"What I Learned About Life" -Paulo Coelho

I came across one of Paulo Coelho's poems on Tumblr the other day and it stood to be so relevant to college life, and life in general as you grow older and surpass your younger years.

"What I learned in life is, ... 

It takes years to build trust and only seconds to destroy it ..
We don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.. 

The circumstances and the environment influence on our lives,
but we are the one who responsible for ourselves..
That you have to control your acts or they will control you..

That sometimes the person you think will hurt you and make you fall..
Is instead one of the few who will help you to get up.. 

You should never tell a child that dreams are fake, it would be a tragedy if they knew..

The best kind of a friend is the kind in which you can sit on a porch and walk…
Without saying a word & when you leave it feels it was the best conversation you ever had. 

It’s true we don’t know what we have until we find it, but it's also true,
we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.. 

Don’t look for appearances, they can be deceiving, don’t go for wealth even that can fade,
Find someone who makes you smile, because it only takes a smile to make a day better..

Dream what you want, go wherever you want to go.. because you have only one life..
and one chance to do the things you want to do .." -Coelho

I pulled a few of the stanzas out of the poem that really stood out to me and that I also think are super relevant to all of us college kids. I have come to the realization lately that this really is the time when you have to figure out your life, and let go of all of the things in life that aren't advancing you forward and that aren't helping you take the path that you want to pursue in life. The poem discussed that the best kind of friend you can have is one who you can sit with at any time of day and just be comfortable with their presence; even though words may be absent, you still feel content and secure. I have been finding this particular part of the poem to be especially true. You find out sooner or later in college that your real friends aren't the ones that hit you up to party all the time or anything of that nature, but the ones that stay up and talk to you at 2 am when you're stressed about your presentation tomorrow and the ones that always enjoy your presence and continue to life you up throughout each day of your life. Another reason I love this poem, is because it really touches on almost every aspect of life and ultimately brings you to find the conclusion that you are the one that controls your future. It states that sometimes you have to give people a chance, and they may surprise you. After all life is all about surprises, you never know what can happen, just always make sure that you're trying to set yourself up for the right path by proceeding with things that benefit you and continue to move you forward through life!

PS. If anyone went to the Chainsmokers last night, I hope you had just as fabulous of a time as I did! Have a great rest of the week!!