This past Saturday I turned 50 and typically on my birthday I write a post about the lessons I have learned in the last year or from my mother and even one year lessons that my dog taught me.
This year I am curious, what lessons or advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Here are 30 things I would tell my younger self that I learned, need to be reminded of or that someone had tried to tell me.
1. Family, where life begins and love never ends.
2. Love yourself, first, last and always.
3. Be a saver, not a spender.
4. Collect memories and adventures, not things.
5. Your body is your most priceless possession – take care of it.
~ Jack Lalane
6. Everything is a choice.
7. Forgive them, even if they are not sorry.
8. If there is a small voice saying maybe this is not going to work…listen.
9. A little progress each day adds up to big results.
10. Be who you are not who the world wants you to be.
11. Don’t ever be afraid to start over.
12, Life is full of give and take. Give thanks, give a lot and never take anything for granted…not people, time, friends, love, work, etc.
13. It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.
14. Nothing worth having comes easy.
15, Beautiful girl, take care of yourself. No one else knows what you need better than you.
16. If you don’t love yourself, you will always be chasing after people who don’t love you either. ~Mandy Hale
17. Give it to God and go to sleep.
18. Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you judge, understand why. Before you hurt someone, feel. Before you speak, think.
19. Nothing is worth it, if you are not happy.
20. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
21. Be truthful, gentle and fearless. ~ghandi
22. Do what is right, not what is easy.
23. H.O.P. E.: Hold on pain ends.
24. There is no reset button in life. You cannot take anything back and you cannot undo anything. All of your actions have consequences and the things that you say and do to yourself and others will have a lasting impact on the rest of your life. You have to understand that, and you have to be aware of it when making your decisions.
25. Be careful who you trust and share your problems with. Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.
26. Sometimes you don’t need explanations. It is what it is.
27. Pay attention to the things that you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them. ~ Ruben Chavez
28. Everyday is a new day, a new beginning; you can start over, be better, have another chance.
29. Believe.
30. Don’t be old before your time.
I am sure there are other things I wish I had known but I don’t want to keep you here all day. I would love to hear your advice to your younger self, or perhaps even your advice to the young ones you have at home.
Thank you for reading and sharing! Have a great day!
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Dear Elizabeth, first of all, I hope you had a love-filled birthday celebration and welcome to the 50s club! I've gone through most of it and I'm heading into the 60s soon so I'm here to tell YOU it's marvelous. The best thing is the crown of wisdom to which you can keep adding jewels every time you allow yourself the freedom to enjoy your age.
What would I tell my younger self? "Your dad is a great guy. Let him know that." – Fortunately, before he got sick and died, we reconciled, but we lost many years together when he was well and I was young. Now, I wish he were here.
happy 50th Elizabeth! you are entering a great decade. i concur with all 30 points. i would add;
-get out of the sun!
-use cream on your neck!
-put that chocolate down!
with hugs,
debra
Happy birthday friend! I would tell myself to not be afraid. And to just GO FOR IT!
Happy day!
karianne
I would tell myself that sometimes the people who are supposed to be closest to you are the ones who end up hurting you the most. I'd also tell myself that bottling things up and keeping things to myself only did far more damage in the long run. I'd warn myself of what was to come.
I AGREE with WILLIAM KENDALL………
YOU MUST LIVE YOUR LIFE.NOT what OTHERS WANT FROM YOU!
50 is a GOOD YEAR!NOW 56………..well I have a LIST!Let's just say with us women things start to CHANGE!XX
Happy 50th Elizabeth! Great advice. The two things I would tell myself are: don't sweat the small stuff and wear sunscreen. Have a good week.
To be honest, you really hit on almost all the important things. If I would add anything, it would be; "always be kind".
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Welcome to the 50 year olds club:) Trust me its not that bad!
Oh so many things, I feel like I could write a short novel but just a few-
Really do wear sunscreen lol (thanks Mom you were right as usual)
Take care of your body, you are what you eat
Do onto other as you want done to you,
practice kindness on a regular basis
give thanks every single day for the blessings you have
assume everyone is fighting some kind of battle, big or small
always carve out a bit of "me" time whether its 15 min or an entire day, a day just to reflect and have some alone time I have found to be so wonderful and much anticipated
believe in fate and destiny, for most things really do happen for a reason
and lastly and very importantly-
never feel like you need "an occasion" or a special day to do something…that day might not come, seize the moment and do what feels good and makes you happy TODAY- if it means dining on takeout with your good china and silver so be it! Life is short….and meant to be enjoyed!
Fun post, good way to start my day!!
Elizabeth, I hope you had a beautiful birthday. I especially like your #17. Fifty wasn't a bad year for me. Life moves so very fast! Hugs sweet lady! Bonnie
First of all, Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!! Welcome to the 50's! It sounds trite but it really is a great age – I became an empty nester at 50, started my blog and then started my business – I really did recreate myself at 50. My words to myself would be "Don't ever hold yourself back – just go for it"!
Sending you big birthday hugs!!!!!
PS…all of your advice was spot on! Thank you for sharing! xoxo