One thing I know for sure is that if you’re not evolving you aren’t living full out. Here are a few lessons to help you, as they certainly have helped me!

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 47th birthday. When I was little, I would have said 47 was ancient!

However, now I can honestly say that at this age, I feel more vibrant, wise, full of life, confident, and more empowered than ever. I am also ready to tackle life’s next set of challenges because I know with triumph there are challenges which is a normal part of life. There are many lessons I’ve learned in my life, too many to share, so I thought I would start with 47 and share them with you.

Here they are! (in no particular order).

1. Life is a series of ‘nows.’ Now is all we have. When people say, take time to smell the roses, do it. Stop several times a day and savor every moment that you can with all your senses. This is how you can truly teach yourself to appreciate and be fully engaged in the moments of your life.

2. The mind needs as much exercise and training as the body. Learn how to meditate in the best way for you. Meditation is a mind exercise and there are many ways to accomplish this.

3. Toxic thoughts (and people) demolish careers, relationships, and communities. Recognize what you think and guard your thoughts as if your life depends on it, because it does.

4. Love yourself like your life depends on it. If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect to love anyone else, or expect anyone else to love you.

5. You deserve love, acceptance, and joy. Not because you worked hard or have a certain name or accomplished a certain goal, but because you are a lovable, deserving human.

6. Saying ‘NO’ needs no explanation.

7. Learn how to communicate. Master communicating effectively with compassion and candor. The key to all relationships and being able to get what you want and get where you want is communication.

8. Never apologize for who you are or what you’ve accomplished. Be confident. Be proud. Other people’s insecurities are not your problem.

9. Be your own party. Don’t rely on other people’s definition, nor need other people to have fun. Be your own fun.

10. In order to be truly free, you have to examine your own beliefs and values. Redefine your beliefs and values regularly and let go of any that were ‘given’ to you and no longer match who you want to be.

11. Pain is inevitable, struggling is optional. Struggling is not necessary for achieving growth and success. Choose to go with the flow and accept that pain and failure are temporary and part of the journey. Let yourself off the hook and move on. Struggling gets in the way.

12. Make friends, lose them, and let them go. Just because you were once friends, doesn’t mean you remain friends. People evolve or don’t.

13. Say I’m sorry. Being right isn’t as important as being kind.

14. Take responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. Know that you have responsibility in every conversation, relationship, decision, and interaction. When you take responsibility, you have an opportunity to heal, grow, free yourself from being a prisoner of your own thoughts, and leave an impact on others.

15. Your parents are not responsible for your decisions. They did the best they could. Even if they didn’t, they only worked with what they had.

16. Before committing yourself to a lifelong relationship with someone else, take the time to get to know yourself first. You’ll be a better version of yourself, you’ll be happier and a better mate for someone else.

17. Accept the rollercoaster of life. When you surrender to the ups and downs life has to offer, you can actually enjoy the ride and live a more present and fulfilled life, knowing you have the skills, tools and confidence to tackle what is next!

18. Guilt is a useless emotion. Learn, evolve, forgive, and move on.

19.Sabotage is destructive to your happiness. You sabotage yourself because you don’t think you deserve to feel good, to be free, or to get off the struggle hamster wheel. Stop it. You do deserve it. All of it! Quit Sabotaging.

20. Drink really great fresh artisan coffee!

21. Make your bed every morning.

22 Be curious, not judgmental. This extends to others as well as yourself.

23. Celebrate your wins and other’s wins, and celebrate often. No matter how big or small a win is, celebrate.  Your brain does not distinguish between big or little, therefore the more you celebrate and embrace how good it feels, your brain will seek more and help you create more to celebrate!

24. Be open to opportunities and seek them.  When you’re closed off, opportunity passes you by. Don’t regret missed opportunities, live in the now, be vulnerable, and embrace opportunities, no matter how scary.

25. Drink lots and lots of water with electrolytes. Remember, your brain consumes 20-25% of your daily calories and is made up of 70-75% water…water is very important!

26. The best gift you can give to yourself and others is the gift of attention. Fully pay attention to details and the nuances of yourself and others. Appreciate every little detail, even if you don’t like them all.

27. A long walk will help you clear your head and attempt to solve any problem you’re facing. Mental well-being is critical.

28. Get lots of sleep. If you’re tired, sleep. There are too many benefits of sleep to list, but the best summary is your brain and body need lots of sleep to have a vibrant life.

29. The brain gets bored. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It just means you need to try new things and change how you approach the same routine and tasks. Take a different way home. Re-arrange your morning routine. Fast instead of eating breakfast. Just changing a few simple things will help your brain become re-engaged.

30. Give generously and have a service mindset. Always be willing to serve others. This doesn’t mean sacrificing all you have or who you are, just give.

31. Money is important. And is important for happiness. Saying this doesn’t make you greedy or bad, it makes you honest. Money is essential to take care of your family and to make the impact you want to make in the world. Without money, you cannot do either.

32. Find a mentor and pay them for their knowledge. Then find someone to mentor to help you reinforce and strengthen your knowledge.

33. Don’t lend money to family. If you want to help out a family member, instead of lending, give it, openly and generously without attachments.

34. The best investment strategy is to understand the time value of money. Nothing can replace time. Sometimes you can time investments correctly, but the only sure bet is time and the power of accumulation.

35. Dream big dreams that excite you and be unapologetic about them. If they scare you, good! Once you dream, make a decision to achieve your dreams. Don’t set goals…make decisions! Be intentional and talk about your decisions and dreams often to support your vision and help you achieve them.

36. Want to change your income level? Examine your network, your friends, and your mindset towards your self-worth. Your self-worth = your net worth. All of these things influence your ability to attract and retain more income.

37. Nurture a passion or hobby that lights you up. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it has to be something that you truly want to do and connect with. Do it often, and/or change your hobbies and try new things. Always push yourself to learn new things and create new experiences.

38. Work/Life Balance does NOT exist. The key to a harmonious life is to examine each area of your life, know your goals, and decide what needs the most attention and prioritize each day. It is possible to achieve harmony.

39. AI is not bad. Technology is not the answer. People are not the problem. All of these things can co-exist together in harmony. Having a human experience means giving up habits by un-learning behaviors, learning new things, solving new problems, and examining who you are. This is part of the human condition.

40. Feeling like an imposter is also part of being human. Guess what, we all feel like an imposter. We all have insecurities. Here’s how to move past it. QUIT CARING SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. If someone criticizes you or judges in any way, let it go. What other people think about you is none of your business anyway.

41. Action and momentum can build more confidence and teach more lessons than simply planning or reading and studying about doing anything. Action is the key, so dream it. Believe it. Do it.

42. Believe in yourself with a passion that surpasses even a grandmother’s unwavering faith. If you don’t have enough belief in yourself, borrow it until you do. Do one thing each day to reinforce your belief in yourself.

43. Learn a basic understanding of how your brain works so that you can develop emotional intelligence and self-awareness. All aspects of your life hinge upon you being able to better connect with yourself and others.

44. Read real books. Write on real paper. Journal your thoughts…and Reflect, often.

45. Keep a list of WHY YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR (your accomplishments)  Review this list and reflect upon them often, and remember how good they feel. You have many accomplishments and reasons that make you a rockstar. OWN THEM!

46. It’s your power. Take it back!

47. Gratitude is the key to freedom and joy.