39 Years of Lessons, Quotes, & Thoughts

change fierce gratitude life balance self-care Jul 09, 2018

39 Years of Lessons, Quotes & Thoughts…

Today is July 10th and it is my birthday.

It's funny, growing up birthdays were never a big deal so even now, at 39, it feels a bit strange to announce, "It's my birthday!"

Sure, I had parties and cake, but nothing too special... well, except for my 10th birthday which was epic! A slumber party, a cake that looked like a hamburger, staying up 'til midnight, and a white Swatch watch... yeah, that was a big one.

But, here I am, 29 years later realizing that I only really started celebrating in the last few years. I actually used to pride myself on working on my birthday, demanding no one bought me any gifts, and purposely not making a fuss of it.

Why? Well, I guess there could be a million reasons but I believe it mostly comes down to not wanting to be boastful or proud or one of those people...

But as I am learning to flip my mindset from lack to abundance, I am embracing my birthday as a big deal. It is a celebration of life, of experiences had, and memories made!

This year, as I stare at "I-am-almost-40" in the mirror, I chose to celebrate! I took a week off from work, got out of town, planned lunches and dinners, a massage and another trip… Yes! I am living it up this year!

And, I was inspired to share 39 years of lessons, quotes, and thoughts that have impacted my life, or at least the ones I can remember so far in my 39 years, in hopes that you will find some inspiration to celebrate the deliciousness of your life too!

39 Years of Lessons, Quotes, & Thoughts...

39. When it comes to being present, kids are our best teachers.

38. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness.

37. “Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life.” ~ Noortje de Bijl

36. Give yourself what you need so you can give those you love what they need.

35. If we recharged our relationships as often as we recharged our phones, our lives would be dramatically different.

34. Practicing self-compassion increases compassion for others 10-fold.

33. Empowered women, empower women.

32. “The cure for anything is salt water...sweat, tears, or the sea.” ~ Isak Dinesen

31. If salt water doesn't cut it, then coffee and/or wine can usually do the trick.

30. At the end of the day, it’s what you gave that counts the most.

29. Courage is less about grandiose gestures and more about showing up day-to-day through our own vulnerabilities.

28. “Being powerful is so much more interesting than being beautiful.” ~ Helen Mirren

27. Home isn’t a physical space but rather the feeling created by those you share it with.

26. A picture can say a thousand words and silence can be deafening.

25. It’s only failure if you quit trying.

24. Drink water. A lot of it. And then drink some more. And, probably some more after that.

23. It turns out that airline stewardesses gave us some of the best advice for life, “put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others.”

22. “You can’t have butterfly conversations with caterpillars.” ~ Soni Masur

21. We are all multifaceted diamonds and it is our many sides, flat surfaces and aspects that allow us to shine.

20. Sometimes we have to step backwards in order to move forward.

19. Green is good! Veggies, tea, plants, grass, avocado, nature...

18. Only YOU can define what success is for you.

17. You can’t make everyone happy. You aren’t pizza.

16. The REAL workout begins when you feel like quitting.

15. Nike has summed up everything we need to do in most areas of our lives with 3 little words, “Just do it.”

14. Most answers reveal themselves through doing not thinking.

13. “If you only walk on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination.” ~ Paulo Coelho

12. “When something goes wrong in your life, just yell ‘plot twist!’ and move on.” ~ Joy of Dad

11. “You are what you eat so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake.” ~ Unknown

10. “Perfectionism [doesn’t] lead to results. It leads to peanut butter.” ~ Brene Brown

9. Finally taking off your sweaty sports bra after a workout can pretty much make your day!

8. Sometimes it is only when we surrender to the fact that we might not get something that it actually floats into our lives.

7. The natural mechanism of breathing reminds us that if we want to survive, we eventually have to let go.

6. It doesn’t matter what size your pants are, how much weight you can lift, the number on the scale or how fast you can run. What does matter is showing up anyway.

5. “She remembered who she was and the game changed.” ~ Lalah Deliah

4. The cracks in a broken heart is where the most beautiful light gets in.

3. Turning on your favorite music and dancing around like a complete fool is some of the best medicine there is!

2. Everyone’s journey is beautiful and unique and we are all trying to get to the same place: where we are happiest, most alive, and most like ourselves.

1. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~ Unknown