#50Lessons in 50 Years

#50Lessons in 50 Years

1. People are awesome and people suck – in order to know the difference always pay attention to the actions not the words.
2. Love is awesome. And in order to receive it – give it without strings. None.
3. Kids are awesome. They change your life forever. It is like having your heart walk around outside of you for the rest of your life.
4. When you experience pain (of any kind) there is always a lesson or learning greater than that pain – don’t miss it.
5. Family matters. And blood and marriage have nothing to do with it. Create an awesome family for yourself.
6. Mistakes happen – celebrate them and learn from them.
7. We all have a part in the problem at hand – ask yourself: What’s my part? Be responsible for your part. Say I’m sorry. It will make for an awesome, honest life.
8. Walk your talk. Never ask anyone to do something you have not done.
9. If you say you are going to do something – do it. Whether you make that commitment to someone else or yourself. Make your words always match your actions. This is integrity.
10. Laugh out-loud daily. Life is full of humor and blunders. Find them in yourself. Look in the mirror and laugh at life’s absurdities.
11. Mistletoe is for year round – hang some. Hug and kiss daily!
12. Be quiet a little bit every day. Listen. This is the only way we learn deep lessons.
13. Move your body daily first thing every day. It is how you care for it. Keep it simple. Do it!
14. Put food into your body every day that is from the dirt.
15. Go to sleep grateful every night. There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.
16. Live with intention. Choose consciously how you want to live each day.
17. Connect with those you love regularly any way you can.
18. Silly is good for the soul.
19. ‘Listen with your eyes’ when those you love speak to you any chance you can.
20. Life is not about happy all the time – it is about deeply feeling all feelings that come our way.
21. When a tough things happens… be with it but don’t let it rule you.
22. Crying is healthy. Tears cleanse the soul. Never let someone tell you not to cry.
23. Your feelings matter. And no one should tell you how to feel – ever.
24. Play and doing what we love is our real work.
25. Figure out a way to play every day or better yet, get paid for it.
26. Weather is awesome – all of it. I love it especially on my face: sun, rain, wind, snow….
27. Animals have amazing messages for us if we pay attention.
28. Honor our elders, if not for them, we would not be here.
29. Learn from everyone, some teach us how to be and others teach us how not to be. (Thank you my love)
30. Have Goals – not obsessions. Work toward them regularly.
31. Have a vision for your life – hold it gently. It is just a guide – not a destination. It informs you daily on what to do and how to be.
32. Money is a tool – give it no more power than that. Respect the tool. Earn it by adding value to the world – the world responds.
33. Treat those in your home as kings and queens rather than the other way around…. We often treat strangers and acquaintances better than we do our own family… that’s backwards. Treat your family well. Create a home that is a safe haven for all. Home should truly be where our hearts are open for all.
34. A family is a team – be a team in all ways!
35. Real is the only way to be. Be authentically you in every aspect of your life.
36. I’ve only learned grace recently – it came from hard times. Therefore I must be grateful for them, grace looks good on all of us.
37. Everyone deserves a second change until they don’t.
38. Be a student of this thing called life. Value learning from living.
39. We have choice almost every minute about how we are ‘doing life’ – As long as we realize this we maintain our power as a human. Never give that power away. Choice matters.
40. Don’t buy other peoples stories about you that are not true. You know your truth stand firmly in your truth no matter what. Give the lie no energy – walk on.
41. The truth always reveals it self – in God’s time.
42. Bold is often needed; but the power of gentle is over looked.
43. Independence is for the Statue of Liberty. Interdependence is actually more appropriate for humans. We need each other to survive as a race.
44. Responsibility for all that we ripple out each day: actions, words, things, garbage, energy, impact – is my goal. That is to raise every persons awareness about how they live – because it matters.
45. Lean on those that can take it; we all need an inner circle we can depend on. Know yours and be grateful for them.
46. Life is hardly black and white, it is so much more grey.
47. When you make a toast, look that person (people) in the eye. Because. That is how it’s done, and it makes it have so much more meaning – even if it’s apple juice.
48. When you survive something really tough, reach back and grab the next persons hand that is dealing with that same thing. Because you can.
49. Leave people and places better than you found them if you can.
50. To know how someone feels, first take your shoes off before putting someone else’s on. (Thank you, Mom!)
51. BONUS: (Because it is who I am): Celebrate every day! YES! EVERY DAY!

Thank you for sharing in my 50th Birthday Celebration!