On May 3, 2017, I turned 50! When I was a little girl, this number seemed big and very far away.  Now that I’m here, this number feels normal.  It’s where I am supposed to be.  It is part of the truth of who I am and is a testament to how far I’ve come.  I’ve learned a lot in my first 50 years!  I am happy with myself and the growth I’ve experienced.

As I reflected back on how far I have come and what I have learned along the way, I thought it might be fun to come up with 50 things I’ve learned over 50 years.  What you will find below is the list. 🙂

My 50 things are listed in no particular order.  They represent many teachers from which I have learned from through the years.  Some of my teachers have been authors, some have been spiritual leaders, some have been friends.  I have also learned from the “mistakes” I’ve made…I put mistakes in quotations because I believe if I learn something then it is not really a mistake but rather a lesson.

My initial thought was to just share this list with my two girls who are also living through significant milestones.  My daughter Kayla has just graduated from nursing school and is entering the world of “adulting” for the first time.  She is both excited and scared.  My daughter Helena has just completed her Associates degree and will be heading away to college in the fall.  She too is both excited and scared. This list was first conceived as a gift to them.  It was meant to be a place they could go to when they were feeling lost or scared.  You see, I remember what it was like to be at the places they are now and yes, at times it felt scary!  My hope is this list will be something they use to remind them of where and who they come from.  My hope is that they will take this list and make it their own.  That they will question me about what I mean for the entries they don’t understand…that they will reject the ones that don’t work for them…that they will add to the list with things they have learned…that they will share with me their thoughts about the list.  My hope is that they will see this list as a gift.

The more I thought about it though, the more I wanted to share this with you, too.  You being the supporters of the Wholistic Woman Community.  You have been such a gift to me.  You have helped shape me into the woman I am today.  So, this list is also my gift to you.  I hope you enjoy it.  I also invite you to do all the things I have invited my girls to do.  Please share with me which parts of the list you relate to, as well as which parts you don’t.  And, if you are really up to a challenge, write your own list!  I’d love to see it!

50 Things I’ve Learned Over 50 Years

1. It’s OK to not know…Be brave enough to ask.
2. Kindness rules! Practice it with yourself and others.
3. You are a leader.
4. The book The Four Agreements is a must read.
5. Take regular trips outside your comfort zone.
6. Your first thoughts will always come automatically but your next thought is one you have control over. Choosing the best second thought changes EVERYTHING!
7. Make generous assumptions.
8. Emotions are your teacher.
9. Emotions are meant to be felt, not buried.
10. Find a spiritual practice and practice it.
11. Arguing with reality won’t change things but will be extremely frustrating.
12. Don’t put anything in writing that you wouldn’t feel comfortable having publicly announced.
13. Know when a conversation would be better than a text – tone and the energy behind your words can often be misinterpreted in the written word.
14. Seek first to understand.
15. Practice choosing courage over comfort.
16. Pain is inevitable but suffering is not.
17. Trust your gut.
18. Don’t forget how to play and have fun!
19. Not everybody sees the world the same way you do.
20. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them.
21. Worrying is a waste of time and creative energy.
22. What is meant for you will always find away.
23. Make sleep and rest a priority.
24. Nurture the relationships that are important to you.
25. Fear is normal and learning how to move forward in the face of it is imperative.
26. There are only three kinds of business: your business, their business, and God’s business.  Anytime you are not in your business you are in the wrong place.
27. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
28. Too much is too much.
29. The most important time ever is now.
30. You’ll never hit a target you don’t aim for.
31. Soul food is real….Watch what you feed your spirit.
32. Nurture your creativity.
33. Practice letting go of things you have no control over.
34. Journal!  Getting your thoughts and feeling out and on paper is very good for you.
35. Dogs and three-year-olds are great teachers.
36. No one is a mind reader.
37. You were born worthy and enough.
38. We are all perfectly imperfect.
39. FORGIVE.
40. Happiness is an inside job.
41. Be the change you want to see in the world.
42. The Little Soul and the Sun is an amazing book, please read it at least once a year.
43. We are meant to change and grow.
44. You can’t out train a poor diet.
45. There is never only one right way.
46. Byron Katie and Brené Brown are wise women – reading their books has changed the way I see the world.
47. You eat an elephant one bite at a time.
48. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is now.
49. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
50. Never let your age stop you.

Today’s author: Laura Hall, CPC, CDWF: As a certified professional coach since 2009, Laura Hall, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator has been helping people just like you make changes in. As a mother of 2 girls, Laura has a special interest in coaching parents, so if you still have children living at home, ask Laura about her Wholehearted Parenting programs. Laura can be reached via email at [email protected] or feel free to visit her website HallCoaching.com