We often treat life as something we have complete control over. Although this is a great approach to have, sometimes we can put too much stress on ourselves.

I agree that we are accountable for every action we do, but life is not just the actions we take. There are many parts of life where we have no control, such as the actions of others, ageing and physical processes like getting hungry.

Our lives, although massively within our control, have elements that are outside of our choices. And that is what makes it an experience to be had rather than a game to win.

After all, if it were only a sum of our choices, there would surely be an optimum way to play it. But that is not the case. We are all different and experience life in unique ways.

Even our very choices, once made, are outside of our control too. And they can come back to haunt us or bring us great rewards. There is not one moment in time where life is in complete control.

Those who try to do this tend to become very anxious and live life in a box. Whether we like it or not, there is too much uncertainty in life to try and keep it under restriction.

For the past couple of months, I have experienced this myself. Many things I was not expecting flew at me all at once. People were acting strangely, and I could not seem to get a good nights rest.

However, accepting life for what it was and allowing it to teach me brought me joy. I love learning new things and reading tonnes to grab knowledge. However, I have found that life can be a great teacher, if not the best.

Your Experiences Are Lessons and Sometimes Test

The way we govern our lives is often based on a posteriori. Meaning that we choose based on past experiences or observations we have made. For the most part, choosing in this way tends to keep us happy.

A perfect example is choosing not to eat something you dislike. From experience, you have been able to learn that you do not like the taste of something. Therefore, to keep yourself happy, you choose differently.

All of our experiences, whether in our control or not, can teach us something about ourselves. However, it is only those who seek to partake in self-reflection that gain joy from it.

Self-reflection is having a lesson from life itself. You can ask yourselves questions like:

• Why did I choose that way?
• Why did I respond in that way?
• What made me happy today?
• Is there a reason why I felt tired today?

All of these questions help us analyse our lives and learn something from our experiences. It is through indulging in self-reflection we become more aware of who we are. And in doing so, we are one step closer to happiness.

A life without self-reflection is a life that is not your own. You will never know what you want, where you seek to go and what brings you happiness. In the great words of Socrates:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Even so, some of our life experiences are tests life throws at us. More often than not, we have the privilege of finding ourselves in a similar situation to before. It may be the way someone has reacted to us or how people are behaving around us.

I take this as life’s way of testing if I have learned from past experiences. Like an exam that tests our memory, life also ensures that we are learning from time to time.

That may be deciding to make a better choice or handling a situation differently. So not only does life teach us more about ourselves, but it can also consolidate our learning through future experiences.

Life Teaches Us We Are More Than Our Experiences

The best thing about letting life be your teacher is that it shows us our resilience. No matter what life throws at us, if we are still living we have proven we are greater.

Yes, it can leave us with battle scars. And some of us even live in the past for a long time. But our very existence is proof that our experiences are not greater than us.

I have learned many things from life, but this has got to be the best of them all. Our ability to keep going and push despite our setbacks can leave us feeling more confident in ourselves.

Life has become my best teacher because it has allowed me to find who I am. It has given me an identity and allowed me to encourage others through my experiences.

Life Is Our Best Teacher

I think, for the most part, we are all on our own search for meaning. You may not believe in a God-given purpose or even a meaning for life. But that those not mean you do not try to pursue it.

We all want to leave this world feeling like our life mattered. We want to have made some impact and have had some influence on others lives. The joy of becoming a student of life is learning what brings that meaning to us.

Whatever it is, our lives show us who we are and who we can become. Choosing to enrol as a student of life was the best decision I ever made. I have now learned more about myself and believe I am one step closer to finding meaning.