Welcome back, readers! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of 'Ashley's Life Lessons'. I also hope you are ready for more gems of life-changing advice. Here are the top ten things I've learned in my twenty-five years on earth!
1. You can’t please everyone. More often than not,
you can’t please anyone. Thus, if you’re going to try to please someone, let it
be yourself. It’s the only way you’ll achieve any semblance of peace while
maintaining your dignity.
2. Art will never be overrated. Literature, film,
theatre, painting, photography, dance, music, haute cuisine, fashion: these
things may not have a quantifiable utilitarian purpose – making them so easy
for governments to overlook and, often, trivialise – but they are the elements
outside the rational, narrow-sighted focus of our day-to-day lives which enrich
the world and make it a better and more beautiful place to exist. Art has power
in social commentary, unifying force, and creative outlet, and as long as
people feel the need to express themselves it will never disappear.
3. Being
classy may not get you attention right away, but it leaves a lasting
impression. Obviously you can get attention quickly by telling crude jokes,
speaking obnoxiously loudly, laughing at the top of your voice, or performing
stupid stunts (Once I feel comfortable around people, these behaviours are all
fair game, but ‘tis beside the point!), but being intelligent, polite,
humorous, and hard-working will leave an impression far more lasting than being
‘that girl who told all the dick jokes’.
4. Communication is the key to a good life.
Sometimes is might be awkward to tell someone how you feel - positive or negative - but it’s always better to say something and be
momentarily embarrassed than to miss a chance to speak your piece and be left
wondering how things might be different. Tell your loved ones how you feel,
stand up for yourself when you feel threatened or repressed, write down your
innermost thoughts so you can re-read them later and learn from them. After
all, ‘life’s but a walking shadow’.
5. Never
underestimate the power of good food and drink. Do you know why Europeans are
generally more relaxed and live longer than North Americans? Because they know how to sit down,
relax, and enjoy a delicious savoury meal combined with a careful selection of
wine or beer or liquor that will complement the palate of their meal in the
best way.* Europeans are happier, more easy going, less concerned about
materialism and consumerism and keeping up with the man. They appreciate the
small, fine things in life which helps them keep the big things in perspective.
6. Positivity is its own reward. Giving a compliment doesn't necessarily have to result in receiving one in return. Putting a smile on someone's face, helping out a friend in need, and sharing good energy can have amazing effects on the world though the results may not be immediate. Being selfish and focusing on your own needs is fine in some cases, but when it comes to the bigger picture being a bright light in somebody's life is the best thing you could ever do.
7. People will take advantage of you, but that
doesn’t mean that kindness isn’t a worthy trait to cultivate. Like everyone,
I’ve been nasty a time or two as well as having had people take advantage of my
niceness. I’ve had bosses walk all over me and sociopathic people attempt to
sabotage my personal relationships. Yet, in my experience the people whom I
admire the most are those who exude positive energy, kindness, and in turn
happiness. Though it’s been said that nice guys finish last, I think that maybe
the nice people just realised that it was never a race to begin with.
8. Happiness is not
a universal right you can take for granted. Depression and anxiety and fear of
abandonment are real issues, and there is no way to simply ‘snap out of it’.
Sometimes happiness is a chore, but pulling yourself up off the floor is worth
every ache and pain, and a good cry can make things better, if only for a
second or two.
9. Love is all you need, though not necessarily the
romantic kind. Love is what makes us feel valued and important, and receiving
and sharing love with family, friends, mentors, etc. really is the quickest
route towards happiness.
10. I have so much left to learn. This list may seem
somewhat exhaustive, but I’m positive that in a day or so I’ll feel as though I
have more to include and, hopefully, that I’ve learned something new. I think
I’ve learned a few important things so far, and hopefully the lessons keep coming
for another twenty-five, fifty, hundred and twenty-five (kidding!) years.
Happy birthday to me, and a merry un-birthday to you!
Here's to many more years to enjoy! After all, I may be old, but I'm not dead yet...
*This is based on real data, and totally not made up at all.
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