36 Life Lessons to Instantly Transform Your Life & Draw In Happiness

Don’t you wish we didn’t have to learn the hard way… and that there was a manual we could read? Well, here are all the life lessons to help you with life.

The magical thing about life is that you learn something new every day. Some of these life lessons you learn are small. And some others, well, they can help you change your life forever. With every failure or heartbreak that you experience, there’s a lesson to learn from it.

Most of us are so distraught by the failures of everyday life, that we fail to see the bright side of our own failures.

Well, how can a failure ever have a bright side, you may ask. But if you think deeper, every moment of pain, suffering, or ecstatic happiness always leaves you with something to learn.

From the first time you burnt your finger on a flame to your last romance, every moment has taught you something new that you won’t forget easily.

[Read: 25 steps to find your step and change your attitude when you feel like giving up on life]

The most important life lessons from everyday life you should remember

While there may be many lessons that you’ve learned every day in your life, in all probability, you would have forgotten most of them as soon as the moment passes.

And when you forget an important lesson in life, it has a way of coming right back into your life to teach you the same lesson all over again, until you don’t ever forget it.

But will you learn from that lesson? Or will you get distracted and overlook the lessons each time?

A lesson well learned can help you in every aspect of your life. It can help you be more successful, more wary, and most importantly, more happy.

But if you want a list of great lessons that can truly help you change your life for the better, here are the real life lessons that you always need to remember.

[Read: How to start a new life – 20 must-do steps to leave toxicity behind]

Keep these 36 lessons in mind, and really, you won’t be the one looking back at your life many years from now, and wondering ‘what if…?’

1. Trust your instincts

Your instincts don’t always involve a sixth sense. Sometimes, it’s your subconscious mind that picks signs your conscious mind can’t see.

So, if you feel like something’s not right, big chances are, your subconscious mind has learned a few lessons from previous experiences that can help you make a better judgment in that moment. [Read: How to listen to your gut and give strength to your inner voice]

2. Your life is nothing but a collection of memories

One of the things that constantly bother older people is the fact that they believe they haven’t achieved enough in life. Very few people ever feel like they’ve achieved everything they wanted to before they have to move on.

Time flies and you won’t even know it. After all, time doesn’t stop for anyone. So instead of wasting away your years staring at a big bucket list and waiting for the perfect life, create yearly milestones and try to pursue everything you want, be it in love or in life.

If you looked back at your life so far and feel like you’ve achieved nothing of significance yet, you’ll feel the same way many decades later too. [Read: How to find your meaning when life feels completely meaningless]

3. Coincidences happen all the time

Successful and happy people are extremely lucky people. Somehow, happy coincidences cross their path all the time.

And you know what, you can have all those coincidences too. But a coincidence means nothing unless you’re prepared for it.

Work towards your happiness with determination. When you’re ready for it, your personal lucky coincidence will cross your path sooner than you think. [Read: How to take that first step and be successful in life]

4. Relationships are a barter system

This may seem difficult to digest, but every single relationship in your mortal life is a barter of give and take. Even unconditional love will fade if it’s not reciprocated over time.

If you give, you will receive. If you receive, you need to give. If that balance shifts, you’ll experience unhappiness. This is one of the most important life lessons. [Read: 15 signs of a taker in a relationship – Are you a giver or a taker?]

5. It’s very easy to give your heart away

Giving a piece of your heart away by loving someone is very easy and effortless. But if the person you love doesn’t care about that piece of your heart you’ve given or doesn’t want it, you’d get hurt pretty badly.

Don’t waste your thoughts and time on someone who doesn’t make you happy. Take time to fall in love and protect your heart. [Read: All the reasons why saying ‘I love you’ too soon sucks!]

6. No person is good or bad

Humans aren’t good or bad. It’s only your perspective that makes a person good or bad.

Even a really good person could turn out to be your worst enemy. And even your worst enemy has their own best friends. So don’t be judgmental when someone opposes you, learn to think from their perspective.

7. Persistence is courageous

But even the boldest person should know when to give up. Always remember that giving up is never a bad thing, just as long as you know you’ve tried your best.

8. Hard work is good, smart work is better

A farmer could use his hands to dig his field and he may take a year to complete it even if he works from dawn to dusk every day. But by using a plowing machine, he could probably do the same job in a day.

Hard work pays all the time, no matter what you do. But smart work always beats hard work hands down. [Read: How to stop glorifying being busy and start living instead]

9. Enjoy your present

It’s the little moments you experience every day that come together to make your life. But don’t forget to plan your daily activities keeping your future in mind. [Read: How to stop being jealous of someone else’s success]

10. Positive thinking is happiness

Another one of the most important life lessons is that positive thinking makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you feel more confident and gives you the strength to face any hurdle in life.

