Life is a series of experiences where one learns often by making mistakes. And every mistake is a valuable lesson learned that cannot be easily forgotten. Today in this article, I am sharing some mistakes in my life that changed me for good.
1. Not spending enough time with dad.
I lost my dad suddenly to a brain stroke. And after he left for his heavenly abode, I realized that I had so many things to tell him. I waited for the right time; the right opportunity but life didn’t give me another chance. But who knew, that he would leave us. Of course, death comes without any notification.
The death of my dad left me devastated. I learned how important it is to spend enough time with your loved ones. Tell them how much you love them. Share with them your joys and sorrow. Create beautiful memories. Never miss an opportunity to express your love and care to them. You never know when will be the last time you will see your loved ones.
2. Not making the most of the time.
I believe that this is the most common mistake that people do. We all think that we have a lot of time to accomplish our goals. This is a huge mistake that we end up doing. I wasted too much time of my life by being with people for the namesake and prioritizing their needs over mine. We keep delaying our needs and priorities thinking that we have a lot of time ahead. But we fail to realize that the future is not promised to anyone. You don’t even know if you would wake up the next day.
Time and tide wait for none. This famous quote rings the bell. Make the best use of time when you have it. Use the time to reflect on your goals and plan them out instead of waiting for the right time. If you are waiting for some sign to know if it is the right time, this is it. Go ahead, accomplish your goals. Do what you have been thinking for a while now instead of procrastinating it. Make it happen.
3. Falling in love with the wrong person.
One of the biggest mistakes I made in life was to fall in love with the wrong person every time. This didn’t happen because the person was wrong, but because I had the wrong idea of love. My expectations from my partner were unrealistic. At least I thought so. I never really understood who would be the right person for me because I didn’t know myself the way I know so to speak. During my mid-twenties, I had almost given up on the idea of love. Everyone around me was either getting married or went on honeymoon. There was unseen pressure around me. This created a need for urgency which made the matter worse. I simply wanted to get married without really knowing what marriage was all about.
After many failed attempts, I reflected on my mistakes pattern. I realized that it was me who was being afraid of losing time and under social pressure, I was choosing the wrong person.
I learned that it is important to love myself first and set certain boundaries to choose the right person in life. I focused on becoming a better version of myself and realigned my life. Eventually, things fell in place and I found the perfect person with whom I am happily married now. You can read my true love story here.
4. Not saving enough money.
I started working at a young age just after I completed my graduation. I had a consistent income for 8 years until I took a break from work. However, during these years, I failed to save enough money for emergencies. My lack of financial understanding and procrastination of saving it later made me out of cash very soon. I fell into debt owing to an emergency situation in life that couldn’t be avoided. I had to borrow money from my friend only to return them later.
I learned that no matter how much you earn, even if it is less salary, set aside at least 30 to 40% of your salary as savings. Invest a part of this money in low-risk investment opportunities. Plan your retirement, medical insurances, etc. Always remember, anyone can earn money, but the wisdom lies in saving.
Interesting read: Things to do before you die
5. Breaking trust.
My parents have always trusted me for my decisions and choices. They might have not liked some of them, but they never went against it. They supported me throughout. I broke my parent's trust. I haven’t told them yet. There are many incidents in my life that I cannot share with them. I have lied to them multiple times and it is one of the biggest mistakes of my life that I often regret. I feel that I have hurt them unintentionally.
It is said that everything you give to life will come back in another form. So never break someone’s trust. If someone trusts you, ensure that you can keep up with the expectation. If there is a situation in life where you are unable to speak the truth, it is better to tell them that you cannot speak the truth instead of lying to them.
6. Not prioritizing self-care.
How can you love someone else if you are not able to love yourself first? I wish I knew about this when I was in my 20s. I never prioritized self –care. I never loved myself enough. I lacked self-esteem and the confidence to deal with life. I never took care of my health and my appearance. Due to which I had to face several issues like loss of weight, loss of hair, stress, anxiety.
When I fell seriously weak physically, I appreciated how important my own health was. I realized it was important to take of my own needs first before I could tend to someone else. I never pondered on the thought of what makes me truly happy. I was so lost in loving others and my responsibilities that I overlooked my necessities. Then onwards, I started focusing on my own self. Slowly I engaged myself in ways that could help me de-stress. I did things that made me truly happy from within. This enhanced my self-esteem and my confidence which helped me personally and professionally.
7. Staying in your comfort zone.
I spent too much time staying in one place in my work organization. I got so comfortable with the working environment that I feared if I would get another job in the future. During my tenure, I didn’t see much personal and professional growth within myself. I didn’t even upgrade my skillset. I was working on similar projects for a longer period of time because it was easy and comfortable. Only when I had to leave my job unexpectedly and as I started giving interviews to other places, I learned that my skills were not competitive enough. It was so important to come out of the comfort zone to be able to grow professionally and personally in life.
After various attempts, I finally landed up a job that paid me less than what I was receiving earlier. I took this as an opportunity to restart my life. It was a startup organization and I was the only employee who was hired. During this phase of my career, I learned most of the things from scratch. As much as it was challenging, I was enjoying every bit of my work life. I did miss a lot of things but I realized that these struggles will shape my life for the better.
Final Thoughts
These were some mistakes that changed my life. I learned a lot and it helped me to become a better person. Like it is said, mistakes are nothing but opportunities to grow. The same holds true for every person. Each one of us will make mistakes and that is life. Never stop learning and growing.
What are your mistakes in life and what did you learn from them? Share with us in the below comment box.
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