My one and only daughter is turning 20 this weekend! Wow. Time goes by so incredibly quickly. Since she is turning 20 I thought I should give her some type of wisdom, so here is what I came up with. I figured it truly does have some great wisdom for any age, so I hope you can find something here to spark a little wisdom for your own life.
Take what you need to live your best, happy-filled life.
20 WISDOMS for your 20’s
1. YOU are SPECIAL. If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are. -Frida Kahlo You are working towards dreams, finding role models to admire, learning from those around you, finding your wings of independence. You may not always feel very special, but YOU are the one and only YOU of all time. You are striving daily to become that distant dream. Keep going, keep dreaming and as long as you are striving to be better each day by learning and growing–you will get there. Your dreams will help you see you through. Remember that you are special, divine and began as star dust. That should always be a simple reminder of the brilliance that is within you & always has been.
2. HOLD TIGHT TO THOSE THAT MATTER MOST. When I date someone, I think long term. What is the point of dating someone if you only want them temporarily? College is full of young people confused by who they are or who they want to be. They are still developing, stuck in alternate realities of thinking and still in a very big stage of fitting in and following. Be true to your values and who you want to be surrounded by. Think about people long term and ask yourself if you will grow old with them? Will they make you a better person? Will your relationship be building and help you grow? Are they aligned with your personal values? Do you honestly see them as a long term person in your life? Hold tight to those friends and people who care and who you can see will be there for you for the long term.
3. CONTINUE TO CHASE THOSE THINGS THAT LIGHT YOU UP. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.– Jennifer Lee Following your internal feelings will always help guide you to where you need to be for your best life. YOU know what excites you, drives you, creates passion and ignites you…follow those things. Chase them with all your heart. They will guide you to those places of flow, purpose, light, love and an overall sense of a vibrant, full and happy life. In the meantime, chase light. Chase things that make you feel alive, passions that fill your soul, ideas and dreams that keep you up at night. Chase things that taste like freedom, that make your mind spin with joy. Chase light in the sense of fostering it within yourself and the people around you.
4. CHALLENGE FEAR. A life lived in fear is a life half lived. – Spanish Proverb Fear is the opposite spectrum of LOVE. In every instance you feel fear, break through to yourself and challenge your very being with the full intent to go beyond, to step forward in confidence, to channel the great strength you have within you to live fully and not give into the fear that will continually strive to stop, hinder, challenge, scare, intimidate & long to win. DONT GIVE IN. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE over FEAR…Challenge the fear and choose love every time.
5. SAY YES Always say yes, put yourself in danger of something amazing happening to you. Say yes to those opportunities, incredible people, moments that will help you grow, invitations to learn or try something new…take bold steps by saying yes to things that scare, challenge, bring fear or make you want to run away. Sometimes yes is the best direction. Fear is the opposite of what you want to live, so if saying yes to something scares, it might also ignite something within you. Try, do, [in healthy doses and circumstances] those things that challenge and bring great change.
6. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH. Your body is a connection between heaven and earth. You will not get very far in life with passions or pursuits of any kind, if your body is not well enough to get you there. Eat from the earth. Exercise because Movement is Medicine. What is the best medicine for YOU?? Whatever it is you enJOY doing. Just breathe. Get Great sleep . Quiet your mind . Take in the Natural Sunlight–get outside as much as possible . Constantly read and learn–this challenges different parts of your brain that enhances comprehension, language, and makes you an overall better writer and speaker . Relax & rest . LOL Laughter helps relieve stress, eleviate tension in the body, reduces pain by creating your own feel good endorphins (happy chemicals), brings about connections with people, makes you happy . Let go of negativity & energy drains . Have personal boundaries in place . Be aware of the energy you carry . Let go of anger (remember 90 sec rule) . Surround yourself wth feel good people–Does this person recharge or drain me? Alone time . Compassion & Service . Prayer . Listen to uplifting music . Practice being exquisitely present . Get grateful . Live from a place of love and compassion .
