Charles, what’s the hardest life lesson you’ve learned? That’s a great question and I wish people would ask it more often. There are two parts to my answer.
Firstly, one must learn patience and allow things to progress at their own pace. As an impatient person, I constantly push people to their limits which can be beneficial for progress. However, there are aspects of life we can control and those we cannot. Change takes time and the wisest among us understand the difference between optional and mandatory changes. This is a significant life lesson that took me quite some time to appreciate.
Secondly, finding the best in people despite our differences or personal feelings towards them is another challenging lesson. To paraphrase Lincoln: “I dislike this man so I don’t know him enough.” We’re often taught to create enemies rather than attempt understanding or empathy towards others with differing opinions or actions against us. Building relationships on this foundation is difficult; however, every time I have embraced this mindset, my happiness has increased significantly.
The key lessons here involve practicing patience while allowing events to unfold in due time and accepting individuals for who they are instead of trying to change them according to our desires – learning how to see their positive attributes regardless of disagreements or past grievances.
These lessons prove especially difficult because they require constant relearning throughout our lives as each day presents new challenges requiring these skills’ application anew.