10 fundamental truths that will change your life

10 fundamental truths that will change yur life10 fundamental truths that will change your lifeIts surprising how easy it is to lose sight of the important things in life. Busy schedules and regular routines have a tendency to put the brain on autopilot.When things arent going quite the way youd like them to, its often because youve lost focus on what really matters. But focusing on lifes fundamental truths can be difficult, especially when they remind you that youre heading in the wrong direction.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe best things in life dont come easily, and failing to observe yourself carefully is a aya path to mediocrity. I believe that Socrates said it bestThe unexamined life isnt worth living.Socrates observation also applies to business. When Eric Schmidt was CEO of Google, he famously said, We zustrom this company on questions, not answers.Life and business run on questions, not answers. You should be asking yourself regularly if youre headed in the right direction.Many of lifes essential truths need repeating. We need reminders that help us to stay focused on them. Keep these truths funktelefon and theyre sure to give you a much-needed boost.Great success is often preceded by failureYou will never experience true success until you learn to embrace failure. Your mistakes pave the way for you to succeed by revealing when youre on the wrong path.The biggest breakthroughs typically come when youre feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. Its this frustration that forces you to think differently, to look outside the kasten and see the solution that youve been missing.Success takes patience and the ability to maintain a good attitude even while suffering for what you believe in.Being busy does not equal being productiveLook at everyone around you. They all seem so busy - running from meeting to meeting and firing off emails. Yet ho w many of them are really producing, really succeeding at a high level?Success doesnt come from movement and activity. It comes from focus - from ensuring that your time is used efficiently and productively.You get the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. Use yours wisely. After all, youre the product of your output, not your effort. Make certain your efforts are dedicated to tasks that get results.Youre only as good as those you associate withYou should strive to surround yourself with people who inspire you, people who make you want to be better. And you probably do. But what about the people who drag you down? Why do you allow them to be a part of your life?Anyone who makes you feel worthless, anxious, or uninspired is wasting your time and, quite possibly, making you more like them. Life is too short to associate with people like this. Cut them loose.Youre living the life youve createdYou are not a victim of circumstance. No one can force you to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to your values and aspirations.The circumstances youre living in today are your own - you created them. Likewise, your future is entirely up to you. If youre feeling stuck, its probably because youre afraid to take the risks necessary to achieve your goals and live your dreams.When its time to take action, remember that its always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of one you dont.Fear is the 1 source of regretWhen its all said and done, you will lament the chances you didnt take far more than you will your failures. Dont be afraid to take risks.I often hear people say, Whats the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you? Yet, death isnt the worst thing that can happen to you.The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while youre still alive.You dont have to wait for an apology to forgiveLife goes a lot smoother once you let go of grudges and forgive even those who never said they were sorry. Grudges let negative events from your past ruin todays happiness. Hate and anger are emotional parasites that destroy your joy in life.The negative emotions that come with unternehmensverbund on to a grudge create a stress response in your body, and holding on to stress can have devastating health consequences. Researchers at Emory University have shown that holding on to stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease.When you forgive someone, it doesnt condone their actions it simply frees you from being their eternal victim.Live in the momentYou cant reach your full potential until you learn to live your life in the present.No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. Its impossible to be happy if youre constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment.To help yourself live in the moment, you must do two thingsAccept your past. If you dont make peace with y our past, it will never leave you and, in doing so, it will create your future.Accept the uncertainty of the future. Worry has no place in the here and now. As Mark Twain once said, Worrying is like paying a debt you dont owe.Your self-worth must come from withinWhen your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own destiny. When you feel good about something that youve done, dont allow anyones opinions or accomplishments to take that away from you.While its impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you dont have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take peoples opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain - youre never as good or bad as they say you are.Life is shortNone of us are guaranteed a tomorrow . Yet, when someone dies unexpectedly it causes us to take stock of our own life whats really important, how we spend our time, and how we treat other people.Loss is a raw, visceral reminder of the frailty of life. It shouldnt be.Remind yourself every morning when you wake up that each day is a gift and youre bound to make the most of the blessing youve been given. The moment you departure acting like life is a blessing is the moment it will start acting like one.After all, a great day begins with a great mindset.Change is inevitable - embrace itOnly when you embrace change can you find the good in it. You need to have an open mind and open arms if youre going to recognize, and capitalize on, the opportunities that change creates.Youre bound to fail when you keep doing the same things you always have in the hope that ignoring change will make it go away.After all, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.Life doesnt sto p for anyone. When things are going well, appreciate them and enjoy them, as they are bound to change. If you are always searching for something more, something better, that you think is going to make you happy, youll never be present enough to enjoy the great moments before theyre gone.Bringing it all togetherStaying focused and asking the hard questions can be extremely uncomfortable. But we dont learn and grow by sticking with whats comfortable.Thisarticlefirst