Hello, friends! Today just happens to be my 27th birthday. Yay! Happy birthday to me. I can’t believe I am 27, it sort of feels surreal to be this old, but I will say that I am super into the 27-year-old woman I have become and I am very excited for this next year of my life. Even though the world seems a wee bit chaotic and there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, I just have a feeling that this year is going to be one of my best years around the sun. I am excited to see my business grow, reach my health goals and see an abundance of loving relationships in my life.
Over the last 27 years, I have travelled the world, completed my original bucket list, met some amazing people, lived in three countries, and started my journey as an entrepreneur. I have had huge wins and huge losses. I have known love and pain. I have had one or two nights where I cried myself to sleep but I also have laughed so hard I cried too many times to count. I am grateful for every moment of my life and even if I could, I wouldn’t change any of it.
All of my experiences have taught me valuable life lessons that have helped shape me into the free, brave and super dope woman that I am today. Here are 27 important life lessons that I have learned throughout my life.
- Drink more water. I will forever advise everyone to drink more water. If you think you have drunk enough water today, drink another glass. Being hydrated is super good for you physically, mentally, emotionally and probably spiritually.
- Fall in love. Give yourself permission to fall in love. Don’t let the fear of losing love stop you from sharing one of the greatest emotions with another person. Even if the relationship doesn’t work out, there is so much beauty in falling in love and so much growth that comes from sharing your life with someone.
- People are generally good. Back in 2013 when I was a young pup, I travelled around the world on a volunteer trip, and I got to see all of the worst sides of humanity. However, the biggest lesson I learned that year was that for the most part people are good, and even in the darkest of places, you can find someone with a pure heart.
- Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you want. Fear is so dumb. Please do not let it stop you from living the life that you truly want and deserve. If you want something please go and get it. Do the things that scare you! Make yourself proud and conquer your fears, I promise it will feel good.
- Travel as much as possible. Travel, travel, travel, travel and then travel some more. Travelling allows you to grow in the most special ways. Go out there and experience the world. Meet people who think differently than you do, try new foods that you have never heard of before, and admire the beauty around our planet.
- Say what you need to say. Say what you need to say. For years I was afraid to tell people how I felt. Please if you are reading this don’t be afraid to say what is on your heart. If you love someone tell them. If you need help, ask for it. If someone hurt your feelings, in a respectful way, have a conversation about it with them. It is safe to be honest with yourself and your loved ones.
- Get to know yourself! Who are you? What do you like? What do you hate? Who do you want to be? What do you need to make you feel complete? Spend every day getting to know who you, not the person other people want you to be, but who you truly are. Take yourself on dates, try new things and put the effort in to discover who you are.
- Be kind, please. There is literally no reason ever to be rude to someone. Please, be kind to everyone you come in contact with.
- Fail often as possible. Failure doesn’t take away from who we are. Failure helps shape us into the person we need to be so that we can succeed. If you want to be successful, you need to embrace your failures, learn from them and try again.
- Try things. All of the things. How are you going to know if you like things if you don’t try them? Order something new on the menu, watch a new show on Netflix instead of watching The Office for the 100 millionth time, go to the hot yoga class instead of the restorative class. Try it!
- Sing and dance as much as possible. I love to sing and dance, I’m not super gifted in these areas, but I have loved music my whole life. I recommend singing and dancing wherever you are, whenever you feel like it – it will make you feel good.
- Laugh and have more fun. Laugh as much as possible for as long as you live. Spend more time doing things that you think are fun.
- Tell the people you love that you love them. If you love someone let them know. No matter if they are your partner, parent, sister, brother, dog, friend etc, tell people that you love them more often.
- Know that it is ok to change your mind. Life is a journey, and on that journey, you are going to go through new experiences and hard times and some of them are going to change you. Know that no matter how you change it is ok to embrace it and change your opinions or perspective on issues, people and situations.
- Don’t just travel to resorts and trendy Instagram places. Go visit a country and actually visit it. Learn it’s history and traditions. Meet local people. Eat street food. Get to know the real country you are in and not just the picture-perfect version.
- Reinvent yourself as much as you want. Whenever you feel like you need a change and you want to become something more than what you are, do it. Rebrand yourself as much as you need to. The world is constantly changing so it only makes sense that you will too.
- Do what makes you happy! Life is so short, why waste time doing things that do not make you happy? Get to know what makes you happy and then spend every moment pursuing it.
- Dream big! Friends, this one is so important! PLEASE DREAM BIG! And then make plans and goals and make those dreams come true.
- Believe in yourself. I can not stress this life lesson enough, believe in your wonderful self. You ain’t going nowhere if you don’t believe in yourself gurl.
- Take care of your body and mind. You only get one body and brain during your lifetime, treat them well and with love so that you can enjoy your life more and longer.
- Rest when you need to. I was the queen of pushing myself to the point of burn out and I 120% do not recommend it. It is literally the worse way to live. If you need rest, then rest. You will be more productive when you feel rested.
- Don’t let anyone shame you for having feelings. If you need to cry, cry. If you feel mad be mad. I don’t recommend reacting in your emotional state but it’s ok to feel the way you feel.
- Go to therapy. Going to therapy was one of the best things that I have ever done in my whole life. It was the safe place I needed to work through some pretty heavy experiences that I had gone through in my life. If you are struggling right now, I recommend finding a therapist who can help you out.
- Learn to love your own compnay. Being comfortable on your own is one of the greatest things you can learn to do in life. Spend time alone and learn how to entertain yourself, love yourself, keep yourself motivated, and love life on your own.
- Learn to let go. Let go of the past, let go of negative thoughts, and let go of trying to control the future.
- Follow your heart. Listen to your heart when he’s calling for you. Listen to your heart there’s nothing else you can do. (Yes, I was singing that as I was typing.) Follow your heart wherever it takes you, friends.
- Trust yourself. In a world where people are constantly telling you how to live, what to eat, what to wear, what you need to be doing, learn to trust your own feelings, thoughts and ideas. Trust your intuition, you know what’s best for you.
I have learned a lot of lessons over the years, and while I may be wiser today, I know that there is still a lot to learn and I am excited to see where life takes me. I hope these 27 life lessons help you as you navigate your own journey of life. I hope you enjoy my birthday, and you do something fun that nourishes your soul.
I love you so much,
