32 Lessons in 32 Years

Yesterday was my birthday, I’m officially thirty two years old. This weekend was filled with celebrations, a great way to start a new year.

There is a lot I’ve learned in the past thirty two years of life. There has been lots of good and bad experiences, all of which have and continue to shaped who I am today. Here are thirty two lessons I’ve learned in thirty two years of life. Many of these are still things I’m working on or still things I remind myself on a daily basis.

1. Family comes first. You need your family and your family needs you. Spent quality time with the ones you love. Don’t take a day with them for granted, pick up the phone when you think of them, take the trips to visit. Make your family a priority, it’s the greatest gift you’ve been given.
2. Mother knows best. I learn this more and more as I get older. While it’s a hard pill to swallow sometimes, it couldn’t be more true. My mom is the voice of reason, I should have listened to her a whole lot more growing up.
3. Starbucks makes everything better. Everything.
4. Friendships have seasons and that is okay. I struggled with how my friendships changed after I got married and again after I had kids. I learned that sometimes it’s okay to let friendships go and other times you have to realize it’s just a season. After I turned thirty, I stopped putting so much effort into one sided friendships, life is too short to put so much energy into someone who doesn’t give you the same in return.
5. Make yourself a priority. Everything starts with YOU. You have to learn to love yourself and be happy with who you are before you can give that to others. Set aside time for yourself. Have hobbies that you enjoy. Dream big and go after YOUR dreams.
6. Marriage isn’t a fairytale. It takes hard work, the more your put in the better it will be. There is nothing better than having a partner in life, cherish that person and love hard.
7. Don’t rent a scooter in Key West. You could crash into a parked van, shatter your wrist and end up in the hospital for days. Nothing good comes from scooters in Key West. Whether you’re sober or not.
8. Trust in God’s plan. Sometimes things may not make sense, heck a lot of times they won’t. Sometimes you’ll question whether He is listening or why things are happening. But, trust that there is a plan.
9. Tanning beds are like fad diets, they’re just a quick fix and aren’t good for you in the long run.
10. The higher your expectations are the harder they are to meet. Be realistic, if you exceed them it will feel even better.
11. What worked for your first child may not work for your second. It may not have been your magical ways that had your first baby sleeping through the night at one month old.
12. You can change. This is something I’ve experience a lot over the past year. You don’t have to be stuck in your set ways forever if you don’t want to be. You can become the person you want to be and kick old habits with time, energy and effort. You just have to want it bad enough.
13. College years are meant to be enjoyed. The memories and experiences of college are some of the best you’ll ever have. Especially when you get into the “real world” and spend the next few years wishing you could have your college days back!
14. You can’t get there alone. Cherish your support system and those that love you. Put your energy into them and give your best to those relationships. When things get rough, they’ll be the ones to pick you up.
15. Learn to laugh at yourself. Life is too shorts to be serious all the time.
16. Invest in nice things. Don’t spend your money on a bunch of little things that you won’t use or you’ll toss after a year or two. Think about what you really want and save for it. It’s better to have one nice item that you’ll use daily than a bunch that you don’t really love but bought because they were cheaper. This goes for shoes, purses, furniture, etc.
17. Find the good in others. There is always good, sometimes you have dig deeper to see it.
18. You get what you give. Don’t expect so much from others if you’re not willing to give the same.
19. You will get over it. There will be devastating things that happen that make you feel like the world is ending. Things that you don’t think you’ll ever be able to move on from or get over. But, in time you will. The heartache fades, it will get easier and life will continue to go on.
20. Don’t keep score. Life is not a competition, let others have the spotlight. We’ll all have our time.
21. Having a child is the greatest gift you will even be given. It’s also the hardest job you will ever have but there is nothing more rewarding.
22. Challenge yourself.  Set goals and work towards achieving them. You’re capable of much more than you think you are.
23. Get outside. It’s amazing what a little fresh air can do for you.
24. Don’t compare your life to someone else’s highlight reel. Chose who you follow on social media wisely, find people who inspire you.
25. Think before you speak. There will be some times where it’s better to say nothing at all.
26. Always have a bottle of wine on hand. Never let that stock get low, you never know what kind of day you’ll have.
27. Worrying is a waste of energy. You cannot control everything. Have faith that things will work themselves out. Worrying will not change the outcome, it will just drain you.
28. It’s okay to say no. Trying to please everyone will only hurt you in the long run.
29. Live for today, be present. Nothing can replace the present moment.
30. Smile. There is a lot of truth in the saying, a smile goes a long way. Smile at the cashier at the grocery store, the man you run by each morning, the homeless person on the street. The world is a brighter place when people smile.
31. Some of the best lessons come from failure. 
32. Put the phone away, sometimes being in the moment will create more of a memory than your phone can capture.