19 unusual life lessons I have been learning lately

4, 14 and 19 are my favourites

1. Breaks are the key to productivity, not the hindrance.

2. You have to continue doing the good work, even when no one is watching. My repeated experiences tell me that if you are genuine, wise and doing the right things, you will win.

3. No one else has to lose in order for you to win.

4. It is best to be quiet with a fool. You cannot change (most) people with logic.

5. If you give people what is good for them without them asking, they will often not value it. Want the best for people, but giving it to them without them wanting it often makes you worthless.

6. Just because people in your other close relationships hurt you, does not mean you bleed on people who did not hurt you. Life becomes easier when you see people for who they really are, not who they could be because everyone else is also that.

7. Your intuition is your loudest ally. The more you listen to it, the more you grow from it.

8. Even if you are doing something for a long time, when you are called to change the way you have been doing it, you must. Only the stiff stay still.

9. Ask yourself the question, “what is the shortest and most effective way of getting this done?” Not everything is worth your effort. Most things are not. Sometimes the long route is procrastination disguised as hard work.

10. You can just do things.

11. You can simply move on.

12. You can love people while protecting yourself from them.

13. You don’t see the benefits of meditation unless you miss a day. And once you do, you won’t skip it ever again.

14. It is incredible how you can solve things by communicating in a clear, transparent, yet non-attacking way. Even the most non-communicative people become open to communication once you communicate this to them in this manner. But please remember it to balance with point 4 :)

15. This is the best season to go out and walk in a park. May we realise this “wasting time” is saving you much more time.

16. The best way to get things done is to use a keypad phone.

17. Cleaning your home is therapy.

18. Your mental health is inversely proportionate to the amount of Instagram you use.

19. Two days back I saw the poster 20-year-old anniversary special of Hannah Montana, the one with an index finger on her lips, just like the original poster 20 years back. It made me wonder how life situations take away your innocence. She definitely looked more innocent in the original version. This applies to most of us, when life comes down to dragging us. And we can see it in our pictures. But if we lose our innocence, we also have it in us to be innocent again. This time, coupled with being wiser. How to bring your innocence back? I think I have the answer to it, but so do you. I hope you dig within to find that out.

See you next week, which is going to be the 150th edition of Raw and Real, where I will share a bittersweet announcement.

Thank you guys.

Nishtha Gehija

LinkedIn | X | Daily blog | Weekly newsletter

---

Instantly access my ebooks:

20s versus 30s: The strange and unique differences between the two most important decades of your life

The Corporate Life Handbook: If you are in corporate job and struggle with daily humdrums of it, one-pagers with harsh truths are something no one is going to tell you :)

The Career Changing Guide: If you are looking for a sign, this is it :)

How to Deal with Heartbreak: A book almost everyone needs but no one gives you right in your hand. If you don’t need this, get this for a friend you know certainly needs it.

Every Writer Needs to Read this: A book I wish I had 11 years ago when I was starting out as a writer