Seven Things I Wish I Knew Sooner (but am glad to know regardless)

  1. Everyone quietly (or unconsciously) fears that they are not enough or won’t be loved or don’t deserve love. This is universally human. And every spiritual book I’ve read and teaching I’ve heard says the opposite is true. We are enough, just by existing, and worthy of love. I still kind of need proof of this, but I’m going on faith for now. Say it with me: “I am enough.”
  2. Professional success does not equal personal happiness. Man, this one has taken me a long time to learn. I was so reluctant to leave a job that I knew didn’t make me happy because everyone around me described it as a dream job and it looked/sounded very impressive when I talked about it. My heart told me about two years into it that it really wasn’t for me, and I didn’t find the courage to leave until 10 years after that. TEN YEARS!
  3. The time will come when, no matter how vital and vibrant you feel, you will no longer be “young.” And no one will think you are young. And that’s OK. Vitality and vibrance is where it’s at.
  4. Getting worked up rarely improves the circumstances causing the frustration. (Amirite? Yes. Yes I am.)
  5. No matter how much money you accumulate, sexual/romantic partners you have, fit you get, surgical enhancements you receive or awards you win, your self-worth will not change. Finding and maintaining a sense of self is an inside job. (Also, see #1.)
  6. Your parents were doing the best they could.
  7. Kindness, toward self and others, is never wasted.