Yesterday, I turned the big ole 5-0! The road to 50 with it’s ups and downs, good times AND near death experiences has taught me so much. Some people might dread turning 50 and feel old, but when you have almost died a couple of times it feels more like something to celebrate to me. I want to share the wisdom I’ve gleaned over these years with you today. Thank you for being on this journey with me! Love you!
1. Instead of going to God with your problems, go to your problems with your God.
2. You are never too old to start something new. I was 46 when I published my first book and 48 when I did my first TED talk.
3. Relationships are everything.
4. Community is powerful. Together we are unstoppable.
5. It’s more important to have a vision than to make plans.
6. Not everyone will believe in your vision. Most people won’t. That’s okay. It only matters that you believe in your vision and trust the process.
7. Baby steps are still steps in the right direction.
8. Resilience is something we are born with. The key to remember is you’ve always had it.
9. You were also born with grit. The key is to tap into it.
10. The human spirit is powerful beyond measure. When you think of WHY you want to accomplish something instead of HOW it activates your heart and spirit.
11. Your belief will determine what you create.
12. Be kind to everyone. I held the elevator door open for a stranger. He ended up being the publisher of my book.
13. Say yes and show up giving your best. I showed up for my friend’s event to support her. I ended up meeting a producer of The Doctors TV and that’s how I ended up being on the show.
14. Show up early and help set up and stay late and help clean up.
15. Always listen to your gut. It never lies.
16. Put you on the top of your to-do list. When you take care of yourself you can serve others more.
17. Move your body daily because it moves your mood. I had a pull-up bar installed over my hospital bed and a set of light dumbbells because I knew it would make me feel mentally stronger.
18. Action builds confidence and combats anxiety.
19. Progress over perfection. Just start. You don’t have to have it all figured out, nobody does.
20. Let go and let God. I used to worry all the time. When I stopped worrying and starting trusting things started working out.
21. If you want something you will have to work for it. After my accident I had to learn to walk again. No one was going to take those steps for me. I had to do it one day at a time and one step at a time.
22. You can turn pain to purpose and mess into your message. It’s a choice.
23. Shine a light on shame. If you have any kind of darkness, don’t hide it away, instead shine a light on it. We can let our darkness birth our light.
24. Transformation doesn’t mean the pain never existed. It means it no longer holds us back or controls us.
25. Own the stories AND the hard shit, or the stories you’re trying to outrun and the pain you are denying will own you.
26. You are not a product of your circumstances. You are a product of your resiliency.
27. Obstacles don’t block the path, they ARE the path.
28. Less judgement and more observation.
29. Give grace to yourself and others.
30. The best things in life aren’t things.
31. Health trumps money or things. If you don’t have your health nothing else matters.
32. Words have power. Choose your words carefully.
33. Gratitude is alchemy. It turns what you don’t have into what you do have and what you can’t do into what you can do.
34. The serenity prayer helps for any kind of struggle.
35. Make time to be still. Remember we are human beings not human doings.
36. Baby steps forward are still steps in the right direction.
37. God never said the journey would be easy, but He did say the arrival would be worthwhile.
38. So often the worst event in your life prepares you for the greatest assignment of your life.
39. Love is more powerful than fear.
40. Making time in the morning to set your intentions for the day sets you up for success.
41. Both optimism and anxiety require us to imagine something that hasn’t happened yet. If we have the ability to worry about the future, it also means we have the ability to imagine a better one.
42. When you realize you have a choice you take your power back.
43. Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of you finally believing you are worthy of it.
44. There are two kinds of pain in this world…..pain that hurts and pain that alters.
45. Hope leads you to faith. Faith leads you to courage. And courage is the bridge that takes you from pain to change.
46. Make time for your family. After all, my husband was the one carrying my bed pan for me for months after my accident. Your family will be the ones crying at your funeral.
47. Practicing gratitude and being of service are the greatest life hacks ever.
48. No matter what happens, turn it into an opportunity
49. Being a mom is the greatest gift in my life. My daughters are my biggest inspirations and great teachers.
50. Sometimes you don’t need a big plan. You just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.
I would love to hear which ones resonate most with you. Sending you love!
