Episode 279: 44 things I’ve learned in 44 years, Part 3

Hi ass kicker! Happy birthday to Your Kick-Ass Life Podcast! She is SIX YEARS OLD! 🎉🎉🎉To celebrate, over the last few weeks I’ve been taking you through 44 Things I’ve Learned in 44 Years.  If you missed the previous episodes of this list, you can see and listen to part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE. Today’s episode, part 3, will take you through numbers 29-44.

Also, there’s still time to enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of many prizes! You can do that HERE.

So, without further ado, here are 44 Things I’ve Learned in 44 Years:

Cleaning up my own messes is the best way to sleep at night. This means apologizing when I’ve been an asshole and just generally doing my best to fix things I’ve made a mess of. Taking radical responsibility for my life is the only option.  No one else is responsible for my happiness. No one. My children don’t define me. I used to think becoming a mother would be my ultimate life purpose. It isn’t. I used to have a lot of guilt and shame about that. But, I don’t anymore. No relationship will complete me. Not a single one. “Taking the edge off” really needed to be examined. For me, I was taking off all the edges. And sometimes edges just need to be dealt with. Many times exercise really is the best medicine. The voice in my head that tells me I’m not enough is a liar. Progress, not perfection. If I listen, my body is usually trying to tell me something. I only apologize when I really, truly can stand behind it. There will always be people that don’t like me and it’s not my job to change their minds. (I admit this one is still tough. It’s a one-day-at-a-time lesson.) My parents did the best they could, with what they had at that time.  And as parents, that’s all we can do. Forgiveness is more about me, and not them. Time really doesn’t heal all wounds—I’m in charge of that. Time helps, but being proactive is the catalyst. All wisdom is created from healed pain Trying to control everything is my one-way ticket on the crazy train. Sometimes I forget this and get on board. The comparison trap is basically made-up stories of what I think someone else’s life is like We’re all scared. We all have fear. The people that say they are fearless are just pretending. None of us get out of this alive. And in the end, I want to be proud how I lived it. At your funeral, no one will talk about your failures. So, keep failing until you get it right. Uncomfortable conversations are always hard. However, that elephant in the room isn’t going anywhere (and takes up a lot of space)—so you might as well call it out. Most people really are too busy thinking about themselves to be obsessing about you like you think they are. That person that treats you like shit is a giant invitation to not be around that person, ever. If you spend time nosing in other people’s business, there’s probably something important in your life you’re purposely avoiding dealing with. Having an open mind can many times blow your mind. None of us are broken or need fixing. Improvement, yes. Whatever you think you are, will be your truth. And you are completely in charge of that, babe. The moment in an argument that you realize you’re either being unreasonable, that the other person has a point, or that you’re just wrong, is the exact moment it’s time to admit it and apologize. You may be wishing, hoping, and praying for X, Y, and Z, but are you mentally and emotionally ready for that? Looking at your relationship with money and working on that can be a game changer financially. It’s okay to change your mind. While we all compare ourselves to others, watch out when you’re comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle. I’m pretty sure in regards to parenting, that I worry 1000 times more about their life than my children are worried about their life. And this is just the thing about parenting. 3Wear sunscreen on your neck. Time is more valuable to me than money. Money is infinite, time is finite. When someone I care about shares something meaningful and I don’t know what to say, the best thing to say is, “I’m not sure exactly what to say right now, but I’m so glad that you told me.” When someone is being a jerk or cuts me off in traffic, instead of getting angry (which is so easy) I wonder if they’re acting that way because they reeeeeallly need to poop. Unsolicited advice is the worst advice. Creativity is your birthright. We’re all creative. You don’t have to have a morning routine to live your best life. Your friendships should be a priority (even though I don’t like to “should”.) Say “sorry” only when it’s truly necessary. Getting curious can sometimes be the best thing to do. Take all personal development advice with a grain of salt. ;)

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