26 Things I’ve learned in 26 Years

26 Things I’ve learned in 26 Years:

• Be kind, a small act of kindness can go a long way and you never know what others are going through

• Allow yourself to be a beginner, try new things and be open to new people and new experiences; there is always something to learn from someone else

• Learn to rest, not quit; start again and again, you have the ability to change things about yourself and create new habits

• You don’t need to overcome fear, you just need to move forward despite it

• Be an enthusiast of life, fall in love with the little things like the way the sunlight filters into your bedroom or the smell of coffee in the morning, romanticize little moments

• Find the things your passionate about, the things that make you happy, and make time for them

• Let go, the things meant to stay, will

• Listen to your body, often times it knows more than your mind

• Don’t let the world turn you cruel, there is good out there, find it, life is better when you focus on the things you like

• There is no such thing as permanence, things will shift and change, and you will shift and change along with them; you’ll be many different people throughout your life and that’s okay

• Create with reckless abandon, add something to the world that wasn’t there before, a painting, a cake, words on a page

• Time and perspective can heal most things, breathe, give it time

• Be sympathetic first and critical later

• Give back, in whatever way you can

• Learn from nature, return to it often

• Feel deeply, love wholly, and never let anyone tell you your love is too much

• Learn to listen

• Take a moment every day to be grateful about something, the color of the sky in the evening, the breath filling your lungs, the touch of a soft blanket

• Treat yourself with the same love and care you give to the people who mean the most to you

• Your existence is enough, don’t let anyone tell you your worth

• Document feelings, thoughts, emotions, moments, to remind you of all you’ve done and how far you’ve come

• You are not defined by your past or the things that have happened to you, you are who you choose to be in spite of all that

• You can’t avoid hardships, learn to face them the best you can and give yourself grace in hard times, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to hurt, you will get through it; there are far greater things ahead then what lies behind

• Learn to love yourself despite your flaws, take time for yourself to slow down, become your own friend, you will be with yourself your whole life

• Don’t be so hard on yourself, just do the best you can with what you have, take everything day by day

• Remember to enjoy life and not just live it, sing loudly in the car, dance alone in your room, watch the sky change colors, feel the sun on your face, you are here in this moment, live in it