What I've Learned Thus Far....

A week ago I hit one of those milestone birthdays that encourage you to take pause and reflect on what you have achieved, and more importantly, what you have learned up to the current point in your life. While the day itself was a bit of a bust, the long road trip it revolved around enabled me to muse on the top lessons I've learned thus far....

1. If you see something, say something. (The NYC Subway system might have coined the phrase to discuss terrorism, yet the applications are infinite. Truth heals the self and others. We have a responsibility to speak what we know and believe, particularly when it's scary. The fear is a good indicator that our voice is as necessary as ever!)

2. Sometimes you have to go back (e.g. to places, experiences, relationships, etc.) to get ahead.

3. Breathing heals just about everything. (So keep doing it, with increasingly slowness and depth).

4. The things that bug me most about others are indicators of what is bugging me most about myself.

5. My relationship with food is a mirror for my relationship with myself. (When I am intentional about my eating and ensuring that what I consume empowers my peak performance, attention, attitude, and audaciousness proceed organically).

6. Listen more than I talk.

7. Treat others the way they want to be treated. (This not only is pivotal for effective leadership and management; it also is the cornerstone of any thriving relationship, particularly a marriage!)

In the last few days, I've also thought through my learning bids and aspirations for the next decade or so of life. Some of them include, in no particular order-

1. Sustain the recipe for health and wellness I've created. (The more sturdy the personal foundation I create, the more "assignments" I receive to challenge me to really walk the walk. Game on, universe!).

2. Complete a sommelier course.... or through enough wine tastings/vineyard visits get really savvy about wine.

3. Live in a different country. (I'm not sure how this can work within the frame of my life. Nonetheless, it stays on the list).

4. Publish a book. (Close..... so darn close).

5. Stop trying to save other people. (Expand my belief that the universe has got my back to the universe has got others' backs).

6. Renovate a mid-century modern house and cultivate an herb and vegetable garden in its backyard.

7. Continue to tilt my ratio of laughter back to the childhood norm (700 laughs/day) versus the adult norm (under 20). -These stats come from Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project.

When is the last time you have stopped to take pause and identify the life experiences and wisdom you have archived through the latest chapter(s) of your life? How can you use this foundation as a launching off point for the life you are seeking to manifest for yourself in the days, weeks, months, and years to come?