My Wisdom and learning: Exploring 50 lessons in life and business

Over the past 10 days, I have shared my 50 nuggets of wisdom that reflect upon various aspects of life and business and all of which I have come to embrace over the last 57 years of being on this planet and 40 of which have been in the workplace. I trust these snippets of insight have given you pause for thought, as they have for me. I want to summarise them all together and share this with you.  There is a huge spectrum of thought, from embracing authenticity and gratitude to the power of decisiveness and resilience. Each of these nuggets carries a unique weight and value, but I'm also keen to learn which one left a lasting impression on you and why.

1. Work hard at everything that life presents to you - your career, your family, your friends, your health, your home

2. Be nice to yourself and everyone you encounter. If you think, feel and act on everything with love, appreciation and gratitude; Your world will be amazing.

3. Celebrate your authentic self and just be yourself, always; you cannot actually be anything else, so just be the very best version of you.

4. Be glad that you did and don't wish that you had; have no regrets and seize every opportunity.

5. Be decisive; it is better to make a decision than not. When you make a decision, at the very least it will move you from where you are now.

6. Be happy with what you have and not unhappy with what you haven't.  Gratitude is a free gift.

7. It's OK not to be OK and sometimes take time out for yourself.  No-one expects you to wear a cape; you’re human!

8. Ask really good questions that are powerful and insightful.  Be exciting and explore; curiosity is the key to growth

9. Be curious and not judgmental as there's always another side and another perspective; remember that what’s true for you, may not be the truth

10. Enjoy being flawsome, which is the ability to be comfortable in being perfect with imperfections

11. There are three types of people in the world; those that make things happen, those that let things happen and those that wonder what happened.

12. Always be looking for things you can be passionate about; what lights you up and keeps coming back into your thoughts and consciousness.

13. A good business is driven by purpose, passion and profit in that order.  It’s never about the money!

14. Know your personal values and beliefs and make sure they are intrinsic and not extrinsic.  Find things that align to your true fulfilment and happiness.  Fulfilment and happiness are achieved once you stop worrying and remove the things you think you haven’t got or need.

15. It's OK to question things and challenge things you don't believe in.  Stand up for yourself and be unique

16. Replace expectation with appreciation.  The best things in life are those that demand effort, commitment, grit and passion.  You’ll feel so much better about something if you’ve had to work for it

17. Getting anything done requires focus and discipline.  Only with focus and discipline can you drive action and actions create results

18. Be unconditionally happy and not conditionally happy.  You need nothing and you have everything; live now! 

19. Trust yourself first and others second.  Self-belief builds confidence and assertiveness; this forms trust in one’s ability

20. If you're not enjoying your journey you're going too fast as you're missing the view…….just slow down!!

21. Develop a strong back and a soft front.  Life is not straight-forward and is meant to be tough; that resilience will develop strength to protect yourself and others

22. Take action with every opportunity as you'll never know about the things you didn't do.  Don’t live with regret; have a story to tell when you're older.

23. What happens now influences what happens next.  Nothing happens without action and everything is connected

24. Values are the obedience to things that are unenforceable; make good values a habit of commitment

25. Beliefs are just opinions you've become dependent on.  Check that the dependency serves you and others in a positive way

26. The gap between vision and reality is governed by faith.  You have to believe!!!

27. If you don't like where you are…… move, you're not a tree.  If you don’t grow, you will die

28. Life is affected by the decisions you make, not the conditions you're in.  Be certain, even if you end up being wrong; you will always learn from your decisions.

29. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, so live in the moment.  The past is gone, so leave it there and the future is just a big guess.

30. Maintain perspective by focusing on the horizon and not the road.  Everything shall pass, both good and bad things, so keep your eyes on the destination, even if the direction feels off, you’ll get there.

31. A successful person is rarely the one who has the most but it is the one who needs the least.  Discard the things that you worry about; it’s all baggage and most of what you worry about never happens.

32. I might be wrong, but I’m not uncertain.  Be decisive and have an opinion, but remember it is just an opinion

33. Seek forgiveness and not permission.  The world is shaped by unreasonable people, who like to challenge the status quo and drive change.

34. Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of the wise

35. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  Sometimes, finding a compromise or an alternative may be the best option

36. Worrying is like holding an umbrella waiting for the rain and almost everything you worry about, never actually happens

37. Consistency is a saboteur of change, but should always be balanced, particularly when things are good or going well

38. Make change intentional and not passive - do it on your terms and only when you feel a change will improve things that really matter to you and those close to you

39. You only create the opportunity for change when you get uncomfortable.  Those moments of discomfort are just growth moments……have lots of them!

40. A lot of the time there are things that live upstairs in my head that are rent free.  Set the rent

41. Follow your heart – live with intuition and not obligation.  When you feel it, you may not be able to explain it and that’s perfect!

42. Be intentional with the direction of your life, not just the destination.  Enjoy the moments along the way; it’s what it is called life!

43. Goals are motivating factors to measure the direction of your journey and the speed of your progress

44. Take what you want, but make sure you pay for it.  You can have anything in life you want, but very little will be free

45. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.  Make a noise and get noticed

46. Becoming great is achieved by being relentlessly good again and again.  Small, repetitious actions will gain momentum and help you grow

47. Progress and success happens when intention meets action.  An idea will always be just that and a dream will always be in your sub-conscious, until you do something about it

48. Why work to achieve other people’s dreams and goals? Be your own entrepreneur!!

49. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is not.  Do not be idealistic and pretend.  Take adversity head on and deal with it; it’s meant to be

50. Follow me, I’m right behind you; be nice to everyone, we’re just humans

These nuggets, although concise, hold the potential to be catalysts for personal growth and change. They offer us signposts, guiding us towards a more meaningful and fulfilling life. They remind us that every day presents an opportunity to learn, evolve, and become better versions of ourselves.

So, which nugget are you carrying forward with you today? I invite you to share your thoughts, not only on the wisdom that resonated most with you but also on how you've begun applying these principles to your life. Have they made a difference in your daily experiences? Have you noticed changes in your perspective or actions?

I love being an entrepreneur and thrive on hearing people’s stories, so come and share your journey with me and let me know you’re own pearls of wisdom

Get in touch at piers@pierso.co.uk, call me on 073 666 55 666 or find me on Linked In.  I might be wrong, but I am never uncertain and I’ll certainly lend you an ear!