Live Well Writers, Words of Wisdom

At Live Well Writers, we meet at 10am every Tuesday at the Live Well Hub to enjoy some writing exercises and share our work with each other. Our latest theme was ‘Words of Wisdom’ and sharing lessons we have learned along the way in life.

In today’s blog, I share the words of wisdom I wrote to my younger self, with my 18-year-old nephew in mind. Keep reading through the comments to see what the Live Well Writers came up with.

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Words of Wisdom to my Younger Self by Ben Elliott

Living well is its own reward.

The best way to live well is The Wellbeing 9-a-Day.

I made it for me with you in mind…

There are nine habits of a healthy lifestyle,

best understood as the THREE PILLARS OF WELLNESS.

Move forward on your JOURNEY from the past, through the present, and into the future.

Set intentions that aim for a better future.

Be present by connecting with the moment.

Let go of bad habits from the past.

Build habits that improve your mental HEALTH, physical fitness and emotional wellbeing.

Learn to expand your mind.

Move to exercise your body.

Enjoy to experience positive emotions.

Maintain and enhance your RELATIONSHIPS with others, your self, and your diet.

Connect with others and the world around you.

Tend to your needs with self-care.

Build a healthy diet with good nutrition.

Pursue your purpose.

Accept that it will evolve over time.

Take life as it is, not how you’d like it to be.

Start where you are and find your way to wellness.

Make mistakes, fail upward. Learn from your losses.

Each step along the road makes you more than you were.

Start small, grow big.

You’re not aiming for the last step.

You’re aiming for the next step.

Focus on progress, not perfection.

Making mistakes is inevitable.

Making progress is invaluable.

Compete against yourself, not others.

Present You competes against Past You so Future You can be the best yet.

Win or lose, the key is competing well.

Answer the call to adventure.

Say yes to opportunities that help you grow.

Say no to obligations that don’t belong to you.

Life is a special occasion.

Any kickaround deserves the match ball.

It’s not too early or too late to start living well.

It’s not too early or too late to become more of who you are.

If you can, be right.

If you can’t be right, be funny.

If you can’t be funny, be honest.

If you can’t be honest, be respectful.

If you can’t be respectful, be somewhere else…

Success is the byproduct of work well done.

Focus on the process and the results will come.

Wash your hands and clean your teeth.

Smile at nice dogs you see on the street.

If you have your own words of wisdom to share, we’d love to read them in the comments.

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Gillian

We are not born wise, but we naturally progress through childhood, from being a helpless baby who cannot do anything for ourselves towards adulthood we gain the experiences we need to live our lives in the best way we can.

We learn not to be too self-critical. We do not always get it right, sometimes we do not think things through properly. Wisdom is learned through making these mistakes, and the lessons learned will help us make the right decisions in the future.

When you have made one of these many mistakes, do not let it stop you from trying other experiences. It is good to try new stuff, and we need to experience new things to learn what we like. The mistake is not important, we get to live life as we blunder along our journey, and nobody is perfect after all.

Try to be patient, it is a challenging thing to learn and does not come naturally but can be practiced and eventually achieved. Things do not always happen when you want them to, but if you can wait a while sometimes, they do. You cannot influence the circumstances surrounding you, but you can react to them and achieve the best outcome.

Be happy and change things if they are not good in your life. Happiness is not about what you have but what you are. It comes from within you. Only you can know what makes you truly happy.

You are standing on the edge of your life. Jump in with both feet and enjoy the unique mixture of events and experiences that will be your life. I know how you feel at this moment, I have been there. I know that the things you dislike and fear will not last forever, so keep that thought in mind as you step into the future with confidence and hope.

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Shona

They say you should never take someone else's advice.  So, you may want to listen to this, or you may not. The choice is totally yours.

The following comes from my own life experience. There's no research, there’s no science to back it up, there’s not even any order – just my ADHD brain shouting out at me!

It’s important in life to not use the word hate to describe, or to a person. Hate is a powerful, all-consuming emotion.

