40 Life Lessons in Almost 40 Years

This week I turned 38….I’m now officially two years away from hitting the big 4-0! In my almost 40 years I’ve seen a lot. I’ve had some great times and I’ve been through my share of tough times too. I have a beautiful family and a lot to be thankful for. Thinking about everything that’s happened and the life I’ve led so far, I couldn’t help but ask myself what my life experiences have taught me. What have I learnt from my almost 40 years of being here? What life lessons can I share with you in the hope they’ll help you too?

Here are my 40 life lessons from almost 40 years…

Wellbeing

• 1. Self-care is important. Always make time for you. NEVER feel guilty about putting your own wellbeing first.
• 2. Learn to love yourself. If you want to live a life you love, this is key. Become your own best friend. Accept you’re perfectly good as you are.
• 3. Do what makes you happy. Write a list of all the things that make you smile. Do one every single day.
• 4. Get good sleep. We all need rest and a chance to recharge. Early nights are a must!
• 5. Always fertilise your own grass BEFORE comparing yourself to others. If theirs seems greener, it usually means yours needs some TLC.
• 6. Listen to music whenever you can. It’ll always lift your spirits. Have a playlist for every occasion.
• 7. Unplug! We’re constantly connected to the internet, to social media. Try switching to airplane mode once in a while and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Relationships

• 8. Spend as much time with the ones you love as you can. Carve out quality time with family, catch up with friends.
• 9. Life’s too short to be negative. Surround yourself with people that bring you up. Spend time with those that encourage and support. Be sure to do the same.
• 10. Your toughest times will reveal who your true friends are, the ones who are really there for you. It’ll be who you least expect too.
• 11. If someone is meant to be in your life, they’ll find a way of coming back. No matter what happened in the past, welcome them with open arms. It’s meant to be.
• 12. How people react to things is their problem not yours. They might not like something you’ve said or done but as long as you haven’t been rude or offensive, it’s their problem. Don’t let it get to you.
• 13. It’s not your job to fix people. You might feel responsible for them, to want to protect them. But there’s only so much you can do. Ultimately, they’re responsible for their own actions. No matter how much it might hurt, sometimes you just have to stand back and let them get on with it.

Parenting

• 14. Make your own family unit your priority. Yes, give consideration to the requests of relatives, in-laws and parents, but don’t be afraid to do what’s best for your own little unit first.
• 15. You don’t have to have be blood related to feel like a mum. I’ve been privileged enough to be a stepmum for the best part of fifteen years. I consider my stepson as much my own as my youngest and I love him just as much.
• 16. Use your own childhood experiences to make you a better parent. Take what you liked and didn’t like and let it help shape the parent you want to be.
• 17. Your kids don’t care how pretty, skinny, organised or clever you are. They don’t care how tidy the house is either. They just want your attention and want to spend time with you.
• 18. Make the most of those early years. They really do go way too fast. They’ll be at school before you know it. Grab every opportunity you can and make the most of it.
• 19. Always be present. Put away your phone. Turn off the TV. Get down on the floor and just play with them.

Love

• 20. Regularly remind yourself why you fell in love, why you got married. It’ll help keep your love alive and make your marriage stronger.
• 21. Talk to one another. Don’t expect to read each other’s minds. Communication is key!
• 22. Say ‘I Love You’ and hug one another every single day. No matter how many years you’ve been married, that little bit of daily contact, of daily affection, really does make all the difference.

Living life’

• 23. Be really honest about what you want from life. It makes it SO much easier to be happier.
• 24. Learn to let things go. If you can’t change or control what’s happening, change your mindset or let it go.
• 25. Sleep on it. Can’t decide what to do? Go to bed – things are always a lot clearer in the morning.
• 26. Don’t be afraid of saying ‘no’. You might feel like you should, but you really don’t have to do it all.
• 27. Don’t be afraid to saying ‘yes’ either. Don’t let opportunities pass you by just because you might be scared. Feel the fear and do it anyway!
• 28. Now’s as good a time as any. There’s always a million and one reasons to put something off, to wait. But there’s never really a perfect time, sometimes you just have to go for it!
• 29. Never be afraid of failing. Ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen? Unless the answer is ‘I might die’, don’t ever be afraid of putting yourself out there!
• 30. Tell your money where to go. Take control of your finances and check-in on your spending.
• 31. Budget your time as well as your money. Think about how you spend your time. Prioritise what really matters, say no to what doesn’t.
• 32. Spend your money on experiences not things. We’re led to believe we have to have ‘stuff’ in order to be happy, but it’s simply not true. Paying to share an experience with those you love is SO much better.
• 33. Don’t keep up with the Jones’. Who cares if you don’t have all the latest gadgets or you don’t keep up with the latest trends? Live your life the way you want to live it.

My biggest life lessons

• 34. Being rich isn’t about how much money you have in the bank. It’s about being wealthy in your relationships. It’s about being surrounded by people you love and the fact they love you back.
• 35. Life has a habit of throwing you a curve ball when you least expect it. No matter how good things are, guaranteed there’s always something that needs sorting.
• 36. Mistakes aren’t mistakes unless you fail to learn from them. We all mess up, what matters is we learn from them, that we don’t make the same mistakes again.
• 37. Don’t worry about what others think. People really don’t care as much as you think they do. I promise you they’re spending just as much time worrying about what you think too!
• 38. Everything happens for a reason.
• 39. You’ll never stop learning!
• 40. No matter how bad you think your day is going, there’s always someone battling a larger struggle. Be thankful for who you are, what you have and who you have in your life. Things could always be worse.

40 life lessons in almost 40 years…

So there you have it. My 40 life lessons in almost 40 years! I’m not ashamed to admit that some were a bit of a learning curve. That some were tough to swallow and others were tough to overcome. But I’m glad I’ve experienced them. They’ve shaped the person I’ve become. They’ve made me more confident and they’ve helped me accomplish things I never thought I’d be capable of accomplishing. Who knows what life lessons the next 40 years are going to bring, all I know is I can’t wait to find out!

That’s it for this post! Why not make a list of your own life lessons? Guaranteed you’ll surprise yourself at just how much you’ve learnt too! If you like what you’ve read be sure to subscribe so you never miss a post. Join my tribe and kick-start creating a family life you love right now by filling in your details below. Receive my FREE Daily Planner as a thank-you!

What about you…what are your biggest life lessons so far? Let me know in the comments below! 

Until next time…

Sharing is caring, so if you have a friend who you think would benefit from reading this too, please share it! Want to read more? Check out these posts…I know you’ll love them too!

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• How to Take Better Care of Yourself
• How to Make More Time for You