As I sit here, grateful for 33 years on this earth, I started reflecting.
What have I learned?
What would I love to share with my daughter? What would I love for her to know and learn in her life?
Here are the 33 lessons that took me 33 years to learn… through tears, laughter, hangovers, breakups, makeups and everything in-between.
1) Anything is possible. At 33, I’m living many of my teenage dreams, and it’s pretty incredible to now look ahead at the next 33 years and know that whatever I want, and work for, will become my life.
2) Around the world, people are so much more the same than we are different. Hopes, fears, dreams, things that make us laugh. We are all connected.
3) Science is cool but it doesn’t know all the answers.
4) I am smarter than I give myself credit for (and you are too!).
5) If I’m the smartest woman in the room, consistently, I’m not in the right rooms.
6) I don’t have to dim my light to make others feel good about themselves. When I shine, others have permission to be themselves too.
7) I’m responsible for my emotions and my reactions. Nobody can make me feel any way: I have to own my reactions. And when I do, I’m empowered to learn more about myself, and react in the way I want to.
8) My growth is never done. Each year… heck, every day, I’m peeling back layers and layers of crap I need to get over. This journey will never end.
9) My intuition knows things that I can’t explain with facts. And that doesn’t make this information any less relevant or accurate.
10) I love money, and I’m about 90% ok with saying that out loud. Saying “I love money” doesn’t mean I don’t love my family or friends, or think other things are important. Just like if I said “I love pizza”, when I say “I love money”, I can also say “I love making a difference” and “I love all the free gifts the world gives me every day”.
11) Sex gets better as I get older. And there’s a lot to love about it. Make it a priority. Screw that: make it SO fun and amazing and enlightening that it becomes an absolute “must”, as often as possible!
12) Everything that could be my excuse NOT to do something, is now my excuse why I HAVE to do it. Being a mom. Being “busy”. Being a new entrepreneur. It’s my WHY!
13) I don’t have to be a good cook, or homemaker in any sense to be a good wife, or a good woman.
14) Poutine must have cheese curds. Shredded cheese is delicious.. but it’s not a poutine.
15) Everything that has challenged me in my life has been for a reason. I know this… and still, some days, I wish it was easy :)
16) Having a child is the most incredible experience. It’s all the feels, every day. It might not be for everyone, but WOW is it ever for me.
17) Parenting is f*cking hard. It showed me all the cracks in my life, and keeps showing me all the places I have yet to grow.
18) Taking time for me is not selfish. If I’m a burned-out, miserable, stressed-out version of me, that sucks for everyone. When I feel great, it makes everything in my life better.
19) Drinking less can actually be more fun. And when I drink less, I enjoy the moments more. Plus, I don’t feel guilty splurging on a bottle of Veuve once in a while!
20) When I make others uncomfortable or upset (and I haven’t like, physically hurt them or bullied them), it’s about them, not me.
21) At every level, and whenever I grow, it will be hard. I will be scared. I will doubt myself. That’s my sign to keep going.
22) I take for granted that the people I love will always be here. I must constantly remember to be grateful, be present and love hard, even in the tough moments. Because one day, I’ll miss them.
23) There will always be more work to do, a reason not to work-out, another snooze button to hit. There is only one today. My daughter will grow up. My body will age. The work will still be there.
24) Nothing feels better than being in water. Swimming is my happy place and it makes me feel alive. Do more things that make you feel alive.
25) I decide to be happy. When I lived on Vancouver Island, people complained. When I moved to Fort McMurray, people complained. Guess what? I was freakin’ HAPPY in both places. Happiness is a choice.
26) I will never be ready. I have to start before I’m ready.
27) Mindset is everything.
28) I’m a work-in-progress. I will never have it all figured out and that’s ok. It gives me a mission, and makes for better conversations over that great glass of wine.
29) When I start before I’m ready, I usually find out that in fact, I never would have been ready. And yet, I always was ready.
30) I have a gift and an ability to make a real difference in the world. To do that, I have to get around the fears, insecurities and self doubt and remember to SERVE first.
31) Life is precious. Every single day.
32) I still have so many dreams, ambitions and goals in my life: I’m excited for how far I’ve come, and humbled that if I’m lucky, I may only get another 70 or 80 years on this planet.
33) My life is measured in the lives I impact, the countries I explore, and the orgasms and dance parties I have. The more baby giggles I get, souls I love, lessons I learn, and lives I change, the more I know I’m on the right path.
And I’m still working on learning:
1) It’s ok for not everyone to like me. #recoveringpeoplepleaser
2) To truly enjoy the future, I have to enjoy today. Otherwise, I will never be present and never enjoy life.
3) How to step into the impact I know I’m meant to make. I’ve got superpowers to show women how to have it all; exactly what it will all look like next year? In 5 years? In 25 years? Stay tuned….
I’d love to hear your wisdom:
What would you tell your 33 year-old self: past or future? What lessons do YOU have to share?