I love doing these because it forces me to rethink things, and each year as I am growing and changing I see things differently. These past few years have been a lot of growing, relearning, and releasing things. Honestly, I had a lot of reservations about posting this because I have been struggling with my age. I have been going back and forth on do I dig deep and go after my goals no matter my age. Or do I just work and do my hobbies? In the end, I decided I wanted to post this because age is just a number.
- Be yourself. Always! (Trust me, easier said than done. I still struggle with this because I am a people pleaser)
- It’s okay to ask for help. I hate asking for help, but we all need help.
- You deserve good things! We all deserve good things!
- You can rest & still get what’s yours. (This is my mantra or affirmation on days where I sit & watch tv all day!)
- If you don’t ask, you won’t receive it.
- Experience over things.
- Save money early. Start with your first paycheck.
- Failing is ok. You are learning what works & what doesn’t. Learn from it.
- Not everyone is your friend. Not everyone will like you, understand you, or support you. AND THAT’s OK!!
- If it makes sense to you, that’s all that matters.
- Practice gratitude daily. I struggle with this but I know that it will help me so much with my mental wellbeing. Practicing gratitude stresses me out because I don’t want to repeat things and some days in my depression it’s hard to be grateful.
- Boundaries are essential. Learn to set up them early. Even if they are family.
- Don’t hate. It takes too much energy to hate people. It’s only hurting you because most of the time that person doesn’t care.
- I’m 100% a walking cancer stereotype. #sorrynotsorry
- Mindset is so important.
- Develop a routine. Find what works for you and stick with it. AND it will change.
- You have everything you need to get started. You just need to do the work.
- Protect your peace.
- Learn to say no. If this is tough for you (because it’s VERY tough for me), tell them you need to check your calendar. This will give you the time to decide if you really want to do it.
- Invest in Yourself – See how I invest in myself here
- Screw What Other People Think of Yourself. It’s none of your business. I wish I embraced this earlier in my life.
- Everything Happens for a reason
- We are all on our own path. This is really hard for me because I compare myself to others more often than I would like to admit.
- Forgive yourself for the decisions you made in the past. You are not that person.
- You don’t need to see the staircase. You just need to see the first step. I know I am full of cliches, but this is so true! I don’t need to see where I am going, but just need to take the first step.
- Small steps. Don’t try to overhaul your whole life at one time. Start with one thing then move to the next thing.
- Listen without trying to respond. Just listen to what they are saying.
- Surround yourself with people who believe or think differently than you. You can agree to disagree. You can learn from each other.
- Time heals almost everything. Just give yourself time.
- Read every day. I try to read at least 10 pages every day.
- There is a lesson in everything – good or bad.
- Make time for fun, relaxation, etc. You do NOT need to do something EVERY SINGLE MINUTE you are awake!
- Travel often. It doesn’t have to be far. Become a tourist in your own town.
- Never stop learning.
- Just do the thing you are scared of. There are so many things that I put off because I thought it would be hard or tough. It turned out to be so much easier than I thought.
- Get outside.
- Never leave things unsaid. I recently said to someone. If it’s not going to work out, I would rather know that I said everything I needed and wanted to.
- Progress over perfection.
- Don’t things personally. Rarely, no one is thinking about you. We all have our own stuff.
- Make yourself a priority – physically, emotionally, spiritually. If you don’t make yourself, no one else will.
- It’s never too late to start over or pursue a new dream. You can reinvent yourself over and over.
Check out other lessons:
- 20 Lessons in 20 Years
- 30 Lessons in 30 Years – from the Minimalists
- 40 Lessons in 40 Years – from Jen Merckling
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