I turned 50 this week. Wow! What?!? I can’t believe this happened. I do NOT FEEL 50…until I do. Then I feel all of 50.
When I turned 40, I wrote out 40 things I have learned. So to extend the tradition, I thought I would revised it and post another list. This time, with 50 lessons. So here goes…
Always wear clean underwear. Or none at all. It doesn’t matter.
Take care of your teeth.
Take care of your health.
Take care of yourself. Hair. Eyes. Skin. Mental health. It’s all important.
Eat the rainbow. Not skittles. Fruit. Vegetables. Clean food.
Don’t forget to drink water.
Move. Everyday if you can.
You don’t have to explain your choices to anyone. Only you have to answer to the decisions you make.
Find some grace. For yourself. For others. It will serve you well.
Budget for things. I wish I could say I have mastered this, but I am learning.
Expect the unexpected. In all areas of life. Plot twists will happen often.
Do not forget how to have fun.
Know when to be serious.
Learn how to read the room.
Find the sunshine as often as you can.
Say yes more often.
Know when to say NO.
When you make a commitment to something or someone, follow through.
Be honest. Even when it hurts.
Learn how to like yourself. This is hard for most of us…
Don’t give up on love. It’s there. You just have to find it. It shows up when you are least expecting it. This is more true than I could ever tell you.
Be careful what you wish for.
Listen to your gut. Or your heart. Or whatever that niggling little voice is inside you. It know’s things.
Indulge a little. It’s okay.
Don’t discount the things you experience at a young age. You will go back to those little life experiences time and time again. They are the foundation of life.
Remember this when you are raising children. They take in more than you know.
Opportunity doesn’t always come in the shape you want it to. Sometimes it wears a serious disguise.
Floss your teeth.
Find a little balance.
Stop worrying. HARD STOP. Ninety Nine percent of the things you worry about are actually NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
Live with the stuff you love. Not the stuff people tell you to love. If you love comfy furnutre and barcaloungers, then get yourself a livingroom full of them. It’s your house and life. LIVE IT YOUR WAY!
Be wary of fads.
Be wary of people who tell you how you should think.
Do the research.
Love wholeheartedly and unabashedly. Stop listening to people telling you that you shouldn’t.
Surround yourself with people you want to be like. Remove the relationships that aren’t serving you. Edit your life often.
Give people a second chance. Maybe not a third. Or fourth.
Learn how to communicate well. How to talk. And, more importantly, how to LISTEN.
Don’t trust people who say they don’t like cats. Or dogs. They can prefer one to another. They can get what they like. But there is something seriously strange about a human who doesn’t like a specific kind of animal.
Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Keep trying until you figure it out.
There usually isn’t just one way to get somewhere. Stop taking the main roads.
Do your best. Every day. Wake up and commit that you will try harder. It’s okay if you don’t succeed.
There is a lot of life to be had offline. A lot of experience is out there.
We live in a great country. Voting is important. People have fought for this right. As in LOST THEIR LOVES FOR THIS. It is your duty to do this.
Children are harbingers of hope and joy and fear. Listen deeply to them.
Be patient. Be kind. Hold space for grace for yourself and others.
Connect with something bigger that yourself.
Take time to meditate. Or pray. Or breathe. It will do you a world of good.
Learn how to forgive.
Celebrate yourself. Every chance you get. All the things you’ve done. Because trust me…it’s more than you know.