appeared on LinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people10 fundamental truths that will change your lifeIts surprising how easy it is to lose sight of the important things in life. Busy schedules and regular routines h ave a tendency to put the brain on autopilot.When things arent going quite the way youd like them to, its often because youve lost focus on what really matters. But focusing on lifes fundamental truths can be difficult, especially when they remind you that youre heading in the wrong direction.The best things in life dont come easily, and failing to observe yourself carefully is a sure path to mediocrity. I believe that Socrates said it bestThe unexamined life isnt worth living.Socrates observation also applies to business. When Eric Schmidt was CEO of Google, he famously said, We run this company on questions, not answers.Life and business run on questions, not answers. You should be asking yourself regularly if youre headed in the right direction.Many of lifes essential truths need repeating. We need reminders that help us to stay focused on them. Keep these truths handy and theyre sure to give you a much-needed boost.Great success is often preceded by failureYou will never experie nce true success until you learn to embrace failure. Your mistakes pave the way for you to succeed by revealing when youre on the wrong path.The biggest breakthroughs typically come when youre feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. Its this frustration that forces you to think differently, to look outside the box and see the solution that youve been missing.Success takes patience and the ability to maintain a good attitude even while suffering for what you believe in.Being busy does not equal being productiveLook at everyone around you. They all seem so busy - running from meeting to meeting and firing off emails. Yet how many of them are really producing, really succeeding at a high level?Success doesnt come from movement and activity. It comes from focus - from ensuring that your time is used efficiently and productively.You get the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. Use yours wisely. After all, youre the product of your output, not your effort. Make cert ain your efforts are dedicated to tasks that get results.Youre only as good as those you associate withYou should strive to surround yourself with people who inspire you, people who make you want to be better. And you probably do. But what about the people who drag you down? Why do you allow them to be a part of your life?Anyone who makes you feel worthless, anxious, or uninspired is wasting your time and, quite possibly, making you more like them. Life is too short to associate with people like this. Cut them loose.Youre living the life youve createdYou are not a victim of circumstance. No one can force you to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to your values and aspirations.The circumstances youre living in today are your own - you created them. Likewise, your future is entirely up to you. If youre feeling stuck, its probably because youre afraid to take the risks necessary to achieve your goals and live your dreams.When its time to take action, remember that its a lways better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of one you dont.Fear is the 1 source of regretWhen its all said and done, you will lament the chances you didnt take far more than you will your failures. Dont be afraid to take risks.I often hear people say, Whats the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you? Yet, death isnt the worst thing that can happen to you.The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while youre still alive.You dont have to wait for an apology to forgiveLife goes a lot smoother once you let go of grudges and forgive even those who never said they were sorry. Grudges let negative events from your past ruin todays happiness. Hate and anger are emotional parasites that destroy your joy in life.The negative emotions that come with holding on to a grudge create a stress response in your body, and holding on to stress can have devastating health consequences. Researchers at Emory University hav e shown that holding on to stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease.When you forgive someone, it doesnt condone their actions it simply frees you from being their eternal victim.Live in the momentYou cant reach your full potential until you learn to live your life in the present.No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. Its impossible to be happy if youre constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment.To help yourself live in the moment, you must do two thingsAccept your past. If you dont make peace with your past, it will never leave you and, in doing so, it will create your future.Accept the uncertainty of the future. Worry has no place in the here and now. As Mark Twain once said, Worrying is like paying a debt you dont owe.Your self-worth must come from withinWhen your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longe r the master of your own destiny. When you feel good about something that youve done, dont allow anyones opinions or accomplishments to take that away from you.While its impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you dont have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take peoples opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain - youre never as good or bad as they say you are.Life is shortNone of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. Yet, when someone dies unexpectedly it causes us to take stock of our own life whats really important, how we spend our time, and how we treat other people.Loss is a raw, visceral reminder of the frailty of life. It shouldnt be.Remind yourself every morning when you wake up that each day is a gift and youre bound to make the most of the blessing youve been given. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing is the moment it will start acting like one.After all, a great day begins with a great mindset.Change is inevitable - embrace itOnly when you embrace change can you find the good in it. You need to have an open mind and open arms if youre going to recognize, and capitalize on, the opportunities that change creates.Youre bound to fail when you keep doing the same things you always have in the hope that ignoring change will make it go away.After all, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.Life doesnt stop for anyone. When things are going well, appreciate them and enjoy them, as they are bound to change. If you are always searching for something more, something better, that you think is going to make you happy, youll never be present enough to enjoy the great moments before theyre gone.Bringing it all togetherStaying focused and asking the hard questions can be extremely uncomfortable. But we dont learn and grow by sticking with whats comfortable.Thisarticlefirst appeared on LinkedIn.