. God is in control of all that happens in my life. He allows me the freedom to make decisions and choices. They may be good or bad. But in the end, He will have His way in my life, one way or another. He is God.
9. To a large extent, my parents are responsible for how I view myself. It is true that the view is not always conducive to self-confidence, but therein lies my inspiration to find and be the best I can be.
10. Everybody is afraid of something and that fear, no matter how hard we work to rid ourselves of it, the thing we fear follows us throughout our lives. The key to living well and fully is to learn how to not let our fears dictate how far we travel on life’s highway, how high we fly in pursuit of our dreams and how deeply we love.
11. The good old days will never return, no matter how hard we wish for them. Instead, we can recall, regain and recapture the good feelings, the simplicity and the hopefulness and make them a part of our todays.
12. God may not always be your first option but He will always be the best option in any situation
13. Regardless how lost and alone you feel you are not. If you are willing to cut short the pity-party, you can always find a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, a hand to hold and a heart to care.
14. Each one of us has a gift or two or three. We must each identify our gift and coax it out into the open. We must vigorously fan its flames until it burns bright and the sparks of its fire shoot forth and not only enhance our lives but the lives of other people.
15. Harbouring regrets is a tiresome way to live and a waste of our short life span. Since many of our regrets cannot be reversed, we should leave them where they belong, in the past and turn our attention to the lessons we’ve learned and use them to make positive changes in our lives today.
16. Dreams come with strings attached: hard work, focus, determination, persistence, sacrifice, compromise and passion
17. An attitude of gratitude creates a culture of contentment
18. It is in the enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures that we find life’s greatest joys
19. The desire for more, faster and bigger is a major contributor to the stress in our lives
20. Nothing impacts our lives more positively than the habit of regular periods of solitude and stillness to commune with God, evaluate our lives, understand our emotions, and connect with our dreams

The lessons we learn during the course of our lives can be the catalyst for some of our most significant decisions. That has been my experience and I hope that by sharing my life lessons, you are inspired to identify and share your own.