What are the Life Lessons most people learn too Late in Life?

There are many lessons that I want to share with you but the following are my favorites:

Invest In Yourself

• Health is wealth- There is no fun in life if we are seriously unwell. All money we have accumulated in our life also fails to get back our health.
• Less is more- Life is all about quality not quantity. You are lucky even if you have few true friends as when the adversities come then you got to know who are your true friends.
• Work hard Party Harder- No matter how hard you are working, always find some time to do things that makes you happy.
• Cultivate good Hobbies- A person who has a hobby is never alone. I love reading books, writing and analyzing difficult situations and these habits I have developed in the college.
• Utilize your College Time- It is the time when we figure out what we want to do in life. Whether we would like to startup a company or we would like to work for a MNC or a small upcoming company. It is not just about the degree you will earn.
• People- Life is all about People. So, wherever you go value people. Respect them, add value to their life through your association. I am trying to add value for those who are reading this. Thank you for being patient to read me.
• Network- Nowadays, it is more important that whom you know. It is not about buttering or greasing someone's palm. I am bad at networking because I considered this as bad. How stupid I was? It is the best thing you can do for yourself.
• Positive Attitude- Once a CEO asked two people whether they can do a job. It was an impossible task that the CEO was entrusting on them. The First person was honest about his feelings and told that it is not possible to get it done in the given time. The CEO called another person and asked the same question. He  answered that although it seems difficult but I am sure that I can do it with your support. The CEO nodded in affirmation. The second person asked for more resources and more authority to get the work done. The CEO agreed. Later, the second person really get that work done and the CEO informed everyone that the second person was having a Positive attitude and hence he trusted him more than the first one.

Some Myths

• We are not Hypocrites- No one is 100 % hypocrite but Everyone is a Hypocrite to a certain degree. It is pretty human. I often say that I am indifferent to appreciation or criticism but that is not 100% true. However, it is definitely true that I am less influenced by criticism or appreciation with respect to many who are in and around me. So, do check if any of your behavior is similar to me.
• Our Problems are terribly difficult- Our problems are not as difficult as it seems to us. Let me support this with justification. Time travel to your childhood and you would find that your biggest problems were doing homework, taking permission from Mom to go out to Play, Get a Candy, etc. Are they significant today? Ofcourse not. You will love to remember all those problems and it will make you smile. Similarly, 20 years down the line it will hardly matter if you got a plum job after college or you are jobless, if you have a gf/bf or not in college, if you have failed in the exams or have topped it. Meet me after 20 years and we will discuss your current problems over coffee.
• I am Good for Nothing-  Everything in this universe is for some purpose. Even the stone at the top of the mountain has some purpose. We are humans; maybe we have done something good in our previous lives and hence have been rewarded. So, never believe that you are Good for Nothing.    
  
  Crocodile cannot fly and Butterfly cannot swim- There is no point for the crocodile to feel bad that he cannot fly or the butterfly to feel bad for not being also to swim. Doesn't it makes sense. Same is with all of us. We just need to identify things which makes us happy.  
• I have wasted X years of my life- We feel that we have wasted our life but you know, nothing is wasted in this world. Do you know the story of bamboo tree?  It doesn’t show sign of growth in first four- five years. But, in the next one year it will grow rapidly. Now, the reality is that the growth doesn't occur only in one year, it happens over a period of 5-6 years. 
  
  During the first 5 years the growth of roots is happening and the foundation is getting stronger which let the bamboo to grow rapidly in last one year. Same is with all of us. We just need six months to a year to have a visible growth. All the years before that are definitely not wasted. Believe me.  Good experience gives you joy, bad experience build your character and personality. So, they both are equally important.  
• I don't have Natural Talent-  Galileo told that the earth moves around the sun. But at that time, Everyone  felt that he was wrong and people wanted to kill him. Everyone knew that  Earth was fixed and sun revolved around the earth, which was later proved wrong . Galileo was considered as a mad man all his life. The poor chap got all the recognition after his death. Even today all our textbooks are full with works of  Galileo. 
  
  You  can't do much about others  but can make Galileo your role model. Not only him, Abraham Lincoln was unable to win even a local election, all his life he failed in whatever he did. He failed more than us for sure and see one day he became the president of US. It was not luck but hard work. Remember the bamboo story. See it's working.   
• I am waiting for the perfect moment- There is nothing called perfect moment. Try to get the maximum out of whatever you have. Minimize Procrastination, and never wait for the perfect moment. Life happens when we wait for the perfect moment.
• I don't have zeal to learn- Larry Page invented Google and it became a dream company for many.  He just followed his passion. may be he was also not having the zeal to learn or work on the traditional subjects. So he created something new.
• It will not work out- Follow your heart and chase your dreams as they are worth it. There is nothing which can't work out even when the idea looks ridiculous to others. The key is that you must believe in the idea, that’s it. 
   
  In India, almost everyone loves cricket and is a cricket commentator. But, that doesn't stopped Harsha Bhogle from becoming a full time Cricket Commentator after his post graduation from IIM Ahmadabad. He must have been mocked for his choice of profession but he had passion for it and he pursued something he loved doing.
   
  If you are a Movie Buff - You can be an expert reviewer and can also earn and get paid for watching movies and writing reviews.

Secret Of Happiness

• There is no secret ingredient.
• Don't chase happiness as you can never achieve it. Rather, Chase your dreams, Follow your heart, Slow down a bit and smell the roses, Smile at a stranger, Make a pen friend, Call you Mom/Dad/loved ones and you will find happiness instantly.
• Saying that you don't have time to improve your thoughts is like saying you don't have time to stop for fuel because you are too busy driving. 
• The secret of Happiness is to find out what you love and then directing all your energy towards doing it.

PS- The inspiration for this answer is from a pen friend on Quora. We don't know much about each other but we share our thoughts and counsel each other. Thank you  for sharing your problem with me which helped me write this. :)

Please feel free to ping me if you have anything to ask. You can also check out various life lessons in the form of my quora answers and articles at the webpage Career Advice & Guidance