7. LIFE IS ABOUT LEARNING. Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn, and you will. -Vernon Howard Money, people, opportunities, challenges, life lessons…will come and go within your life. Learn from it all–the hardships, the relationships, the lack, the influences, the ups, the downs…will all be lessons to learn something. IF you look at it like you can take something from any situation you are in then strangers can teach you about joy, new friendships can give you new perspectives on life, stories can enlighten and bring clarity, heartache can teach you to be softer or a little kinder with those you love. Life can lift or lessen your grip on happiness. Always be seeking to be lifted by everything you learn and turn it into a win for your life. Every lesson can make or break you—it is a choice you make in all you do.
8. LIFE IS A GREATER EDUCATION. There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an exam, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning. -Jiddu Krishnamurti Life is the greatest adventure. Learning will not end in school, it is lived from the depths of deep emotion, from the feelings that become aroused from authentic relationships, it is the seasons of challenge and change that bring us to our knees and cause us to cry out in a moment of desperate need. Life has its twists and turns, the page turners, the highlight reels, the heartwrenching, soul sucking moments that bring about a greater faith or need to humbly give it to God. Life is the ultimate ride and hopefully we are aware and ready to live it to the fullest and breathe in all its goodness with the hope of living higher, better, more brilliantly in the undending gift of life’s possibilities.
9. I Live by the ABC’s ADVENTUROUS. BRAVE. CREATIVE -Walter Mitty
Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. -Jaime Lyn
Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you express this creative potential, you can start changing the world. -Paulo Coelho
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. -Oprah
The goal is to die with memories, not just dreams. -anonymous
A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain or routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies, and adopting new viewpoints. -Wilfred Peterson
10. LIVE IN LOVE Live for love. Without love, you don’t live. -unknown. It IS either from a place of love or it isn’t. PERIOD. The energy you carry. The words you share. The conversations. The actions. The very essence of your life is in every little thought you begin to believe, every person you surround yourself with, the things you say to yourself and others. Is it positive or negative? Is it fear or LOVE? there is no in-between. You are living in love or not.
11. SEEK YOURSELF The greatest discovery in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself, you will always be someone else. Become yourself. – Myles Munroe Finding yourself will give you a better understanding of what drives your life and gives you better understanding of your purpose. Identify your passions, interests, strengths and weaknesses. Look at your skills and what you are naturally good at . Always try new things and constantly push your personal limits . Ask empowering questions . Ask yourself what is your ideal you or lifestyle you desire . What goals can you come up with to help push you in the direction of your dreams? Accomplishing goals will help your self-esteem grow and you will build a better belief in who you are and what you are doing . A better understanding of yourself will also help build healthier, personal relationships . Always create more dreams and ambitions for your life–places you want to see, things you want to try, challenges you want to take on, etc. .
12. FOLLOW THE GOOD All good things are wild and free. – Henry David Thoreau Nature has so many good things to offer. The animals, the plants, the islands, the mountains, the oceans, the reefs, the capes—nature’s beauty holds secret keys to a deeper part of your soul. When you take the time to be still, to walk, to be, to find awe and wonder in all the natural spaces, then you will find some of the richest gifts for your life. Follow the good.
13. SEE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. – Robert Frost Live, move around, try new things, see new places. So many people will just stay stagnet, unmovable in life. They play it safe and never venture to new horizons to explore the greater landscapes within their hearts and mind. They visit distant lands, but short trips dont give the overall experience that life has to offer. Reach for places and spaces that help you grow, see new perspectives, different paths that are not taken by others. There is so much to learn from adventure, risking big life moves, talking to strangers, reading a variety of books, trying & learning everything, listening to podcasts that help you feel and see new perspectives, living experiences, being open to new ideas and fascinations, finding and seeking wonder in all you do. Its the spices of life.
14. FIND HAPPY I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery – air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’– Sylvia Plath It is the little things that make life worth living. It is the waterfalls you hike to, the walks in wildflowers, the memories you make with those you love while kayaking a lake or enjoying a sleigh ride. Let life guide you to those things that bring you genuine happiness.
15. FEEL ALIVE Go where you feel most alive. – Unknown Dads “Doodle Walks” make him feel most alive. haha Kate feels most alive at the ocean. Heather feels most alive in the awe of nature [sunsets, big clouds, sunrays, ocean waves, big trees, star-filled skies–so many beautiful moments that make me feel a deeper connection to God] Find those places, paths, ocean walks, prayer rocks, visual awakenings, stunning sites that seem to awaken a deeper part of who you are. Go there often. Always find a special place that you can get quiet, to pray, to find peace, to go deeper. In these spaces you will feel most alive and connected in all you do.
