27 Life Lessons in 27 Fabulous Years

27 Life Lessons in 27 Fabulous¹ Years

 Age is a state of mind. It is said that “if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”.

Yet when I recently turned 27, a desire to stop for a moment crept in. “In almost three decades,” I thought to myself, “What is it that I have done and what is it that I wished to do instead?”

Though I’m not sure as to what my impact has been in this world, I decided² to see how the world has impacted me instead. We spend our lives trying to learn, grasping as much knowledge as we can to get ahead of the game. We learn from the brave and from the cowardly, the rich and the not-so-rich, the greedy and the selfless.

So it made me wonder:

“What is it that I’ve learned in these short but fabulous years and which thoughts would I like to keep close to my heart forever?”

Here are 27 of my most valuable learnings that have given meaning to my life:

Make friends slowly…and then never let them go.

Meditate³ every day; sometimes even your mind needs a break from you.

Play hard even if it means scraping your knees, how else will the world know that you’ve had a hell of a time?

Be open to making mistakes and learn to take criticism constructively⁴. The more you let the ego⁵ win, the slower your path to success will be.

Let yourself dream and the magic of sleepless⁶ nights will unveil itself.

If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all; most of the worries of the world are simply the consequences of ill-spoken words.

Accept yourself the way you are – the perfect you and the not-so-perfect you can co-exist in perfect harmony.

Don’t overlook the flawless today in the hopes for a perfect tomorrow.

Magic exists within each of us, all it needs, is to be acknowledged and believed in to come to life.

Accept your mistakes and say “I’m sorry” – for all you know, some might wait a lifetime just to have you back.

The only way to fight evil is to wrap it with love, just like only water can tame a blazing fire.

Learn to live in the moment, it’s all you’ve got and all you’ll ever have.

The process of finding and living your passion can be frustrating⁷, tempting⁸ you to give up – but remember, sometimes it is about having the satisfaction that you tried your best rather than the regret of not giving it just one more chance.

Dare yourself. The comfort zone may be comfortable but it is also very restrictive.

Let go of your ego, it only poisons your heart.

Count your blessings⁹; gratitude¹⁰ helps keep your feet on the ground as the mind dreams of conquering the sky.

Believe in yourself and take the leap of faith; it’s never too late to start being who you’ve always wanted to be.

Love needs to be set free like the passing wind. The more you try to hold on to it, the faster it will escape you. Stop seeking it and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that it’s always been around and always will be.

Take care of yourself; it’s the most valuable present you can give your loved ones.

Don’t avoid the garden sprinklers, they won’t blemish¹¹ your dress but add a sparkle to it instead.

I love you – when was the last time you said it?

Listen, respect and be considerate of the elderly – their unconditional¹² love and intricate life experiences are where the treasures of the world are hidden.

Laugh more often; let your vibrant¹³ smile tell your fabulous story.

Write everyday – it’s the most effective way to get clarity on your thoughts and overcome your inner critique.

Curiosity is the youthfulness of the mind, never get complacent¹⁴ and you will be young forever.

Life is not a race and its the journey that matters – irrespective of how far you’ve gone on the wrong path, quit, and start over.

Don’t let society bully¹⁵ you away from your hearts calling. Believe in yourself, follow your instincts and create the path you wish to travel.

So, what life lessons are close to your heart? Let me know in the comments.

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

4 constructively   

ad.有益的，积极的

参考例句：

• Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom. 如此富有意义地利用业余时间来进行收藏，会使人怡然自得，无暇烦恼。
• The HKSAR will continue to participate constructively in these activities. 香港会继续积极参与这些活动。

5 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

6 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

7 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

9 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

11 blemish   

v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点

参考例句：

• The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

12 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

13 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

14 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

15 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。