No regrets in life, just lessons learned

Let's face it, we all fall down. Rejections, failures, losses, despair, heartbreaks, you name them. We all have had a fair share of one or more of these at some point in our lives. And sometimes, if not always, they are unavoidable. And the world seems to be crashing down at those times. 

Yeah, part and parcel of life. 

It's not what we face in life, it's how we deal with it that truly defines us. 

There are some lessons I learned over the years that I would like to share here:

1. Your ability to keep going is far more than you think. Every time you think you won't be able to go ahead, simply get up and take the first step. And soon you will realise that you can take another, then another. And suddenly you will do something that you never thought you could. 
2. Everyone makes mistakes, because we are all humans. No one is perfect, including our parents. They may have done things we don't like, but they are as human as we are, learning every day. Forgive them, but more than that, love them. They make our world a lot better by being in it.
3. Make friends whenever and wherever you can. Choose the ones who choose you. Be with those who make you see the world with a different view. Keep them.
4. We have limited time. And that's a hard truth. We must make the most of what we have. Educate ourselves like we are here forever. Love people like we can be gone any moment. 
5. Honesty is the most important virtue. Be honest about what you do, or how you feel. Be honest to those around you. But most importantly, be honest to yourself.

But in the four decades that I have spent under the sun, the one thing that I most importantly learnt (from my parents, family, friends, and life) is to never have regrets about anything. Everything that happens has something to teach us. Our work is to learn the lesson, so we are sure of what exactly to do if a similar situation arises in the future. It perhaps is easier said that done, but we atleast prepare ourselves for situations. 

No matter what happens, never give up. No matter how you feel, never give up. No matter what people say or do, never give up.

And it's perhaps the "never give up" spirit that keeps me going at all times. 

"I never lose, either I win or learn."

- Nelson Mandela