Welcome back to the second installment of my 33 bits of wisdom learned by 33. Tips 12-22 continue on the same thread as part 1.
- Mindset is more important than I realized. If you know me at all, you know I’m all about evidence-based science, so this mindset stuff/manifesting seemed a little woo-woo to me, but it actually makes a huge difference! I am learning nothing good comes out of a bad mood, and I am in charge of my mindset. Now I make sure to surround myself with positive things – youtube videos/ podcasts/ people/ courses because I know that will make my life more abundant and peaceful.
- Learn your family history before it’s too late. I wish I had talked to my grandparents about this more before they passed. Despite all the websites out there, it’s hard to trace back your family tree, and you don’t get the stories that come from real people.
- When someone says something hurtful to you, it’s more than likely about them – not you. We all carry our “stuff” our biases, mental health issues, baggage with us, and tend to project that onto others. So when someone is hating on you, and you know it’s not true, it probably means they had a bad day/experience and are taking it out on you. Forgive them, and move on.
- Life is not a movie. Things might not work out, and you don’t know the plot or the ending. Do your best…but, you are the lead character in your own life.
- Find something that gets you in a “flow” state. You know that state where hours pass before you look at the clock because you were so happily immersed. For me it’s rehearsal/singing/dancing.
- Travel by yourself. (It’s even easier if you’ve been there before). You get to do exactly what you want, when you want. Attractions, food, sleep. Maybe even meet some new friends.
[photo with one of my BFFs, Jason at Marie’s Crisis in NYC]
- Learn how to set SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based. Your goals should fit these requirements to make them come true. If you can’t measure it, how do you know if you met your goal? More on this in future blog posts.
- In hindsight, everything worked out how it was supposed to. The more I reflect, the more I understand that everything that happened to me happened for a reason. And every rejection led to something better. A simple example of this was when I didn’t get a part in a play I auditioned for that I wasn’t super pumped about, but I just needed to be on stage – a few days later a director called me and said she needed to re-cast my DREAM ROLE of Gypsy, and would I be interested? Um, hell yeah! I got to play my absolute dream role, in one of the very best experiences of my life, which wouldn’t have been possible if I had gotten the other role and signed a contract.
- Let people in. Through college, and even now, I realized I keep people at arms-length to avoid getting hurt. My poor thinking is that if I don’t get too close and they leave they can’t hurt me. Well, that just led to me not having many close friends, and I regret that deeply now. Let people get close. You might get hurt, but you can’t have besties without letting people in. And that is worth the risk, I have come to realize,
- Start saving for retirement as early as possible. If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late – start today! Compound interest, baby!
- On that note, skincare! Start taking care of your skin early. Sunscreen, moisturizer, cleansing, retinol, etc. The sooner you start taking good care of your skin the better you will look as you age (wrinkles, crepiness, elasticity… of course hydration and nutrition impacts these too). I’ll be sharing my favorite skincare products in a future post.
Come back soon to see the 3rd installment of this 33 things!