As long as you fill your mind with positivity, it will help you achieve your dreams and will keep you happy every day.

11. Negative thinking will make you a failure

A person who fills their mind with nothing but negative thoughts will never be happy, because they’re too obsessed with thoughts about how bad the world is.

When you think about someone or something with negativity, it drains your energy and fills you with negativity, which will repel happy people away from you.

And most importantly, you need to remember that the grudge, anger, or hate you hold against someone will never affect that person. It will only affect you and hurt you. [Read: How to know if your negative thinking is ruining your life]

12. It’s never the end of the world

Here’s a life lesson you shouldn’t forget. It’s never too late to start afresh, and it’s never too late to be what you might have been.

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed or how deep in the pits you are today. All it takes is the determination and the effort to put one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you’ll be exactly where you want to be.

13. Don’t worry

Worrying about something over which you have no control will never help you. Remember this line, worry is interest paid on trouble before it’s due.

It doesn’t matter whether you worry or not, when something has to happen, it will. So, will you worrying about something change the outcome? Of course not! So really, why are you worrying?

14. Accept failure

A big life lesson you need to learn is to learn to accept failure now and then. Failure doesn’t make you weak, in fact, it helps you understand the reasons behind your failure better.

Every time you fail, try to learn something from it so you never repeat the same mistake ever again.

The stronger the breeze, the mightier the oak becomes. When you experience failure, your success will taste sweeter. After all, you can’t appreciate true happiness until you have known sadness, can you? [Read: How to be perfect in everything you do and lead a fulfilling life]

15. Be happy in your life

Of all the life lessons, this one makes the most sense, right? There are many of us who are tireless naggers. Do you find yourself feeling miserable no matter what you do?

Learn to appreciate life and try to be happy with what you have, because there are many others who are less fortunate than you.

Sometimes, it takes losing something to truly understand how special it was to you. Don’t learn that from a failed experience because it can hurt a lot. Instead, learn it by looking all around you. When you realize how lucky you are, you’ll be thankful for what you have and lead a happier life. [Read: 20 things to be grateful for you probably don’t appreciate right now]

16. Arguments and relationships

Immature people always want to win an argument even at the cost of a relationship. Mature people understand that it’s always better to lose an argument and win a relationship.

You may not realize this, but arguments are constructive only when it ends with a better understanding of each other’s minds. Winning counts for nothing, because you’d only make the other person feel more hurt or angry. [Read: How to fight fair in a relationship and grow closer]

17. The world is not unfair

If you think the world is unfair to you alone, then you’re a coward and a liar. It’s easy to look for excuses to dwell in your misery, and avoid moving on in your life.

When you’re pushed to a corner, learn to push back and make your own space. Crap happens all the time, but what you do to move on makes all the difference between a strong-minded person and a weak one.

18. Money isn’t everything

Your pursuit of wealth and material happiness can definitely give you pleasure. But at the end of the day, relationships and inner satisfaction will give you more meaning to life than a fat bank balance. Ask a billionaire that question and they’ll say the same thing.

What kind of a paycheck do you think you need to experience financial freedom and happiness? Plan your life and work towards that goal.

If you can do better than that, well, good for you. But when you achieve that monetary figure, instead of devoting your life to earning more, focus on your relationships. [Read: What should I do with my life to make it better?]

19. Life is no fun unless you take chances

A life without a bit of risk isn’t a life worth living. Everyone needs a bit of madness to feel alive now and then.

You can’t go through life protecting yourself from everything just because you’re afraid of getting hurt. Sometimes, break free from your routine. It’ll give you more happiness than you think.

20. You will never ever be satisfied in life

This is a life lesson you need to keep in mind because this is one you’ll forget most easily. As humans, we’re greedy and always want more, no matter what we already have.

If you truly want to feel satisfied in life, don’t let monetary goals define your life’s successes. Instead, focus on happy moments and the experiences you’ve had. [Read: How to get a life – 20 things you must do to feel alive again]

21. Love yourself

If you hate yourself or feel like you’re no good, you’ll never truly achieve your true potential in your life. Don’t ever try to be someone you’re not, just to fit in.

Instead, work on your perceived flaws and be the best person you can be. When you love yourself, you’ll feel more confident about yourself and your abilities. [Read: 34 tips to love yourself and become a much better you]

22. Your future is in your hands alone

This is a life lesson that should be ingrained deep within you. You control your own future. And what you do today can change your future forever.

Living each day like it’s your last may not be the best way to plan your future. Instead, make each day in your life feel like an achievement. You’ll achieve satisfaction and greatness in your life only when you make each day in your life count for something valuable.

