35 Things Ive Learned in 35 Years

35 Things Ive Learned in 35 Years Learn from Yesterday by Gayana {in no particular order} 35. Wearing black is never any fun. 34. Being called weird or different or unique is the best compliment you can get once youre coming up into your 30s. If youre smart, youll see it as a compliment from the get-go. 33. Dont marry someone you know is gay. They wont change for you. 32. Dont be wary of meeting people on the Internet. One of them will be your husband (thank you, Friendster). 31. Healthy relationships dont consist of extreme compromise or the surrendering of your dreams. If you find yourself thinking, But this is what someone does in a relationship (romantic or otherwise), it most certainly means the opposite. Cut those ties. 30.  Its better to be alone than to be with someone whos not right for you. Wait. 29. Not that you want to be tested to find this out first hand, but you are waaaaaay stronger/ braver/ courageous-er than you ever thought (even if you still wont get on an upside-down roller-coaster). 28. Grilled cheese sandwiches can be just as good as lobster, if not better. 27. You cannot control the reactions of others. As long as you conduct yourself in a way that has made you proud, then youll be able to sleep at night. 26. If a dream is no longer serving you, its okay to look for a new dream.  Just dont ever stop dreaming. Ever. 25. People will surprise you. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse but that old adage about assuming is certainly correct. 24. Your identity isnt wrapped up in any one thing: your career, your marital status, your appearance. Its all the things that make up You, and cant be squashed by letting go of one thing or starting something new. Youll always remain you. 23. Its possible. All of it. 22. Those hippy-dippy green-smoothie meditators are totally on to something. 21. The best person to look out for you is youbut dont shut others out.  Allow yourself to be vulnerable.  Its the only way to get close, to share, to feel, to love. 20.  Dont stay silent. Dont fade away. Dialogue (and even conflict) is better than silence in most cases when you think of things lost in the long-term. 19. Theres no such thing as failing just learning. 18. Conduct life as an experiment. Its more fun and freeing and stress-less that way. 17. Move around every day. 16. Take that nap. Itll be delicious. 15. Carve out Me Time and honor it like its the most important appointment of your week. 14. Dont deny yourself the things you love, as silly or unnecessary as they may seem. They bring sweetness into your life. 13. Buy a home with a view, especially of the water, especially of the skyline. 12. The thing that most scares you? Thats where you need to be aiming. 11. Its always worth trying. Always. 10. You know how people tell you that you cant pick your family? Thats bullshit. 9. When you get cancer, dont be afraid to use it as a muse for ukulele tunes. 8. You know way more than you give yourself credit for. Stop looking for outside influences/ permission/ information and treat yourself as your own advisor. 7. Busy does not equal successful. It just means busy. 6. Success is only success when its on your terms. Spend time to discover (and execute!) what success means to you and itll be the best investment you can make in your life, your health, your future. 5. Be an actor only if you have to. Be an entrepreneur only if you have to. But if you have to go for it with all your heart. 4. You will always have a roof over your head and food in your belly and people who love you. Always. 3. Life is usually not easy. When its not, share what youre going through and what youve learned. Itll provide comfort all around. 2. You have it really, really good. Like, the best. You really, really do. 1. Listen to your gut and your heart. Theyll never steer you wrong. Thanks to Colleen Wainwright  for the inspiration, and to you for teaching me so many of these things (except for #33, which I learned in high school watching a TV-movie with my Mom). As a Thank You, I have a heckuva offer for my VIPs until tomorrow afternoon (its The 35 Hour Sale, natch). Sign up here before noon Eastern on 1/15 and youll get an email with the deets. {Its gonna be a really great year, you guys. Like, the best.}