i mentioned the marcandangel.com website already before. they have really inspiring posts over there, which i visit every now and then for the latest stuff. this is the latest stuff: 111 lessons life taught us. 111 is a pretty big number so i narrowed the items down and grabbed those which tugged my heart a little more strongly than the others did. i’m sure there are other lessons there that you guys would appreciate that aren’t found here so here’s the complete list. =)

1. Spend more time with those who make you smile and less time with those who you feel pressured to impress.

2. No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

3. Laugh at stupid jokes. Apologize. Tell someone how much they mean to you. It’s the small moments that make life grand.

4. Life is way more enjoyable when you stop trying to be cool and simply focus on being yourself.

5. Start by asking yourself whether each of your relationships drags you down or lifts you up. Surrounding yourself with positive, loving people is half the battle of living a happy, successful life.

6. Too often we judge people on too little information. Instead of judging someone for what they do or where they are in their life, figure out why they do what they do and how they got to where they are.

7. I have taken noticed that the deeper I know about myself, the clearer I understand others.

8. People who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. They may take detours, but they’re never lost.

9. Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just hurts you more.

10. Embrace change. As uncomfortable as it is sometimes, change allows us to stretch and grow. New things feel awkward and scary at first, but those feelings go away, and you are left with something bigger and bolder in your life.

11. No matter how bad your heart has been broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief. The sun comes right back up the next day.

12. Spend less than you earn, go without until you have the money in hand.

13. Even when you feel like you have nothing, someone else likely has far less. Find them and help them. You’ll see why.

14. Marriages evolve and change. The feelings you had for the man or woman you married will mutate and evolve several times over the life of a marriage. Hopefully you will evolve in the same direction or at least embrace and accept the changes in the other person. It takes work, and sometimes it takes counseling. Don’t gloss over those changes or you may wake up next to a stranger one day.

15. Negativity breeds more negativity. When you focus only on the negative, obviously that’s all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you’ll look for the negative side of things.

16. It’s not so much what you say that counts, it’s how you make people feel.

17. Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.

18. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

19. Your ability to select a suitable spouse will greatly influence your financial and emotional well-being. Three common sense guidelines: 1. Pick someone who’s a joy to be around and who makes you happy. 2. Know the person well. 3. Ensure compatibility beyond physical attraction because beauty and youth are fleeting, while the mind and heart endure.

20. If you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop. You’re on to something big. Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.

21. Sooner or later, you just want to be around the people who make you smile.

22. Forgiving yourself is far more important (and difficult) than getting others to forgive you.

23. Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.

24. You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. Some people are just better at hiding them than others.

25. There is nothing to hold you back except yourself. There is only one question to ask yourself here: “What would you do if you were not afraid?” Think about it.

26. No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.

27. Be vulnerable. Allow yourself to feel, to be open and authentic. Tear down any emotional brick walls you have built around yourself and feel every exquisite emotion, both good and bad. This is real life. This is how you welcome new opportunities.

28. Take a step back to gain some perspective. Usually when we’re worried or upset, it’s because we’ve lost perspective. In the grand scheme of things, this one problem means almost nothing.

29. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.

30. Experience life before you settle down. Whatever it is you want to do or experience, do as much of it as you can before you have children. Especially travel. Live in a hostel in Costa Rica for a month or drive across the country from coast to coast if you have to. But go have some really great, amazing, mind-blowing experiences.

31. If you’re smiling right now, you’re doing something right.