Here are Joanne's "Five Rules For Life":
1.) Forgive but never forget.
To forgive others is to forgive yourself. Forgiving is also the first step to letting go of whatever emotions cloud your vision for a better future. Forgiving is necessary while forgetting is not because you have to remember the lessons you learn and not succumb to the same mistakes again.
2.) Face your sorrows.
Don’t deny and run away from pain, anger, sadness, or hurt. It’s alright to cry because you realise and relieve yourself of the bottled up feelings that you can’t put into words. I force myself to cry when I feel sad and I always feel better after jerking out buckets of tears and wailing at the top of my voice. Bottling up emotions will only lead to depression and it can be dangerous if not handled properly. Nobody is strong all the time - admit your weaknesses.
3.) Love yourself.
If you do not learn to love yourself you will never have the capability to love others; you need to know how to love yourself so you know what hurts. Always love yourself - it is the only path to learn to love others.
4.) Be solitary.
Everyone needs space and time alone. When you spend time with yourself you are able to realize more about your surroundings and take notice of every detail. Take some time alone and get out to smell the roses. Be courageous to boot loneliness out of your life and embrace being independent.
5.) Be selfless.
Nobody is perfect and selfishness exists in everyone - it’s just a matter of how deep one can go. But you can be the one that is near perfect. Be kind and help those less fortunate; happiness cannot be bought with money but can be achieved through lending a helping hand.
Joanne currently resides in Singapore.
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