23. Make a decision

Procrastination and postponing a decision will only make your life more worrisome and troubled. Remember, there are just two choices in every obstacle or confusion you face in life. You can either walk away, or you can pursue on.

So instead of letting your worries mount up and distract you all the time, make up your mind and move on with a firm decision.

24. Don’t ever blame another person

When you put the blame on someone else even though you were involved in the failure, you’re only limiting your own growth, especially in relationships.

Learn to accept failure and mistakes gracefully instead of arguing about it. No matter what happens, you always have a part to play, and there’s always a lesson to learn. [Read: How to stop lying to yourself and others around you]

25. Expectations can get you into trouble

When you have expectations of how life will go, or of how other people will behave, you will never be happy. When you just go with the flow of life and adjust to whatever it throws your way, you will be much happier.

26. What is… is

Of all the lessons in life, this might be close to number one. There are just some things in life that we can’t control. You have to pay taxes… that’s what is. People pass away… that’s what is. People won’t act the way you want them to… that’s what is.

What this means is that we shouldn’t stress over what we can’t control. Some things in life are simply just the way they are. No amount of effort to change it will help.

So, that leaves you with two choices: accept what is and be happy, or fight against what is and be miserable.

27. Stop caring what other people think

Most people do care about what other people think – at least to some degree. And that’s good on some level because it keeps people from hurting others.

But if your need for the approval of other people is overwhelming to you, stop caring. Do what you want, because you can’t please everyone. [Read: How to stop caring – 20 steps on how to not care and put yourself first]

28. Don’t have “unacceptables”

Let’s face it – other people bug us. They don’t behave the way we do, or the way we want them to. And so, as a result, many of us have a long list of “unacceptables.”

For example, maybe you think it’s necessary to fold laundry right away, but your partner doesn’t. And that’s “unacceptable” to you. But your partner doesn’t see any problem with this. So, who are you to impose YOUR list of unacceptable on other people? You really shouldn’t. They are not you, and you are not them.

29. Uncertainty breeds opportunity

Uncertainty in life can be scary. You don’t know what to expect or where your life is going.

Let’s say you just broke up with someone you thought you were going to marry. You can be fearful of the uncertainty, or you can see it as an opportunity to meet your perfect match *which was not them*.

30. Put your partner’s needs at least equal to – if not before – your own

In a romantic relationship, you can’t be selfish. You have to consider your partner’s needs too, not just your own. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people don’t know this.

If you don’t do this, they will grow resentful of you. [Read: 15 rules to be a good partner in a relationship and wow your lover]

31. Relationships are like plants

If you don’t water and tend to plants, what happens? They die. And so do relationships if you don’t nurture them.

You can’t expect to neglect a relationship and expect it to thrive. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t be lazy – you have to put effort into relationships.

32. Have empathy for others

One of the root problems in relationships – and in life – is that a lot of people have a lack of empathy for others. But you have to try to see things from their point of view, even if you don’t agree with them. You want the same for you, right? [Read: How to be more empathetic and 16 ways to make anyone feel understood]

33. Don’t try to change other people

Maybe you’re dating a person who is an introvert, but you are an extrovert and it bothers you because they are a homebody. Well, you can’t change that, so don’t even try. They are who they are.

Either accept them for who they are, or break up with them. Trying to change someone is not only impossible, but it’s also exhausting to even try.

34. Forgive others

Many people think that forgiving someone is something nice you do for them. And that forgiveness means that you condone what you are forgiving them for.

But forgiveness should be something you do for yourself. Let go of that negative energy and feel better. [Read: How to forgive someone – 15 positive ways to unburden your mind and life]

35. Viewpoint is everything

We all know that it is inevitable that life will suck sometimes. Bad things happen to almost everyone. So, you can’t change that.

But what you can change is how you view what happens to you. You can turn something negative into a positive just by reframing your thoughts.

36. Have principles in life

This is the most important lesson in life that you need to learn. Your principles in life give you your identity and define who you are. Sometimes, it’s easy to be judgmental or do something you’ll regret later.

You may even cheat a friend or take advantage of someone else’s misfortune, and as thrilling as the idea may be at that moment, you may feel bad about what you did when the excitement dies down.

That’s where setting clear principles in life can make all the difference. When you have set principles and rules about what you feel is morally right and wrong, and follow them in everything you do, it’ll make you a better human being and give you a clean conscience.

Just remember to be just in your principles though, and understand that the rules that you apply for everyone else around you have to be followed by you too.

[Read: What am I doing with my life? 23 ways to start living with absolutely no worries]

Experience is the best teacher of important lessons in life. But if you keep these life lessons in mind and use them every day, you can avoid the pain of bitter experiences and lead a happier and more fulfilling life sooner than you think.

The post 36 Life Lessons to Instantly Transform Your Life & Draw In Happiness is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.