1. Problems shouldn’t exist

People tend to fight against problems and try to deny or avoid them. But, problems are a regular part of life. No life is without problems. See the value in each problem. Learn from them and accept their inevitable existence in your life.

2. Searching for Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness. Many of us see happiness as connected to an external goal somewhere “out there.” They consider it a journey or search. But, the truth is that if you search for it, you won’t get it. Happiness is a choice, not a goal or destination.

3. The Mind is Uncontrollable

People think that they cannot control their mind. But, you can. The mind arises from experience with the senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Discipline yourself not to become lost in your senses, and you will have control over your mind.

4. Death is Distant

Death is a far away occurrence that has nothing to do with your life. It’ll happen one day but nothing to worry about. You can die at any moment. It’s with you always. Death is something we should keep in our minds to remind ourselves to appreciate every minute. Good or bad.

5. Doing Good Deserves Good in Return

How many times have you done something for another person, secretly expecting them to appreciate you or give you some recognition for your kind deed? You can control whether you’re a good person, you cannot control another person to act how you want them to be. That’s their business. Focus on what you can control.

6. Searching for Stability

A stable job, a partner you can count on, a friendly smile at the 7/11 every time. We look for stability in almost every aspect of our lives. It drives many of our decisions in life. But, nothing is stable. Everything is in a constant state of change. To try and cling to stability only ends in suffering, large or small.

7. Doing Good to Get Good

Many people, especially in Asian culture, do many things to get “Good Karma.” They’ll feed monks, pay respects to elders, and pop a coin in a beggars bowl, expecting these actions to be investments in their future where some good event will happen to them. Doing “Good” already benefits you. Your actions give you a sense of fulfillment good feeling and a healthy mind. But, only if you do Good without expecting anything in return

8. Protecting our Belongings

People think that they can keep and protect everything that belongs to them. They fight hard to maintain control of their possessions and spend a lot of time thinking about those things. In this world, nothing belongs to us. Not even our bodies. We can’t stop them from aging or becoming sick. We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. Ownership is an illusion.

9. Success is the Goal

Everyone wants to be successful in some way. They feel that they want to reach higher levels of employment, gain certain levels of recognition, or attain a specific amount of wealth. But success leads to suffering. When you chase success, you’re never satisfied. Once achieving one goal, you find another. It never ends. You’re never fulfilled in success.

10. Focus On Me

Most people think firstly about themselves before thinking of others. They feel that they’re the most important person in their life. But, once you think only about yourself, you lose your value in life. The way you are of value in this world is to be of value others. The more you think of others, the more valuable you become.