Answers to this question, posed to the OIC Community, bring life-tested advice your way!

The “Oh, I See” Community Speaks Up on How to Live Life Well

Here at OIC Moments, our readers are always learning and growing. They’ve amassed much wisdom from their life experiences and keep inspiring us with their insights!

So, when we asked for their best advice, we were not surprised to find a remarkable collection of life-tested wisdom.

Though each piece of advice expressed an individual’s truth, the collective wisdom of the community zeroed in on four essentials of life:

• Being happy

• Getting through the tough times

• Liking and investing in yourself

• Respecting others

With thanks to the OIC Community, we’ve compiled their wisdoms into a free ebook Good Advice from A to Z to help you live life well. May you find an “Oh, I see” moment or two in their wisdom, starting with a selection of their advice in this post.

Happiness Is What Counts

Angel Buffalino articulated why happiness is at the core of life:

“Be happy in whatever you do. Nothing else will matter if you aren’t happy.”      —Angel Buffalino

And Stephanie Owens suggested a quick way to find your smile when you’re blue:

But where does happiness come from?  No one mentioned money or status or material goods as the source. Instead, the OIC view is that happiness comes from attitude:

“My dad always told me, ‘Just BE HAPPY.’ Don’t whine and complain about things you can’t change. Don’t dwell on a bad situation. Just SMILE and you will instantly feel better. And when you feel good, good things will come to you.”   —Carl L. Smith, Jr.

To be happy, the community recommended some great approaches to life:

“Free your mind, cherish every moment, live, and enjoy your life.”                    —M. Bucarelli

“The advice I’ve always followed and continue to give: Listen to your heart.”   —Rhonda Best

“Save some of that ‘making everyone else’ happy time to make yourself happy.”   —Justine Gooding

Today in the field of positive psychology, pioneered by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, scientists are studying happiness to uncover ways it can be strengthened. This new science of happiness reveals that people, who turn positive behaviors like the above into habits, are happier. Find more on “The Habits of Supremely Happy People,” in this Huffington Post article.

Weathering the Storms 

One thing’s for sure in life—tough times will come your way. Christine knows that they are actually an important part of getting good at life. She said:

Venessa Kelly is a good sailor. In her life, she experienced the storm as well as the sunshine that followed:

“ ‘What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ is my favorite quote. I’m a widowed mom of two wonderful young boys. In the darkest time of my life, I’ve managed to overcome so much pain and sadness and gained the strength to provide for our little family and make us happy again.”                   —Vennesa Kelly

Just as attitude plays a role in happiness, the OIC community also saw a positive attitude as a powerful strategy for getting through the tough times:

“If you can’t change a situation, try changing the way you look at the situation.”   —Kim Mignella

What You’re Made Of

In advising on identity and personal growth, the community saw a balancing act! On the one hand, there were recommendations for liking yourself the way you are and staying true to yourself:

“My best advice for anyone is to be yourself, always—the only person you have to answer to is yourself, and nobody can take that away from you. You then can be your best critic, and you alone can rectify your own mistakes. Being just YOU is simply original and unique.”   —Anitha Kuppuswamy

On the other hand, many advised investing in yourself, pushing the limits, and seeking continuous improvement:

“My dad used to say, ‘Get yourself an education. You can’t lose it, and nobody can take it away from you.’ ”   —Barbara Mayes

“By attempting something really difficult and outside of your comfort zone, you will discover how strong you really are.”   —Serena Adkins

“Make mistakes. Make them often. But don’t ever make the mistake of not trying.”   —Anne

Finding the balance, it seems, is a uniquely personal decision.

A Matter of Respect

Amid the life advice from the OIC community, the most often repeated was to:

 Treating others as you want to be treated is a matter of respect. And the community advised on several DOs and DON’Ts:

“Be kind to everyone.”   —Bill Digiglio

“Be humble.”   —Leland Lee

“Never talk badly about others so they have nothing bad to say about you!”   —Melissa Mazzur

“When you stop expecting people and situations to be perfect, you can start to appreciate them for whom and what they are.”   —Susan Stickney

Relationships get stronger when respect is the basis. And that brings us back to happiness to which all the advice is related. Happiness is about feeling good and finding meaning in life, all of which comes to people who maintain good relationships, feel they are worthwhile, can make contributions, and are strong enough to get through tough times.

Enjoy the full collection of wisdom from the OIC Community in this free ebook. Download here:

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Photo credits—speech balloon graphic: © Carsten Reisinger/iStock; smiling man: © Siri Stafford/Digital Vision; woman in cafe: © Purestock; ship in storm: © Eric Gevart/Hemera; people sitting: © Getty Images; couple sharing tea: Thomas Northcutt/Digital Vision.