6 lessons that I have learned

1. Time=Wealth
By far the most important lesson that I have learned is that your time is all you really own in life. And the more you go about your daily life, the more you realize that your most extravagant possessions can’t match the satisfaction you get from finding new experiences, meeting new people, and learning new things about yourself. “Value” is a word we often hear in day-to-day life, but I have learned that it is not pegged to a cash amount, that the best experiences in life can be had for the price of showing up (be it to helping a friend out, or a sunrise ten minutes from your home).

Scientific studies have shown that new experiences (and the memories they produce) are more likely to produce long-term happiness than new things. Consider ways you would want to spend the only thing that is really called your own. Spend less time working on things you don’t enjoy and buying things you don’t need; spend more time embracing the kinds of activities (learning new skills, meeting new people, spending time with friends and family) that make you feel alive and part of the world.

2. Be where you are. Embrace what is around you.
I encourage you all every time you are in a situation to fully force yourself in embracing the moment. Learn to appreciate the privilege of witnessing life as it happens before your eyes.

At home, how often do you really need to check your email or your Twitter feed? When you get online, are you there for a reason, or are you simply killing time? For all the pleasures and entertainments of the virtual-electronic world, there is no substitute for real-life conversation and connection, for getting ideas and entertainment from the people and places around you. Even at home, there are sublime rewards to be had for unplugging from online distractions and embracing the world before your eyes. Instead of passively learning about people's lives and reading about them, try and go out and experience life WITH them.

3. Slow Down
All too often, life at home is predicated on an irrational compulsion for speed — we rush to work, we rush through meals, we “multi-task” when we’re hanging out with friends. This might make our lives feel more streamlined in a certain abstracted sense, but it doesn’t make our lives happier or more fulfilling. Unless you learn to pace and savor your daily experiences (even your work-commutes and your noontime meals) you’ll cheating your days out of small moments of leisure, discovery and joy. Next time when you get a chance to spend time with someone or go to an event slow down and enjoy the moment, you'll be surprised on all the subtle cues and gestures that you've been missing out on.

4. Keep it Simple
abiding by the principles of simplicity can help you live in a more deliberate and time-rich way. How much of what you own really improves the quality of your life? Are you buying new things out of necessity or compulsion? Do the things you own enable you to live more vividly, or do they merely clutter up your life? Again, researchers have determined that new experiences satisfy our higher-order needs in a way that new possessions cannot — that taking a friend to dinner, for example, brings more lasting happiness than spending that money on a new shirt. In this way, investing less in new objects and more in new activities can make your life happier. This less materialistic state of mind will also help you save money for your next journey.

5. Don't set limits
Overcoming your fears and escaping your dull routines can deepen your life — and the open-to-anything confidence can be utilized to test new concepts in a business setting, rejuvenate relationships with friends and family, or simply ask that woman with the nice smile if she wants to go out for coffee. In refusing to set limits for what is possible on a given day, you open yourself up to an entire new world of possibility. Remember you only get to live once in this world so do not live your life in fear, learn to take calculated risks and appreciate everything that comes at you, both the good and the bad.

6. Being alone
Being alone forces you to interact with people around you in a manner that you wouldn't be able to do if you had a friend accompanying you. It's very easy to go to a party or an event and fall back on the safety net of a friend when there is nobody you know around you. However going into unfamiliar territory on your own convinces you to reach out to those who you are unfamiliar with. Back in high school I would go downtown to take ballroom lessons on my own, not only did I learn how to ballroom. I had the opportunity to learn more about the instructor's life and her views on various subjects. I would of never thought to talk to Karen about anything if I went with a group of friends. Eventually I even got free lessons from her, which is always a plus, because who doesn't like free stuff? Being alone allows you to self reflect on yourself and expand your horizons. Do not be afraid of going on an adventure on your own, you can learn many things about yourself and others in doing so.