Honestly, I sort of forgot about this post until my friend Casey texted me. She wished me a happy birthday and said she was looking forward to the lessons post, so we can thank her for the reminder!
I went back and read my previous birthday lesson posts, and there are some really good takeaways there. From positive mental attitude, to realizing that life is a constant project, to worrying less, younger Alyssa certainly had a lot to share. Check out 20, 21, 22, and 23. It makes it sort of hard to come up with new, big lessons, but I was able to reflect and find 4 lessons to share with you this year.
1. Health is everything
Although people say this all the time, you never fully appreciate it until you are not healthy. Whether it’s because of an injury or illness, whenever you don’t feel like yourself it can be pretty impossible to have a positive attitude and enjoy what’s happening in your life. What I’ve realized is that patience is paramount, you have to make the best out of whatever situation you’re in if there’s nothing else you can do about it, and appreciate what you are able to do each day.
2. You make your life interesting
Whenever I’m getting ready to do my year end recap I always worry that I won’t have much to share. That’s part of the reason that I’ve started to do my monthly recaps, because I want to document my life more. Having this practice makes me more mindful that there is so much I want to see and do, but the only person that’s going to make it happen is me. And it’s the same for you! In order to not be bored and boring, you have to be curious and actively seek out new experiences. You’re in control of how interesting your life is and once you realize that and don’t rely on others, you’re empowered to go after the experiences you want to have.
3. Travel with less and invest in good luggage
I published a post at the start of last year where I showed how I packed in only a backpack (and not even a true travel one!) for my trip to Italy. I borrowed the backpack from Nina, but have since purchased my own work/travel backpack that has made my life so much easier. I got the matching duffle bag from Vera Bradley and it makes having a carry on a breeze. They don’t sell my exact duffle anymore (which is a shame because it really is perfect), but here’s a similar one. This is my exact backpack.
4. It’s ok to have days of rest
I am a go go go person, and I love it. However, with increased travel for work, going back and forth between the city each weekend, and just generally being in a more intense role at work, I’ve found I need a day to rest. Whether that means just not making as many plans or even none at all, I’ve learned to accept that I am better when I have a “recovery” day. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still open my laptop and do work for my job at IBM or my freelance work or blog, but I try to put less pressure on everything needing to be done or needing to socialize every day. And this has made my performance during the week more focused and productive. It’s easy to equate your self worth with how much you produce, but I am trying to move more towards a mindset of balance and recognition that the choices I make today can set me up for a better week.
There you have it! 4 lessons I’ve learned in 24 years. It’s so fun to be able to look back and see what was important to me and what revelations I made each year.
What have been your recent life lessons? Any of these resonate with you?
-AJF
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