16. DONT LET LIFE GET AWAY We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.– Anonymous Time goes by so quickly and the sooner you can find those important things—the important places, the spaces that bring calm, the spaces within your own mind that need guidance to find peace, the little things that become big things. Don’t let the important things escape you. Seek to find those things that bring meaning into your life. Seek to surround yourself with beauty, positive energy, loving relationships, self love and compassion, deep connections. Life slips by unless we can find the best grip to those things that matter most to us. Hold tight to them with all your heart.
17. ACCEPT YOURSELF Accept yourself as you are right now; an imperfect, changing, growing and worthy person. -DW Nourish yourself with positive self-talk–no negatives. What you say to yourself really does matter. Be your own best friend because you have to live with who you are for your entire life . Seek out your personal weaknesses and begin to appreciate them for the opportunities of growth they offer [embrace them] . Dont be afraid to do things alone to know and understand yourself even better, which will help your self-esteem . Take on the hard challenges, tough days, and moments of struggle as they come and know they will not be around forever . Always laugh at yourself, the choices you make, the mis-steps, the wardrobes, the styles, the experiences, the life lessons you learned and know it was all part of the journey to get you to where you are today. Just fully embrace and accept you–all of you.
18. DONT BE AFRAID OF SELF-REFLECTION Time spent in self-reflection is never wasted–it is an intimate date with yourself. -Paul Wong Throughout your life it is a good idea to take time to self-reflect and always ask yourself how you can become better. Take time to truly evaluate your personal thoughts, feelings, desires, actions, goals, emotions, motives, interactions in relationships, etc. Ask yourself deeper questions like, “What makes me happy?” “What lights me up or drains me?” “What makes me feel good about myself?” “What am I graterful for in my life?” “When do I feel on purpose?””What can I do to have a positive outlook on my life?” “What am I afraid of?” “What motivates me?” ““What do I value most?” ”What is a favorite quote or motto I strive to live by?” “What do I need to work on?”…
I was listening to a podcast & the guy being interviewed talked about how he asks his wife, “What character trait is my worst? What do I need to work on?” Those who know you best can quickly help you identify areas that you may need to work on or refocus your attention to become better. We are humans, creatures of habit and often fall victim to routine. We need to always be seeking those areas where we become stagnet, immovable and need retooling and direction. We need to take the time to self-reflect to see our personal necessities of improvement. If we dont seek to become better–how do we?
19. ALWAYS GETTING GRATEFUL I love this thought, “What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?” Think about that. It makes you reflect on those things, the littlest things that you take for granted, that you might miss in a prayer, right? Would you think of warm showers, being able to walk a beach, being able to see someone smile, cuddle with your puppies, eat and savor a delicious handful of grapes, running water in your toilet, sunshine, towering trees that give shade, loving words whispered in your ear, a fireplace to keep you warm, hearing podcasts that inspire, being able to read words in a book, etc. Gratitude helps you pause and genuinely notice the things that truly matter in your life. When you get grateful, you are quietly saying thank you and that is enough.
20. EXPECTING MAGIC DAILY Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles. -Roy T Bennett Expecting magic to happen daily. Hope of finding magic daily is a wonderful way to strive to live. Maybe it is a new found relationship and the excitement that brings. Maybe its noticing the symmetrical details of a fern on a walk outside. Maybe its being in awe of big waves crashing or the mist off the ocean surf. When you begin to seek and notice those things that create wonder within your life, then life becomes something even more to look forward to. The energy that accompanies a search for surprise is undeniable and with that comes the secrets and magic that life holds.
Hope you can find something in this wisdom. Biggest takeaways: You are a one-of-a-kind, invest and be with those people that matter most, follow those things that energize and challenge you to be your best, embrace what life has to offer, live love in all you do, jump at the chance to discover your greatest asset–YOU, follow those things that lead you to nature, change your perspective, soak in the little things that make you happy and full of life’s best, nourish your self with love, always grow, get grateful and expect magic in all you do. Life is an ultimate adventure. enJOY it fully.
Peace. Love and Light. -H xoxo
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