Realistic- they evaluate challenges, opportunities, situation realistically. They realise the complexities of the project when they plan, so they allocate time and resources judiciously.
Be realistic. You know that you have to do certain things. Don't be crazy that you can skip it. Like devoting time to family and friends, taking care of yourself and others, making that presentation, doing that assignment.
Gratitude- they show gratitude to things that have been granted to them. They enjoy the lil joys of life and go with the flow.
Folly- they realise that everyone including them have irrational desires and want incompatible things. We have mood swings and we are all perverts at some level. We are immature and irrational at times. He realises the folly of a human being. He knows that these things are to be accounted for in advance.
Humour- they laugh at themselves and at the situation when it don't turn out to be as planned. They don't cry about it. They welcome failure with a smile.
Politeness- they know it is very difficult to change people's mind or attitudes. They don't waste much energy on it. They don't interrupt other people in what they are doing. They don't give advice until asked for. They respect other people's choice. They rather search for things that others and them have in common.
Self-acceptance- they have come to terms with who they are. They know their weaknesses and strengths and they know how play with them. They don't self-loath but accept who they are, if they are nice then they work with that, if they are selfish they work with that. If they are lazy then they plan their work accordingly. They know what makes them tick.
Forgiveness- they realise people seldom mean what they say. They know the size of other people's ego and know that everybody is competing for their self interest in a world of scarce resources. They are slow to judge and anger bcoz they know that each one is a good and kind person underneath the exterior armor he has. They don't take things personally.
Resilience- they know the minimum they need to survive when push comes to shove. They realise the advantages of things like fame, relationships, money, power but also know that when most of these things are gone due to some calamity, life is still liveable.
Envy- they don't envy famous, rich, successful or talented people. They know that they don't have these things due to some logical reason like they didn't work hard enough, they didn't have the drive, they didn't have the resources. They also realise the role luck plays in people's life, they know that some people are born with advantages they know someone has to win the lottery. But they are never disheartened by someone else's achievements but rather they know that to do good in life they need to concentrate on themselves and not others.
Regret- We all have grown up believing that we will be famous, rich, healthy and have perfect relationships. We have grown up dreaming of a perfect life. But perfectionism is an illusion. It's enevitable, in life, to to make errors. No matter how much caution we take we will make bad decisions bcoz we will never have the whole information in correct time. Regret is unavoidable. But wise people realise that everybody is bound to this 'law of regret'. And there's nothing wrong in having a few regrets in life. We all are still stearing almost blindly in life giving our best to reach the light of hope.
Calm- they know that some turmoil is lurking just around the corner. They know that stress, anxiety are all part of life. Therefore they know that a day without stress is something to be celebrated about. A placid day should be enjoyed indulging in whatever they find peaceful, a lazy Sunday afternoon; a chill beer in the evening; reading a book; watching a movie with family.
Balance self-interest and the common good- they know that extreme altruism or extreme selfishness is not benefiting. You need to learn to balance both. Wisdom is Knowing when to get along and knowing when to get ahead.
They act on what they know is right- we all have a general sense of what is right and what is wrong. But a wise person knows to act on that intelligence. And if they don't know something, they don't crib about it rather they educate themselves in that area.
Self-discipline- the know the benefit of discipline. They know that we are barely evolved apes and we crave to lie on a tree branch not doing anything for the better half of the day. But what we planned needs to be done and to do that we need to wake up on time and work on time. We need to be our own parents.
They admit their mistakes and learn from them.
You don't know as much as you think you do. Wise people realise that.
They are patient. They give time to important decisions.
They know their priorities.
Optimism- they have an attitude that most life problems can be solved relatively easily than we expect. They know that we have a tendency of worrying to the point that out problem seems bigger than it really is. This is why they don't panic when crisis arise, they tend to try to find a solution then sulk over it.
Wisdom, just like your wisdom tooth, comes with age.
See the world in shades of grey, not black and white
See the big picture
