What 50-year-olds know that 20-year-olds often dont

What 50-year-olds know that 20-year-olds often dontWhat 50-year-olds know that 20-year-olds often dontHere are some lessons Ive learned during my half century on this planetBe kind. The benefits of being kind- or at the very least curteous- far outweigh the effort you put in. Do random acts of kindness. Compliment someone. If a retail or food-service worker makes a mistake, be understanding and patient. Kind people live longer than unkind people.I know myself better than anyone else. I dont let anyone elses opinions control what I do, what I wear, or what I say. Otzu sich peoples opinions are suggestions- take them or leave them.Everyone else is as worried and insecure as you are. Some people just hide it better. It doesnt mean that they are any smarter or better than you.Laugh it off. If you make a mistake, fall down, or do something dumb, just laugh it off. Other people (and you) will forget it a lot faster if you just let it roll off your back. EVERYONE makes dumb mistakes. Everyo ne. You arent alone, and you arent the biggest idiot in the world. Give yourself a break.Fitting in is highly overrated. Be you. Confidence is sexy. Besides, great leaders didnt get where they are by following the crowd.Dont stay in a bad relationship, even if its for the kids. Oftentimes, kids really thrive outside the bounds of a toxic relationship.Its just stuff. Sure, stuff gets broken- oftentimes accidentally by people you love- and thats annoying. But your stuff can be replaced. You can never erase the hurtful words you say to the person you love, because they broke your stuff. Stuff is never, ever as important as those you love.Youre probably a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for being.Dont judge. You dont know all the facts. That lady speeding down the road with her toddler unbuckled in the back seat may be panicked, heading for the hospital for an emergency that you cant see. That big kid having a tantrum in the store may be on the autism spectrum, and is having a melt down, which he/she hates as much as you do. The fat lady in the bikini may have lost 100 lbs so far, and shes pretty darn proud of what shes done. Dont shame people for smoking, drinking, or being fat. We all have our faults and bad habits. As a pretty famous guy is alleged to have said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.Never lose your inner child. Dance. Sing. Skip. Tell poop jokes (not to strangers, though). Go down the slide. Bounce at the bouncy house, if the attendant says adults are welcome. This is an advantage to being older. When youre 20, people often think youre too old to do these things, but when a 50-something does them, its charming. And if people think its dumb, screw them. See 2 above.Dont make major life decisions to please other people. Maybe your parents expect you to go to college, but you just want to go to trade school and become an auto mechanic, because thats where your heart is. Or maybe (as in my case) your parents dont want you to go t o college, but you really want to be an attorney. Live life for YOU. The world needs good auto mechanics and good attorneys. Itll all work out.Dont beat yourself up about stuff. Do what you can to fix your mistakes, then move on. Guilt is only good for pushing you toward making things right again. After that, it becomes shame, and shame is a toxic substance which will eat you up inside. Same for worry.Enjoy life. Literally, stop to smell and admire the flowers. Wonder. Smile at strangers and see how many you can get to smile back. Have fun.Life goes by really, really fast. Live each day so that, at the end, youre reveling in how amazing your life was, not regretting all the things you did or didnt do.Life is better after 50.This article first appeared at Quora.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.What 50-year-olds know that 20-year-olds often dontHere are some lessons Ive learned d uring my half century on this planet1. Be kind.The benefits of being kind- or at the very least courteous- far outweigh the effort you put in. Do random acts of kindness. Compliment someone. If a retail or food-service worker makes a mistake, be understanding and patient. Kind people live longer than unkind people.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more2. I know myself better than anyone else.I dont let anyone elses opinions control what I do, what I wear, or what I say. Other peoples opinions are suggestions- take them or leave them.3. Everyone else is as worried and insecure as you are.Some people just hide it better. It doesnt mean that they are any smarter or better than you.4. Laugh it off.If you make a mistake, fall down, or do something dumb, just laugh it off. Other people (and you) will forget it a lot faster if you just let it roll off your back. EVERYONE makes dumb mistakes . Everyone. You arent alone, and you arent the biggest idiot in the world. Give yourself a break.5. Fitting in is highly overrated.Be you. Confidence is sexy. Besides, great leaders didnt get where they are by following the crowd.6. Dont stay in a bad relationship, even if its for the kids.Oftentimes, kids really thrive outside the bounds of a toxic relationship.7. Its just stuff.Sure, stuff gets broken- oftentimes accidentally by people you love- and thats annoying. But your stuff can be replaced. You can never erase the hurtful words you say to the person you love, because they broke your stuff. Stuff is never, ever as important as those you love.8. Youre probably a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for being.9. Dont judge.You dont know all the facts. That lady speeding down the road with her toddler unbuckled in the back seat may be panicked, heading for the hospital for an emergency that you cant see. That big kid having a tantrum in the store may be on the autism spectr um, and is having a melt down, which he/she hates as much as you do. The fat lady in the bikini may have lost 100 lbs so far, and shes pretty darn proud of what shes done. Dont shame people for smoking, drinking, or being fat. We all have our faults and bad habits. As a pretty famous guy is alleged to have said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.10. Never lose your inner child.Dance. Sing. Skip. Tell poop jokes (not to strangers, though). Go down the slide. Bounce at the bouncy house, if the attendant says adults are welcome. This is an advantage to being older. When youre 20, people often think youre too old to do these things, but when a 50-something does them, its charming. And if people think its dumb, screw them. See 2 above.11. Dont make major life decisions to please other people.Maybe your parents expect you to go to college, but you just want to go to trade school and become an auto mechanic, because thats where your heart is. Or maybe (as in my case) your pare nts dont want you to go to college, but you really want to be an attorney. Live life for YOU. The world needs good auto mechanics and good attorneys. Itll all work out.12. Dont beat yourself up about stuff.Do what you can to fix your mistakes, then move on. Guilt is only good for pushing you toward making things right again. After that, it becomes shame, and shame is a toxic substance which will eat you up inside. Same for worry.13. Enjoy life.Literally, stop to smell and admire the flowers. Wonder. Smile at strangers and see how many you can get to smile back. Have fun.14. Life goes by really, really fast.Live each day so that, at the end, youre reveling in how amazing your life was, not regretting all the things you did or didnt do.15. Life is better after 50.This article first appeared at Quora.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste im bunde Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people