Just because they are family does not mean you have to like them or support their actions.

If you are fortunate to have a friend who has been in your life for more than five years, they are now your family you have chosen.

Listen closely to your heart before your brain, I have learnt, often to my detriment, that it has more insight than your brain.

When someone compliments you - believe them. People are quick to criticise, less so to compliment.

Events will happen in your life, some huge & some not so.   These events will change who you are. You will not be the person you were before. That is OK!

It’s important to learn to say no and not feel guilty about this – or at the very least learn to Just Say No. (I really must listen to my own advice!)

Your doctor is only human, they often, it seems do not listen to you. But you are the only one who knows your body, your story. Fight from the rooftops for what you need.   

#Jess’s Law

Only you know your child. Listen to that ‘gut’ feeling you have – always fight for them in health, in education and in life.

Always be kind. Always treat others how you would like to be treated. Especially to your enemies, it freaks them out.

Unfortunately, you are likely to be working until you are 68 that’s 50 years of work!  Always make sure you love to work not work to die.

Don’t ever grow up. Play on the swings. Jump in muddy puddles. Ignore those who call you childish.

Make sure you slide into your grave shouting ‘whoa what a ride that was’

You will guide, teach and nurture your child, but only until they start school then their peers have more impact than you can ever imagine.

According to your child, their reception class teacher will always be right, and you will always be wrong!

You will understand this when you have children yourself.

The harm or abuse given to you by another person is not your fault, you are only accountable for your actions, no one else’s.

Never go to bed angry and, even if you are angry, still say ‘I love you’.

Respect is earned, not assumed and does not come out of duty. It’s a 2-way process.

Be creative, practise self-care, and self-love at least once a day, but preferably more.  (Another bit of my advice I need to listen too).

Remember you will fall down many times, it’s very important to get back up one more time.

Lie on the grass, look at the clouds. Lie on the grass, look at the stars.

Finally, check them Boobies! Now!

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Barbara

Advice to my teenage self

Today is important, the future will arrive anyway.

Don’t put things off. There may not be time to do them in the future.

Treasure time you have with loved ones and make memories.

If you have troubles, share them. Maybe someone will listen, maybe they won’t.

Dance.

Be kind and treat people how you would like to be treated.

Listen to what people are really saying rather than their words.

Don’t stand back, join in.

Smile.

Draw, paint, doodle, scribble.

Don’t look at the sun. Enjoy sunshine and wear sunscreen.

Look at the stars.

Learn from the past, but don’t live in it.

If you need to cry, then you need to cry.

Try something new, it might be your new favourite thing. If it isn’t, at least you tried.

Frightening is only a short step to exciting.

Wait barefoot on the sand for the next wave.

Imagination is a wonderful thing. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If you have a setback, the world will not end.

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John

Words of Wisdom

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of Live Well Writers,

be so kind and listen to me.

I have information that I’d like to share,

Learned and found from almost everywhere.

Your family’s great, so honour them well.

Share your life lessons and tales they’re to tell.

If your family falters, bring friends close to you.

Ignore the liars, attend those who are true.

Treat others as you would be treated yourself,

Talk to whoever, they may need your help.

Keep a large dose of your childhood’s free spirit,

and love, learn and share in your life while you’re in it.

People who try to dictate all your paths,

Do not follow them, their hearts’ full up with maths,

trigonometry, paperwork and political crap,

Follow your thoughts, sip from life’s full tap.

Get out and experience things you’ve not done,

Some tame, some crazy, you’ll have lots of fun.

Dip your pink toes in the seas of experience,

enjoy the new rush, ignore all interference.

Don’t overwork or overcommit to employment.

Love, learn and live for your own enjoyment.

Choose life, jump in, and land on both feet.

Make the most of today, feel happily complete.

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.

Tell stories and jokes, keep your life in the pink.

Grow things and eat things, fresh food is so great,

Then sample all things served up on life’s plate.