I often remind people to be kind to others when possible; it’s always possible. You should also make it a point to be kind to yourself. This includes respecting yourself enough not to accept disrespect from others. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and will not accept.
Sometimes in your life, there may come a time when you will need to walk away from all the senseless drama, spiteful criticisms, misguided opinions, and toxic people in your life that serve no purpose other than to bring you down, and surround yourself with positive people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. Be sure to always stand up for yourself, you do not have to accept the things you are not ok with. When standing up for yourself, do not respond in anger. Sometimes, walking away is best. Responding to another person with anger gives the other person control over you, and is an endorsement of their attitude.
Be careful not to be defined by misfortunes or pain from your past. The misfortunes and pain from your past should be left in the past, or it can steal your future. Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things you did do. Sometimes in our life, things will not go as planned. When things go wrong, take a moment to be thankful for the many more things that are still going right. I have found that many people tend to stress and complain way too much. Don’t sweat the small things in life that you have no control over, as you waste your breath complaining about life, someone out there is breathing their last.
Sometimes you have to take the time to understand that your current situation-whatever that may be-is a direct result of what you are feeling, thinking, and believing. Time will pass regardless, you can either spend it creating the life you want, or spend it complaining and living the life you don’t want, the choice is yours. As you become older and wiser, you will understand more and more that it’s not about what you look like, how much money you have, what kind of house you live in, what job you have, who your friends are, or what you own, it’s all about the person you’ve become. Remember, what you do has a far greater impact than what you say. If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.