18 Imperative Life Lessons You Need To Know If You Want To Be A Good (And Successful) Person

1. Humility is what makes a good person. Nobody is perfect, but if there is one trait that makes or breaks a good person, it’s humility. People who have the capability to look beyond themselves have a certain quality to their hearts that is quite rare, and quite beautiful.

2. Patience never harms. My dad would always tell me: it never hurts to wait, but you may regret being hasty. Sleep on big decisions and wait. Give yourself a chance to look at your choice from different perspectives.

3. Anger solves nothing. Zilch. And it also gets you nowhere. Absolutely pointless. It’s always better to talk out your issues, courteously and rationally.

4. Money is not a matter. Never let a piece of printed paper control your beliefs, decisions, rights, or virtues. Money is nothing more than that, paper. Don’t ever give it power over you.

5. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s actually good to make mistakes every now and then because the best way to learn is to learn from something going wrong. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t hate what you did, but look for the lesson. Learn something.

6. The way you speak is more important than what you say. Your body language and your tone of voice when speaking is more fundamental than the content of your argument. If you speak disrespectfully, you switch focus from what you’re saying to how you’re saying it. And if you’re not consciously trying not to offend the people you’re talking to, you will, even if unintentionally, end up offending them. And when people are offended, they get defensive and you lose the argument before you’ve even had it.

7. Not everything requires a response. Learn to sometimes just observe if your response doesn’t add to the situation. You don’t always have to speak. You don’t always have to comment on everything. You don’t always have to react to things that you don’t need to react to. Especially when your reaction would be counterproductive.

8. Be good to people even when they don’t deserve it. Especially when they don’t deserve it. It’s more for you than them. Don’t carry the weight of being a bad person when you’re not actually bad. Rise above that and let karma do its thing.

9. Never forget that karma exists. That being said, always have karma etched in the back of your head. Everything you do comes back to you. Good and bad.

10. Accept your consequences and be fair. You’re responsible for your own actions and the consequences that follow. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you know things won’t end up well and then complain that they did just that. Be fair to yourself and the actions you take, the words you speak and the decisions you make. Accept that what you get is probably what you deserve. It’s simple math, really.

11. Not everything you want will come to you on a silver platter. If you don’t learn this as a child, you’re up for a rough life, believe me. As a teenager, my parents would always make a point of making me put in effort for what I wanted. Not everything I wanted, I got so easily. You work for what you want and you work hard. Life is not easy and you won’t always have someone to spoil you or help you get what you want. If you want something, you have to put your fair share of effort into it.

12. Never take things for granted. Ever. Always be thankful and appreciate what you have. You will sometimes have access to privileges that other people may not have, but don’t forget that it’s a privilege. You’re lucky to have what you have today. The food on your plate, the roof above your head, the air in your lungs. All these little things that you may think are ordinarily given may be what another person prays for.

13. Be mindful of your reactions. So often, when we are provoked, we shut off our brain, and our instincts take over. We say and do things without actually thinking about it. Sometimes, we don’t even remember exactly how we reacted. We say and do things we later regret. So, when you’re flaming with rage, just shut your damn mouth for two seconds, take a full deep breath, and allow your brain to function before your tongue does.

14. Stay away from the drama. People worship drama. They start it, feed it, watch it, and love it. And it’s absolutely toxic. Avoid all the drama you’re able to avoid.

15. Apologize when an apology is due. When you’re at fault, don’t try to talk your way out of apologizing. It’s disrespectful. Own up to your faults and say sorry, because sometimes, a simple word like “sorry” will have the power to dissolve all conflict in seconds. An apology allows all parties to move forward and put the matter behind them.

16. Don’t waste your life trying to prove your point. Not everyone approves your thoughts, beliefs or views and not everyone will. Learn to move on and peacefully agree to disagree.

17. Be a good person, but don’t talk about being a good person. Knowing yourself that you’re good and that you do good should be enough for you. It doesn’t matter if people know that you are good. It doesn’t matter if they treat you like you are good. It doesn’t matter if they say you aren’t good. Be good, do good, and stay silent about it anyway. Good people don’t need to prove that they’re good and if you have to prove it, you’re not as good as you think.

18. Never look down on anyone. You being in a better financial or social position than some people doesn’t mean that you’re better than them. You could’ve easily been them if not for a series of fortunate events. Be kind. Always.