Nuggets of wisdom I wish I listened to in my 20s

by Catalina Ciucalau
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Here are some pearls of wisdom I learned along the way that have helped me live life joyously:

• we love creating more than the creation, we enjoy giving birth to new ideas constantly. This means we are never finished, we are constantly a work in progress, enjoy the process.

• when you hold two opposite beliefs about a situation/life and are unable to prove either: choose the one that feels better.

• pain is part of life, is a given. Suffering is a choice. By refusing pain, suffering is born.

• if you want something to stop showing up in your life, stop talking about it, stop giving it energy.

• when you want to see more of something in your life, talk about it more, the same way a kid talks about his Xmas list: with joy and full of desire.

• strengthen your habits when you feel good and great so you can use them when the energy is low.

• repeated thoughts lead to beliefs, repeated beliefs lead to emotions, repeated emotions lead to behaviour, repeated behaviour leads to character and your character influences the quality of your life. Focus on the thoughts that feel good.

• it takes 8 minutes to regulate your nervous system. Call and chat with a friend for 8 minutes whenever things get tough.

• an emotion has a cycle of 90 seconds. Breathe it out and count down, after 90 seconds it is easier to make a conscious choice.

• you are not your feelings nor your emotions, you are not sad or depressed: you feel sad, you feel depressed. Feelings are temporary. Once you stop identifying with them, it is easier to get a different perspective and even detach from them.

• once you take responsibility for your life (words, actions, behaviour) it is easier to make different choices.

• once you accept where you are, the resistance that keeps you there decreases and makes room for new ideas, new choices, new action, new life. And repeat...

• you cannot change people. They need to be willing to change and make different choices as a result. Let your parents be!


With love,
Catalina