16 Harsh Truths that Make Us Stronger

from Marc and Angel Hack Life

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them,
more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more manhood
(or womanhood) to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind
reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an
immature mind.

- Alex Karras

1. Life is not easy. – Hard work makes people lucky –
   it’s the stuff that brings dreams to reality.  So start every morning
   ready to run farther than you did yesterday and fight harder than you
   ever have before.  (Read The Road Less Traveled.)


2. You will fail sometimes.  – The faster you accept
   this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant.  You’ll never be
   100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing
   won’t work.  So get out there and do something!  Either you succeed or
   you learn a vital lesson.  Win – Win.


3. Right now, there’s a lot you don’t know. – The day
   you stop learning is the day you stop living.  Embrace new information,
   think about it and use it to advance yourself.


4. There may not be a tomorrow. – Not for everyone. 
   Right now, someone on Earth is planning something for tomorrow without
   realizing they’re going to die today.  This is sad but true.  So spend
   your time wisely today and pause long enough to appreciate it.


5. There’s a lot you can’t control. – Wasting your
   time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control
   is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation.  Invest your energy
   in the things you can control.


6. Information is not true knowledge. – Knowledge
   comes from experience.  You can discuss a task a hundred times, but
   these discussions will only give you a philosophical understanding.  You
   must experience a task firsthand to truly know it.


7. You can’t be successful without providing value. –
   Don’t waste your time trying to be successful, spend your time creating
   value.  When you’re valuable to the world around you, you will be
   successful.  (Read Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?)


8. Someone else will always have more than you.  –
   Whether it’s money, friends or magic beans that you’re collecting, there
   will always be someone who has more than you.  But remember, it’s not
   how many you have, it’s how passionate you are about collecting them. 
   It’s all about the journey.


9. You can’t change the past. – As Maria Robinson once
   said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can
   start today and make a new ending.”  You can’t change what happened, but
   you can change how you react to it.


10. The only person who can make you happy is you. –
    The root of your happiness comes from your relationship with yourself. 
    Sure external entities can have fleeting effects on your mood, but in
    the long run nothing matters more than how you feel about who you are on
    the inside.


11. There will always be people who don’t like you. –
    You can’t be everything to everyone.  No matter what you do, there will
    always be someone who thinks differently.  So concentrate on doing what
    you know in your heart is right.  What others think and say about you
    isn’t all that important.  What is important is how you feel about
    yourself.


12. You won’t always get what you want. – As Mick
    Jagger once said, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try
    sometimes you might find you get what you need.”  Look around. 
    Appreciate the things you have right now.  Many people aren’t so lucky.


13. In life, you get what you put in. – If you want
    love, give love.  If you want friends, be friendly.  If you want money,
    provide value.  It really is this simple.  (Read The Four Agreements.)


14. Good friends will come and go. – Most of your high
    school friends won’t be a part of your college life.  Most of your
    college friends won’t be a part of your 20-something professional life. 
    Most of your 20-something friends won’t be there when your spouse and
    you bring your second child into the world.  But some friends will
    stick.  And it’s these friends – the ones who transcend time with you –
    who matter.


15. Doing the same exact thing every day hinders self growth.
    – If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re
    getting.  Growth happens when you change things – when you try new
    things – when you stretch beyond your comfort zone.


16. You will never feel 100% ready for something new. –
    Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most
    great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones,
    which means you won’t feel totally comfortable or ready for it.

And remember, trying to be someone else is a waste of the person you
are.  Strength comes from being comfortable in your own skin.