It’s near impossible to get through this life without a few heartbreaks and hardships along the way, myself included.
From job losses to pregnancy losses, from break ups to break downs, from silly fights to fighting for your life, we have all got a trail of baggage we carry around with us.
Sometimes, the only way I have managed to get through them is to find silver linings, otherwise it all feels just a bit too bleak.
Turning your wounds to wisdom, and your trauma into triumph, seems to me one of the only ways to move forward in the wake of tragedy.
Often this wisdom isn’t evident to us until weeks, months, years, or even decades after the experience.
But once I have given myself the time and permission to be human, to feel all the feels, to cry, to scream, to punch a wall, whatever it takes to express my emotions, I always try to find something shiny in amongst the shit.
Below I have outlined 33 of the most powerful lessons I have learned in my 33 years of shovelling through my own personal shit (and maybe a bit of other people’s too!).
1. Life is too short to spend it with people who don’t light you up – go where your loved ones are, that’s where the magic truly happens
2. Follow your joy, what else is there?
3. Laugh wherever and whenever you can – play, be silly
4. Leave your phone at home wherever possible – you’ll see and remember so much more
5. Dedicate time to getting to know yourself – you are your own superpower
6. Do the things that scare you – dreams exist outside of your comfort zone
7. Find a hobby that isn’t Netflix
8. Lean into the silence, you never know what it might say
9. Respect nature
10. Take care of your body and it will take care of you
11. Find an emotional release practice that works for you and use it often (and change it up if it stops working!)
12. Don’t be afraid to walk barefoot in the mud, dance in the rain, howl at the Moon and run through the woods naked
13. If you’re not growing, you’re dying
14. Knowledge is about accumulating things; wisdom is about removing them
15. Things don’t make you happy, people and experiences do
16. I regret the things I didn’t do way more than the stupid sh*t I did do
17. Invest in yourself, you are own best project
18. There are infinite ways you could live your life, find the way that fits you, not everyone else
19. Wherein lies your pain and fear, therein lies your lesson
20. The meaning of life is love and growth
21. None of us know what we’re doing, so just do your best and be kind
22. Without the dark, there is no light
23. Magic is real, it’s all around you, if you can’t see it, change your perspective and it will reveal itself
24. Action is key to success. Stop waiting for shit to happen to you, make it happen
25. You don’t only live once, but… you do probably only get one life in this body, with this personality, and this exact life set-up, so don’t waste it
26. Bless that which you covet
27. “If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.” ― T. Harv Eker
28. Get up early, mornings are magical
29. If you aren’t happy with your life, change it – nothing changes if nothing changes
30. There’s nothing like a sense of belonging to make you feel invincible – “Belonging can make you feel invincible and give you the courage and conviction to take on things you never even thought possible.” – Entangled No More
31. Don’t be afraid to start over
32. Stop waiting for that one day, it may never come, one day is now.
33. The secret to self-mastery, is self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-love – know yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, master yourself
I now invite you to consider all the best lessons you have learned this far in life. You can, of course, take inspiration from my list but I encourage you to look inward first.
Spend a little time in silence or meditation, take a few deep breaths and connect inward. Begin scanning through your life, reflecting on some of the heartbreaks, losses, and hardships you have experienced, and consider the following questions:
Journaling Prompts:
What did you learn from these experiences?
How did you grow and evolve as a person?
Sharing is caring!
Once you have created your own list of your best lessons, I would love it if you shared them in the comments below! This will support those who might be struggling, to gain insight and inspiration into their own lessons learnt.
p.s. If you’re ready to go deeper with your self-love journey, then check out my FREE 7-Days of Self-Love Challenge to bring self-love into your daily life in a fun and playful way #ItsASelfLoveThing
Soul Plan: Align with Destiny
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