When you’re young, advice from older people can feel outdated and unnecessary. It’s only when you get older that you wish you’d taken it on board a lot earlier! Here are 17 hard truths to accept, as told by baby boomers.
Aging Happens to Us All
While we all want to look as though we are 25, age simply doesn’t allow it. This can result in people undergoing cosmetic procedures to halt the signs of age, but let’s be real–getting old is unavoidable! Luckily, some people learn to accept the situation and age gracefully.
You Can’t Please Everyone
Throughout life, you slowly start to realize that pleasing everyone just isn’t a possibility. While we all want to be universally appreciated and liked, people are always not on your side. In fact, as Verywell Mind suggests, trying to please everyone leads to low self-esteem, self-blame, and unnecessary feelings of guilt.
Life’s Not Fair
Sometimes, things just don’t work out the way you would have hoped them to. There’s nobody else to blame; it’s just the way the world works! Feeling self-pity and bitterness won’t help you pick yourself up off the ground and move on to better things, so try to remain positive when possible.
Family Won’t Be There Forever
When you’re in your youth, there’s often a sense that family time is a burden, preventing you from doing what you would like. However, family members aren’t going to be around forever, and once they are gone, you’ll do anything to spend another moment with them.
Pain is Inevitable
Another harsh truth of life is that, as much as everyone wishes it weren’t, pain is unavoidable and will be felt by all at some point. Learning to process and understand your emotions is important as it enables you to overcome various hurdles that will come your way.
Success Isn’t Instant
The term ‘overnight success’ is often used despite its lack of correctness. Making a success out of anything requires dedication, commitment, and consistency. A lack of quick results is often the reason why so many people begin ventures only to abandon them a matter of months later. Don’t stop grinding!
You Have to Accept Yourself
You only get one mind and body to live in throughout your life, so you might as well embrace it the best you can. Accepting yourself, no matter how difficult it may feel, will only help you to increase your self-esteem and confidence, allowing you to succeed in life.
Your Body Will Decline
Another unavoidable aspect of aging is physical decline, which you can slow down but can’t outrun entirely. The National Institute on Aging highlights some of the symptoms of aging, such as a decline in function of the senses, susceptibility to disease, and frailty. It’s sad, but true.
Money Can’t Buy Happiness
While it plays a part in everyone’s life, money should never be regarded as the be-all and end-all. There are some things that money just can’t buy, such as strong, personal relationships, which will ultimately mean more to you the older you get.
Perfection Doesn’t Exist
Constantly striving for perfection will only leave you feeling disappointed; in truth, there’s no such thing as perfection, as the world is far too subjective for that! All you can do is maximize your strengths, understand your weaknesses, and make the best of what you have.
Time Moves Quickly
Sometimes, life picks you up, and sometimes, it throws you down. This is out of your control, so try to enjoy every moment to the best of your ability, as time flies quicker than you’d think when you’re young. The last thing you want is to look back with regret as you head into older age!
Failure is Important
While it’s often seen as a negative word, failure can ultimately be one of the most important stepping stones to success. It will give you a foundation on which you can build, learning from past mistakes to improve yourself. You’ll never learn anything without an occasional failure!
Relationships are Vital
Strong relationships, whether platonic or romantic, are one of the foundations of anyone’s life. As the NHS affirms, people with healthy and supportive relationships are more likely to be happier and healthier, as loneliness leaves people vulnerable to sleep problems, anxiety, and depression.
Health Should be a Priority
Physical and mental health should always be a priority, as a body and mind in bad shape will only prove to be a burden on your life. It’s important to get problems checked while ensuring you eat healthily and exercise regularly because otherwise, you’ll live to regret it!
Life is Unpredictable
It’s rare that life flows linearly, taking most people in one direction before throwing them into a completely different direction. While problems will arise in places you never expected them to, victories work in the same way, popping up as a result of staying focused and not giving up. Roll with the punches!
Regret Doesn’t Get You Anywhere
Feelings of regret are natural throughout all life stages, with regrets regarding inactivity outnumbering regrets regarding activity by 2:1, as reported by NPR. This statistic shows that people are more likely to regret things they never tried rather than things they did, as the latter is reversible.
Death Comes to Us All
To finish, this may sound morbid, but death does, in fact, come to us all. There’s little point in trying to deny it or fearing it, as it’ll stop you from living life to the full. The most important thing you can do is keep trying to embrace every day, making the most of the time you have.