11 Most Valuable Lessons Learned in Life: Essay Ideas

Every fall, teens applying to college ask themselves the same well-worn questions. Who is my best role model…in an essay of 500 words. What experience have I learned the most from…in an essay of 500 words. It’s common to ask high schoolers about life lessons, but what are the 11 most valuable “lessons learned in life” essay ideas?

For this list, I’ve mined life lessons from a variety of sources, from contemporary writers and motivational speakers like Ashli Mazer and Barrie Davenport to Jesus Christ, Jane Goodall, and Edward R. Murrow. New York Times readers offered their own best life lessons and so did a poll of 2,000 parents in the United Kingdom. Many lessons came up again and again and I’ve ranked them based on frequency, awarding 1 point for each of the nine total source lists where that lesson appeared.

I was pleased to see that clichés like “things happen for a reason” or “always smile” were not widely cited. Human beings are smarter and more complex than cross-stitch samplers. And there are plenty of less common life lessons that don’t make the cut for the 11 most valuable but are good to keep in mind anyway.

The wisdom of Jane Goodall encourages us to be kind to the Earth and ensure our legacy in caring for the environment. One New York Times reader gives the great advice to avoid con artists and egomaniacs — even if they’re related to us. Barrie Davenport reminds us that our children are their own people and need to have room to grow and be themselves.

Some of the less common life lessons are bittersweet, like learning about the luck of the draw and that time and forgiveness help to heal our emotional pain. Being honest with yourself is a great life lesson but one that is often the most hard fought. Life is not about money, but life without money is incredibly hard and limits our choices and opportunities.

Just barely missing the list were many important ideas worth mentioning, too. Manners go a long way. Choose a good life partner. Learn to get along and to resolve your differences. Maybe one of these lessons will spark a memory that you know will make a terrific essay even though it isn’t one of the most common overall life lessons.

I remember my alma mater offering a very welcome “none of the above” prompt on its application form, and I remember stopping short at an outlandish prompt offered by a very prestigious university. The college essay has almost become a parody, with prompts themselves joining in on the joke. (Maybe you remember Rory Gilmore realizing in horror that all her classmates had also chosen Hillary Clinton as their role model topic — and she attended a school like one of the 10 most expensive boarding schools in the world.) But the college essay is real, and it’s required, and you have these role models, life experiences, or life lessons stored in your mind. They’re waiting to get out. If you’re someone with excellent prose, skip to the next part. If not… well, no need to wonder, “I need help to write an essay for me,” just seek online help from CustomWritings service. Time’s precious!

Just wait, though, because after you graduate from the college of your dreams, you’ll be faced with an interview question that makes every job seeker long for an insipid college essay prompt instead: What is your greatest strength, and what is your greatest weakness?

11. Learn from your mistakes — 5 points

There’s an old adage: “Never make the same mistake twice.” That advice isn’t always practical — you’ve probably Game Over’d many times on the same tough level, and eventually got through it. Learning from our mistakes isn’t instant or automatic, nor is it obvious what exactly we end up learning.

10. Give back — 5 points

Western society can get very hung up on the idea that charity is a matter of money alone, but giving back is a huge category. Think about how you spend your time as well as your money, and think about how your extra resources could improve the lives of others or simply brighten their day.

9. Don’t judge — 5 points

This idea is so simple yet so challenging to really do. What other people do, say, or believe generally doesn’t concern you. More than that, as a few lists also included, we should mind our own business. In a time when the microscope of social media is always pointed at everyone we know, it takes guts to step away and not engage. That choice to accept-not-except stands out in the 11 most valuable “lessons learned from life” essay ideas.

8. Put yourself out there — 5 points

The barebones archetype of putting yourself out there is asking someone on a date. It’s nervewracking and feels just as terrible every single time you psych yourself up to do it. But putting yourself out there is more than just romance — it’s applying for a challenging job, making a new friend, taking an improv class, and so much more. Without risk there is no reward.

7. Cherish your loved ones — 5 points

There were many versions of this lesson. Call your parents or grandparents more frequently. Work hard on the relationships in your life. Choose your life partner very carefully. The people we love deserve our full attention and we can honor them by our actions.

6. Never stop learning — 5 points

Each day is an opportunity to listen to people around you and gather information. Paying attention and learning new things will make you more productive and alert. Dive into challenging tasks or situations with an open mind that’s ready to learn.

5. Be accountable and resilient — 6 points

There is no perfect life; heck, there’s not even a perfect day. We could spend our lives trying in vain to prevent mistakes. But instead, think about what it means to bounce back. We need to be strong and tough, and we need to be able to persist despite our obstacles.

4. Treat others well — 6 points

The Golden Rule or some version of it shows up in virtually every culture in the known history of the human species. And we all benefit from an overall attitude of kindness and decency to each other. Unfortunately, this life lesson is usually learned after we treat others badly, but that makes it an ideal candidate for the 11 most valuable “lessons learned in life” essay ideas.

3. Believe in yourself and be authentic — 6 points

This advice works on multiple levels. Many teenagers will remember a time when they were phony to try to impress others, and even if it worked at the time, they knew it was all pretend. Being yourself, your real self, helps you feel comfortable and confident and makes a better impression on others.

2. Work hard — 7 points

If you believe what you read online, young people everywhere are suffering in the new “gig economy,” where jobs have fewer boundaries between your work and downtime and workers are more likely to complete tasks from their couches or beds. But human civilization has always involved hard work and lots of it.

1. When life gives you lemons . . . — 7 points

List after list made the same strong point: It’s critical to be able to roll with the punches and adapt your plans to your new circumstances. None of us can afford to make a plan A with no plan B, even if plan B is simply to go back to the drawing board. And wherever we’ve ended up can be so sweet after all.

You could think of an application essay itself as a lemon, and it’s a lemon you’re stuck with and must embrace. A phony or no-effort essay won’t make you seem cool and unconventional — it will get your file tossed in the “no” pile. Let’s make lemonade by thinking of our most valuable life experiences: the 11 most valuable “lessons learned in life” essay ideas.