Life Lessons: How Our Mortality Can Teach Us About Life And Living

by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

It is so hard to lose someone who has meant so

We know when something’s off and we’re not the person we were meant to be.

You undoubtedly have faults, but they are not you.

where you discover who you really are—someone who is nice out of compassion rather than someone who is giving to get.

Even more challenging is to let go of defense mechanisms that helped us survive in childhood,

Tools that no longer work must be released. We must thank them and let them go.

At some point, you may realize that the burdensome role is not you, so you drop it.

You’re still a nice person, but you no longer feel obligated to make sure everyone else is happy.

You might realize that the role was a chore: “It’s great now that I don’t feel responsible for everyone’s happiness.”

You might realize that you are lovable just as you authentically are.

You might find that your actions came out of fear: fear of not being good, fear of not going to heaven, fear of not being liked.

You might realize that you were using the role to win trophies: “I always thought I’d become that person everyone loved and admired, b...

You might realize that it’s safe for other people to have problems, that they are on their path ...

Most of us have not committed criminal acts, but we do have to work through the darker parts of our personalities.

Who you are is unique beyond comprehension. But not until we discover who we truly are can we begin to celebrate our uniqueness.

Or ask yourself what you would do if no one was looking. If you could do anything you wanted, without consequences, what would it be?

What would you do if your parents, society, boss, teacher, weren’t around? How would you define yourself? Who is under all that stuff? That’s the real you.

He no longer felt he had to be the father he should be, and may have had to have been, back then. Instead, he could be the person he was inside.

Who you are is the purest of love, the grandest kind of perfection. You are here to heal yourself and to remember who you have always been. It is your guiding light in the darkness.

There is within each of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagining, for giving without seeking reward, for listening without judging, for loving unconditionally.

we’re actually drawn to the authentic. We like people who are real more than those who hide their true selves under layers of artificial niceties.

I loved him for being so real, so authentic. I would always feel that I knew where he stood and feel safe around him, because he showed his true self.

The grandest kind of perfection of who we are includes being honest about our dark sides, our imperfections.

Love has nothing to do with knowledge, education, or power; it is beyond behavior. It is also the only gift in life that is not lost. Ultimately, it is the only thing we can really give. In a world of illusions, a world of dreams and emptiness, love is the source of truth.

I realized that life is a gift, one I will not have forever.

And I will not have those I love around me forever,

It felt so good to have let go of the expectations, to stop trying to fix him and just love him as he is. And now that I’m no longer trying to make him perfect, I find that he’s very lovable just the way he is.”

Conditions on love are weights on our relationships. When we release the conditions, we can find love in many ways we never thought possible.

One of the greatest obstacles to giving unconditional love is our fear that the love may not be returned. We don’t realize that the feeling we seek lies in the giving, not in the receiving.

To open our hearts again, we must be open to seeing differently. When we close our hearts, when we are intolerant, it’s often because we don’t know what is going on with the other person.

Everyone on this journey we call life should have an experience of love. It ultimately doesn’t matter who or when or for how long you love. It just matters that you do. Don’t miss it. Don’t take the journey without it.’

But I fought past my mistrust and my fears.

Our lessons may come

from unexpected places, such as children.

We can begin by nurturing our souls, and having compassion for ourselves.

Do you nurture your soul, do you feed it? What activities do you do that make you feel better about yourself, that you’re really glad to have done?

When we love ourselves, we fill our lives with activities that put...

While you’re nurturing, have a little compassion for yourself, give yourself a break.

So many people call themselves stupid, or say they can’t believe they did that, or they’re an idiot. If someone else made a mistake, you would say, “Don’t worry, it happens to everyone, no big deal.” When we make the same mistake,

it means we’re a worthless failure. Most of us are easier on other people then we are on ourselves. Let’s practice being as kind to and forg...

Those three days were the longest of my entire life.

was truly blessed when the results came back saying that it was not cancer.

love is alive and tangible, living within us all. Love is our experience of the divine, of sacred holiness. Love is the richness all around us.

I’m happy I’ve been given the gift of life.

let’s make ourselves more worthy of being loved.

You were meant to find great joy and happiness with others.

Always remember that you are something special, just because you are.

You are a precious, unique gift to the world, whether you are successful in a career or not,

you are already whole.

if you want more romance in your life, fall in love with the life you have.

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