I was in a dark mood visiting my sister after excessive business travel and multiple work/personal demands on me when I picked up an article that Psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman had written on 33 life lessons that she has learned on her path to personal growth. These are lesson she learned not in medical school but on her road to her own internal/spiritual development.

The 33 LIFE LESSONS that she wrote really resonated with me and I realized that one must cherish each day no matter how taxing & trying. The LIFE LESSONS are as follows:

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• Be grateful for the little things every single day.
• Soul mates are created, not found.
• Appearances matter but not too much.
• Make sleep a priority.
• Values are constant, but goals are flexible.
• Always err on the side of kindness.
• Contribute to and celebrate other people’s successes.
• Savor the micromoments.
• View mistakes and disappointments as learning opportunities and challenges.
• Ignore the advice “follow your passion.” Rather, cultivate passion in whatever you do.
• Cherish your relationships.
• Take a long, deep breath before reacting to anything.
• Appreciate nuance, and remember that nothing in life is black & white.
• Experiences matter more than things.
• Believe in something larger than yourself. It keeps things in perceptive.
• Culture and art breathe beauty into life and connect you to who you were, who you are and who you wish to be.
• Anything can look like a failure in the middle.
• Banish the world “should” from your vocabulary.
• Turn on autopilot and actively notice new things every day.
• See the humor in everything.
• There are no shortcuts.
• Mastery requires hard work and is rewarding for its own sake.
• Talent needs to be cultivated.
• Good manners always matter. It’s not about pomp & circumstance; it’s about decency & respect for others.
• Resist the temptation to be sarcastic and make fun of people.
• Give for the sake of giving.
• Forgive with grace.
• Express gratitude & love with handwritten letters.
• Multitasking is a myth, so actively choose what you want to pay attention to.
• Take good care of your body. Treat it like a temple not a bodega.
• Never stop learning. Always think of yourself as a mentor and mentee.
• Do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do, not for the trophy or reward.
• Happiness is a choice.

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