Timeless

35 Essential Life Lessons Everyone Should Learn Early on in Life Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had this dream of changing the world, but growing up, I had no idea how—let alone what I wanted to do with my life. So I tried different things: I studied abroad, I worked at Google, I backpacked for lengths at a time, I launched my own online business. I kept on looking outward, never truly feeling any sense of contentment or peace, until I arrived at these words by the 13th-century poet, Rumi: “Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself.” That’s precisely when I began to understand that all the change I’m seeking in my life first begins with me. And all the change that you’re seeking in your life first begins with you. Change the inside, and the outside falls into place. The truth is, you are capable of creating whatever you please, but what’s standing in the way between where you are and where you want to be is you. Not time, not money, not circumstances—you. And do you know why? It’s because you are your greatest obstacle. The sooner you learn this, the better, and the sooner you accept, the sooner you will want to learn how you can change. And once again, Rumi’s eloquent words chime in and ring ever so true: Yesterday you were clever so you wanted to change the world. Today you are wise so you’re changing yourself. Here are 35 life lessons that you should learn early on in life. Read them, contemplate them, and apply them. And as you do, be mindful of the fact that change takes time, so allow yourself all the time you need to grow.