Attentively listening is a lost art. It’s certainly much harder than it sounds.

People think they’re listening when they’re conversing with other people. But most of the time, we don’t truly perceive everything. At least not with our full, undivided attention. And all of us know how annoying it is when we’re talking to people only for them to talk over us, or when they’re simply not paying any attention.

We’re often just waiting to chime in, so we can take the spotlight during a conversation. Let me explain why active listening is important.

Why is that going through painful experiences, and hardships often makes us stronger in the end? That’s because these uncomfortable feelings spur us on to improve.

Let me explain why challenge leads to growth.

Why is it that the capable people typically get the best results in life, all the while seemingly getting over every hurdle that life throws on their path?

That’s because they’re qualified and capable. This is why competence is important. Because it makes you safer as a result.

What is the purpose of life? That’s an important question most of us have asked at some point in our lives, and have caused countless sleepless nights.

Well, there’s one overarching biological purpose of life. The survival of the species. And we know that the spoils go to the victor.

This goal might seem kind of simplistic and primal. But in reality, it’s a real clever and useful tool of human nature to ensure survival of not only the species, but also ourselves as individuals.

Avoidance behavior will inevitably lead to problems down the road. While it might feel good in the immediate present, it will only make things worse in the future.

This can become a vicious circle that’s especially hard to get rid of and will negatively impact your overall quality of life. That’s why we need to learn to tackle our issues head on instead of letting them grow out of control.

There are people out there who’s primary goal is to make your life as good and comfortable as possible, regardless of their own thoughts, needs, and feelings.

Yet, this fawning behavior can have severe negative consequences when taken too far.

That’s why we need to learn how to stop being a people pleaser. This is how to do it.

We have this notion that we should be instantly rewarded whenever we do something good.

When we don’t get this immediate gratification of our impulsive desires, we get the feeling that we didn’t get the payoff we deserve. This short term gratification that we so desire can be in the form of a compliment, a present, or anything else that brings us pleasure.

However, learning delayed gratification is necessary to become successful. This is why.

Ethics are hard to define since they’re abstract and manipulable by society. They’re not something concrete that we can physically detect with our own eyes.

Yet, ethics and human values in addition to our morals are important for society to remain well oiled. For example, telling the truth is the moral obligation of each individual to keep society from turning malevolent.

Equality is a topic that often gets brought up in these modern times. Especially the terms “equality of opportunity vs equality of outcome.”

I believe that an equal amount of chances is something we should strive for. Yet, I believe that striving for equal results is not desirable, not to mention impossible to achieve.