50 Life Lessons Learned Over 50 Years

I turn 50 this month.  A half a century old.  Ho-lee schnikies.  What the hell happened?  Wasn’t I just 20?  I need some time to let this marinate.

Haha, jk.  To be honest I’ve been thinking about this birthday for a while now.  In fact, I recently took a moment to reflect on all of my past successes and failures, hits and misses and loves and loses, and I came to realize that I learned some pretty solid life lessons along the way.  I thought I'd share them with you here on the blog. Some of these may sound cliché, and that's because they are.  Others, not so much. 

50 Life Lessons Learned Over 50 Years

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  And trust me, it’s ALL small stuff.
2. You know that saying, “dance like nobody’s watching”?  Yeah, do that.  Or sing. That’s what I do.  Off key--to the cat--and loud.  He doesn't care.
3. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
4. If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again.
5. Everything happens for a reason.
6. Not everybody wants to be your friend, and that’s ok.  You really don’t want everybody as a friend anyway.
7. Accept that some folks love to point fingers and blame others.  You will be blamed for things you haven’t done, and for things that haven’t even happened yet.
8. You don’t always have to be going, being and doing...it's really ok to just chill.
9. Drink a lot of water.  Your hair, skin and nails will love you for it.
10. Tell everybody you love that you love them.  Over and over again.
11. Trust your gut instinct.  10x this for women’s intuition.
12. Don’t be afraid to cry.

*sobs* I'VE BEEN SHOPPING FOR 50 YEARS AND I STILL DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!

13.  You know that thing you keep putting off?  Do it.
14.  You are not your job; you are not your mom; you are not your kids.  You are perfectly imperfect you.
15.  Be vain, but not conceited.  Know the difference.
16.  Take pride in yourself and all you’ve accomplished--it's kind of a big deal.
17.  Learn one new thing every day.  For example, TIL that I can't log in to the CT DSS website using the Chrome browser.  BAM!
18.  Be kind to people, especially the ones who aren’t very kind themselves.  They are the ones who need it most.
19.  Not everyone wants to see you succeed.  Some will even go out of their way to see you fail.
20.  Live by the golden rule.
21.   Have a chat with an old timer.  They have so much wisdom to share.
22.  You can’t please everyone, so stop trying.
23.  Know your strengths and your weaknesses.  Focus on the strengths, forget about the weaknesses.

24.  Appreciate the things you normally take for granted.
25.  Give back.  Even if it’s donating your tag sale leftovers, or handing a dollar bill over to someone less fortunate, do it--it’ll make you feel good.
26.   Be gracious.  Always say please and thank you.  Smile at strangers.  (See #20)
27.  Make it a point to go out of your way for someone.  Help a neighbor or a friend, even if it’s anonymously.
28.   Enjoy being by yourself, and your “alone time”.
29.  Stop trying to be everything to everyone.  Do what you can.  Believe me, it’s good enough.
30.  Stand for something you truly believe in.
31.   Love unconditionally.
32.  Do not fear getting hurt.  You can’t grow, if you don’t hurt.
33.  Had someone do something nice for you?  Pay it forward.
34.  Stop worrying what other people think.  Honestly, who gives a shit?
35.  Own a pet; this way you’ll always have a BFFL.  (see #31)

---

You May Also Like:

• How To Be A Good Neighbor
• 4 Important Choices You Have To Make For Your Future

---

My BFFL.

36.   Eleanor Roosevelt said, "do something everyday that scares you".  I think that's a bit much.  But definitely, do something that scares you at least once in a while...the feeling is kind of invigorating!
37.    Accomplish at least 3 things on your bucket list.
38.  Stop complaining, whining and nagging.  It’s wasted energy.  Who’s listening, anyway?
39.  Be passionate--whether it’s about a cause, your kids, your profession--do it with passion.
40.  Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from doing something new and exciting.  (See #36)
41.  Everything in moderation.  Life is not about “living on the edge” or “going for the gusto”; it’s all about ebbs and flows.
42.  Keep a journal.  Writing down your feelings, thoughts, dreams and ideas will make you feel more self aware.
43.  Be mindful of your surroundings.  Watch the sunrise; listen to the wind blow; stare at the stars.  Beauty is everywhere.
​44.  Fall in love, at least twice.

Pictured: not me

45.  Live selflessly.  Try to limit the number of times you say “I” “me” and “mine” in a conversation.  It’s really not all about you.
46.  Take time to center yourself and decompress at least once a day.  Put on some new age-y music, light some candles and close your eyes for 15 minutes and just breathe.  (See #28)
47.  Stop depriving yourself.  Eat the damn ice cream.  It won’t kill you.  It won’t even take 2 minutes off your life.  Promise.
48.  Think positive.  Negativity will kill you faster than that ice cream.
49.  Pray.  Sometimes you just have to hand it over to Him, and ask for guidance.
50.  Realize you cannot control everything or everyone.  But you can control yourself, and that’s even better.

Oh yeah, one last thing:

What life lessons speak to you most?  What have YOU learned over the years?  Let me know in the comments below :)
​