3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned Before 32

3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned Before 32.

I will be turning 32 soon, and much like each New Year, birthdays always seem to become a time of reflection for me. What went well? What didn’t go so well? Am I on track to achieving my goals?

How you approach life says a lot about who you are and what you value. There are some who passively coast through life, wishfully hoping they will land where they are supposed to be. And then there are others, who make conscious decisions to understand who they are and what they value. They constantly strive for continuous improvement and self-development throughout all aspects of life.

Well, I happen to fall into the latter category. Life for me is so much more than simply wishing and waiting for things to happen. Life for me is about understanding who you are, what your purpose is and making an impact to those around you.

In the spirit of turning 32, I thought I would share the top 3 lessons I have learned:

1. RULE THE DAY OR IT WILL RULE YOU

One thing I have learned is that we are all given the same 24 hours in a day. I know this seems obvious, but if we are all given the same amount of time each day, why is that some of us are able to achieve so much more than others?

I suppose the short answer to this is that if you don’t rule the day, it will rule you. ‘Busy’ is often an excuse, a buzz word thrown around to make ourselves feel important and productive. But the real measure of ‘busy’ is- how effective are you? Are you simply shuffling papers around or are you making a real impact?

Part of self-development and being successful in life is learning to pay attention to lessons and learnings, and making changes to your daily habits, routines and practices. As John C. Maxwell so eloquently said, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

I have learned that implementing a morning routine has been key in driving my success. Following a morning routine has enabled me to wake up each day with purpose and intent. It’s enabled me to power through each day like an unstoppable force.

2. GRATITUDE IS A SOURCE OF POWER

“I live in the space of thankfulness- and for that, I have been rewarded a million times over. I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That’s because, for sure, what you focus on expands. When you focus on the goodness in life, you create more of it.”- Oprah Winfrey. 

I never truly understood the meaning of gratitude until I traveled to different parts of the world. Travelling to less developed countries opened my eyes to not only the conditions which other human beings are exposed to, but also how hard they have to work for a dollar. I’ve seen uber drivers battle traffic for 45 minutes to make the equivalent of $2. These experiences made me realise that I had already won the geographic lottery simply by being born in Australia.

Gratitude has taught me not to take the simple things for granted. Clean, running water; a roof over my head, access to fresh & nutritious food; good health, an education; a wonderful family and loving husband.

Through these experiences, I have learned to become more grateful and practice gratitude on a daily basis. Each morning when I wake up, I think of at least 1-3 things I feel grateful for in that moment. Sometimes when I’m feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, I write it down in my journal. I have learned that the more grateful I am, the more goodness comes into my life.

3. IF YOU CHOOSE TO PLEASE ALL, YOU PLEASE NONE.

“I can’t tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone”- Ed Sheeran.

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be someone who hates peaches.”- Dita Von Teese.

When I was younger, I used to be so concerned about whether others would like me and what they thought of me. At times, I would feel like I didn’t have a voice because I would be worried what someone would think if I didn’t agree with them.

I have learned that no matter who you are or what you do, there is still going to be someone who does not like you. Over time, I have learned to stop worrying about the opinions of other people and what they think of me. I have learned that the people who are right for me have found a way to come into my life, and stay.

Through this process I have also leaned to uphold high standards and to not be afraid to tell someone when they have not met my expectations, whether it is business or personal. Upholding high standards has enabled me to continue through life with integrity and self-respect.

LIFE LESSONS

What are some of the lessons you have learned in life? I would love to hear your thoughts- please leave your comments below!