I love birthdays! A day to celebrate life and eat a little more cake than socially acceptable! Every year when a birthday comes around I always find myself reflecting on life. I truly think life is what we make it! There are always going to be ups and downs but it’s our job to learn from our experiences. I thought I would share a few of the lessons I have learned in life so far.
- God is real. Pray everyday and thank God for your blessings.
- Family over everything. Family is more important than anything else. Cherish the time you have with them and spend quality time together. You’ll never look back and wish you spent less time together- only more.
- Personal responsibility is a choice. This is one of my favorite lessons I have learned. You get to choose everyday how you want to show up and who you want to be. Be mindful of your thoughts, words, and actions and own when you make mistakes.
- Positivity is a choice. Find the good in your daily life and you will be a happier person. Everyday is not going to be sunshine and rainbows but find the small moments that bring you joy and choose to focus on those things.
- Hard work pays off. Successful people aren’t built over night. Shortcuts don’t work. Put in the work daily and you will reach your goals.
- Don’t underestimate yourself. You are stronger than you know. You are going to go through things that are difficult, that will test your patience, and you might feel like you can’t handle it but you can and you will.
- Confidence is key. Be confident but stay humble! People will be drawn to you if you radiate confidence and you will naturally get more opportunities.
- Set lofty goals for yourself. Set big goals for yourself and don’t be afraid to fail. You will get closer to your goals if you try vs. not trying at all. Share your goals with your family, friends, or coworkers so they know what you are working on and can encourage you. Sharing your goals will also help hold you accountable.
- Love your body. You only have one body. You are made perfectly imperfect. Love the things that make you unique.
- Drink a lot of water. Drink more water than you think you should. Your skin will glow and you will have more energy.
- Eat healthy majority of the time but allow yourself to enjoy food. Eating healthy a majority of the time will make you feel good from the inside out. Eating whole nutritious foods will give you energy, but food is also made to be enjoyed! Allow yourself to indulge in yummy foods and don’t make yourself feel bad about it. Everything in moderation is my motto.
- Only compare yourself to yourself. Do not compare yourself to others! Everyone is different and has different life experiences. You are doing yourself a disservice when you compare yourself to others. It brings down your self confidence and will only make you feel bad or doubt yourself. Compare yourself to the person you were yesterday, last month, and last year to measure grow!
- Don’t worry what other people think about you. I wish I could tell my teenager self this. I spent way to much time worrying about what others thought of me. You aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Be your authentic self and you will attract like minded people.
- Take care of your skin. Take off your makeup, wash your face, and moisturize before you go to bed every night no matter how tired you are. Wear SPF daily!! We need to take care of the one body we have!
- You are not your thoughts. Another one of my favorites! Learn that you are not your thoughts. This is something that takes constant practice. Allow yourself to notice your thoughts and be able to let them go. Practice positive affirmations daily!
- You can’t please everyone. You are never going to be able to please everyone. You might think you are doing everything “right” and someone will disagree. Be okay with disagreeing with others, be open to feedback, but stand firm in your beliefs.
- Learn to say no. Learning to say no is so important! We are only one person and we tend to take on too much. Also don’t take on things that don’t light you up. Be okay with saying no to things that don’t serve you.
- Start before your ready. Successful people don’t wait. There’s no time like the present. We tend to want to know how to do everything before we start a new project or take on a new opportunity. You will never be “ready”!
- Being kind is cool. Being kind and inclusive is cool. Kindness cost nothing and it can change someone’s day or life.
- Support other women. Support women around you! Their success doesn’t mean you can’t be successful!! Lift each other up. We all have different skills to bring to the table. There is room for everyone!
- Don’t gossip. Gossiping is a bad look. Don’t partake in it.
- Workout to feel amazing-not for the number on the scale. Don’t workout because you ate too much cake and you want to punish your body. Workout to feel amazing and reward your body with movement. Our bodies are made to be active. It’s a blessing we have able bodies!
- Celebrate the small wins. Slow down and notice the small wins! Small wins are just as important and they keep us motivated to keep pursuing our big goals!
- Choose wisely who you surround yourself with. You can not change the people around you BUT you can change the people you surround yourself with! Choose wisely who you want to spend your time with!
- Be okay with being a learner. Be okay with not knowing, researching, and asking questions. Experience is the best teacher.
- Learn how to compartmentalize. Learn how to compartmentalize the different areas of your life. I just heard a talk about this and I loved it. If something is going wrong in one area of your life – address it but remain positive and keep working hard in the other areas.
- Bet on yourself. Last but not least, bet on yourself!! Be your biggest fan. Know your worth and believe in yourself. You are amazing and have so much to offer the world.
Hope you found or were reminded of one nugget of wisdom. There is always more to learn, and I can’t wait to see what 27 has in store for me. Ok, I’m off to celebrate with my boys!
xx Natalie
Natalie Fricke Blog 