This is 43...

 I wonder what your 43 will be like and I wonder if I will still be around and in good health. I sure hope so. Here's my nuggets of advice at 43.  If I'm still alive when you are 43 it will be interesting to re-read this and see if I think it's all rubbish. 

Things I’ve Learned This Year - Take 42

*Start and end your day with gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for.

*Jump in. Take a chance. If you wait until you are fully ready it will never happen.

*Do it anyway. Fear will always hold you back, but the only way to conquer it is to tell fear to piss off and go for it, head on.

*Some things succeed and other things fail, we may never know why. Keep moving forward. Don’t let go of your dream but be ok with changing direction when needed.

*Set boundaries. Say no. We used to say it all the time as kids, “no” was easy. For some reason adulting means we forgot how to say no. Life’s too short to waste your time on things you could care less about. If people judge you for it, it’s because they wish
saying no was in their vocabulary.

*Health isn’t going to come naturally, and things will constantly stand in your way of getting there. You have to create time to take care of yourself. You have to spend money on yourself. If you recognize there is a problem and there are ways to improve, but you can’t do it on your own. You need a team of people who are there to help you through it. You are worth the time, the money, and the space you have to create to get healthy. Commit to it.

*Nourish the relationships in your life that are reciprocal. Give your time and energy to those that are willing to do the same for you. Let the rest of them go.

*Be around animals. Even if you don’t own one, volunteer to work with them or offer to pet sit. Relish in their unconditional love. Feel how petting them soothes your nervous system. Watch them play and communicate with you and each other. Animals help us heal.

*Get lost in a good book as often as possible. Ponder life, reflect on the words of someone smarter than you. Contemplate big thoughts, ideas, and dreams.

*Sit in silence. Do nothing. It is hard, but so worth the effort. When you just be, you notice so much beauty in the details around you.

Here's to another year of growing, learning, and changing!