I’m at a point in my life where I have lived enough “adult years” to start seeing certain patterns and cycles – long enough for me to understand the past, and to apply it to the future.
For example, I’m someone who sets himself ambitious goals, on even more ambitious timelines. The thing I realized in my life is that I usually get to the things I want, I just don’t get to them on the timelines that I originally envisioned. Having seen this pattern play out over and over again, I have come to phrase this as one of my life’s truths: “I get to all the goals I set myself, I just need longer than others.”
A “truth” in this case is something that you know to be true for you and your life. It’s a principle that applies to you, and one that you can fall back on whenever you need to make sense of what’s happening in life. It can also be something you apply to the future as a way to prepare yourself.
Another pattern I have come to realize is how I behave after break-ups. I have been through enough break-ups to have recognized a specific pattern around how I deal with the break-up – both in terms of how I process it emotionally, and in terms of the narrative I build in my head. Since I have seen this play out over and over again in the past, I have been able to take that lesson and can now apply it looking forward. I can predict the cycles I am going to go through, and thus be better prepared. ,
Being able to articulate one’s own truths is powerful and self-empowering. It’s a sign you are going through life with open eyes, with a reflective mind, with the ability to learn from the things that happen to you. Knowing my truths has also helped me feel less stress because I am more aware of my actions and patterns. If you can, start a mental list of what your truths are, the things that you know to be truth in your life.