We've all heard a few pearls of wisdom over the years.

We probably started to hear advice (solicited or otherwise!) from a very young age. Most likely our parents were given these wise suggestions  by their parents and they subsequently passed them down to us. Always try your best... practice makes perfect...if at first you don't succeed try and try again...

It's true that I find myself repeating these phrases that I heard as a child to my own children. It's like a habit as a grown up and perhaps it's futile trying to point out the ways of the world to a 4-year-old who just wants to jump on the sofa but as a parent I will continue to do so in hopes that some of them sink in. And that's the thing, I think they do sink in but they don't really come into effect until you really really need them in life.

Sure, it's trendy to see quotes posted all over social media and online these days but I think the age-old pearls of wisdom stand the test of time whether or not it's through a post on Instagram or it's something that a friend or family member tells you in a time of need. They aren't just words they're ways of living in times when you need to dig deep to help yourself get through.

 Some of the pearls of wisdom that I had boxed away in the storing cabinet of my mind and pulled out of hiding as though it we're a tool to help me fix or solve a problem when I really needed it.

Taking it one day at a time - This is a phrase that you've probably heard hundreds of times throughout your life and you may or may not relate to it. For me this is a very powerful pearl of wisdom.

Have you ever faced something that was so difficult you were unable to see the future clearly? That maybe there was no light at the end of the tunnel or that you knew that it was going to get worse. You're frustrated, you feel a sense of hopelessness and you're kind of thinking what's the point? How are you supposed to face tomorrow or next week or next year with this going on in your life. Well, you take it one day at a time.

If the prospect of the future is just too daunting, you have the power to control the day that you are in right now. Maybe you can't control what's going to happen next week but you can control what you're doing in this day. And there's great comfort in that.

Enjoy the little things - Enjoying the little things in life goes hand in hand with taking things one day at a time. If I'm going through a really difficult experience in life I might not be able to think about what I'm going to be doing in the summer or planning  my next trip away but I can find some simple joy in the little things in life.

Okay so I'm not in Spain laying in the sunshine carefree reading a book but maybe it's a sunny day outside my home and I can turn on the radio and enjoy the music while I look at nature passing by my window.

Maybe you're not experiencing a really stressful time in life but it's a Sunday and you know you have to go back to work or school tomorrow and you're not looking forward to it, don't let your mind waste today thinking about tomorrow when it's not even here yet.  Do something you love.

I find happiness in so many little things now. Listening to music, taking a walk, reading a book, playing Lego with my kids... even taking a shower, washing my hair and putting on a face mask brings me lots of happiness. It's the little things.

Be Kind - To me this one sounds simple but I guess it doesn't come so easy for everybody. I think it's one of the most important pearls of wisdoms that we can instill in our children. I try and go through life in a way that is considerate to the people around me. As humans we face so many challenges. Even if I'm speaking to a stranger in the shop I don't know what they are facing in their life right now. It's very easy to be kind to people that are good to you but maybe it's more difficult to be kind to people that aren't so great at it themselves.

Maybe the ability to be kind is something that people have to work on if they have faced challenges in their own lives that have made them build their walls up higher and put them instantly on the defense. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone were kind...

Life is short - If I've heard this once I've heard it a thousand times. It does what it says on the tin. And I suppose it takes life to show you how short it really is. Which is probably the most devastating fact about this piece of wisdom. Maybe you don't have to go through something harrowing in your life to realise how short it is maybe you just have to grow older. Nevertheless the fact is, life is fleeting.

So what do we do with the fact that life is short?

We try and live life in a way that makes us happy. We are going to face really difficult times. We might not be able to look forward to the future. We might have lost our faith in humanity. Sometimes we'll have to take things one day at a time. Enjoying the little things is really important in living the life that you deserve. Be kind to others and be kind to yourself.

These are but a few of the many pearls of wisdom that help me get through this little thing called life. As I write this I think of dozens more but these are the ones that pop up all the time and help me navigate this crazy world.

So if you have a thought inside your head whispering a little piece of wisdom remember that these really are as precious as pearls.