This is 36
It feels like just yesterday I was running a lucrative business using playing cards as hotel room keys, Monopoly money as currency, and an old rotary phone to schedule reservations for my make-believe clientele, my stuffed animal collection. Why is it that when you’re a kid you can’t wait to be a grown-up, but when you’re a grown-up, or supposed to be, you just want to be a kid again?
It’s hard to believe I’m 36. Where did the time go? There’s so much I wanted to accomplish, or thought I would have accomplished by now. I still have so much to cross off my bucket list. I better get to it!
Here’s the good news, even though I am now closer to 40 than I am to 30, I’m often told I look like I’m in my 20’s. I can’t quite pinpoint to what I owe this pleasure: sunscreen, Rodan + Fields eye cream, adult acne (kidding, but not); regardless, I will take it. I don’t feel 36, but then again, what does 36 feel like? I will say the older I get the more my body truly does break down. My neck, my back, my… If you’re in your 30’s you can relate. Gone are the days when you wake up from a night of binge drinking and hit the gym without Advil, a greasy breakfast burrito with 11 hot sauces, and your trainer yelling at you. That’s for damn sure.
“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” – Chili Davis
So in honor of my birthday and turning the BIG 3-6, I’ve decided to share 36 things I’ve learned in my 36 years. Brace yourselves. I’m about to drop knowledge. Prepare for your mind to be blown.
Family is everything and no one will ever love you more than they do.
Happiness is a choice. You have to choose to be happy every day. It has little to do with circumstances.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be honest. Be kind. Be goofy. Embrace who you are. You’re unique. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” – Coco Chanel
When you receive a compliment, reply with, “thank you”. Sometimes we feel the need to downplay the compliment; don’t. Say thank you and be appreciative that someone chose to verbalize the compliment as opposed to just thinking it.
Never trust a fart. Need I say more?
Invest in yourself. It’s always a solid choice. Be good to you, if you aren’t, why should anyone else be.
True love does exist. I just need to find it.
Forget stranger danger. Talk to strangers. You never know who might become a lifelong friend.
Every now and again say yes to something that makes you venture outside of your comfort zone. You’ll feel accomplished. Be brave.
Skinny dip. It’s freeing. And if you’re really up for an adventure join your dare devil friend in climbing up the drainpipe onto the roof to do a naked cannonball into the pool. Then never consider doing that again for obvious reasons. (Think Mystical whispering DANGER in your ear.)
Perform random acts of kindness. Always pay it forward. Show your gratitude.
Always trust your gut in relationships, with your Taco Bell order and with the many circumstances life presents. Your gut will guide you.
Set goals. Write those goals on paper. Execute.
Sundays are for football and beer. Period. Whether you’re at the game, couch-bound with Sunday Ticket, or checking your app to see how your fantasy football teams are doing, nothing compares.
Invest in your future. Open a savings account and actually contribute money to it…monthly. No really, make deposits not just withdraws. Enroll into a 401k. Seek ways to invest your money and grow your wealth.
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
Harboring ill feelings, grudges or hatred negatively affect you. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Free yourself from negativity.
Be a doer, not a talker. Actions always speak louder than words. Always.
Never use Web MD alone. This site requires a mentally stable friend for support so when you self diagnosis and think you have a rare disease, suffered a stroke or are on your death bed, they can bring you back to reality and then help you schedule an appointment with a professional. Slash, if you smell burning leaves, you are suffering from a stroke.
It’s free and it’s more inviting than a frown.
Believe in God, the Secret or a higher power. There is no such thing as a coincidence. Assist in creating your destiny by intention.
Listen more; talk less. A wise man always used to tell me; you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
Always check your to-go bag for your desired condiments when getting take-out or leaving the drive-thru. Fries suck without ketchup. Tacos suck without hot sauce. Pizza sucks without ranch. Who am I kidding? They don’t suck at all, but condiments make them WAY better!
If you’re in a bad or unhealthy relationship…GET OUT. Life is too short.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, or to fail. Learn from your mistakes. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Live in the present, not the past. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep reliving the last one.
You can never get enough sleep. Allow yourself to rest, close your eyes and relax. People who say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” clearly don’t have a pillow-top mattress.
Workout with a trainer. Lift heavyweights. It feels good to sweat.
Have a good work ethic, but remember to never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
Beer before liquor does make you sicker. Proven time and time again.
It’s okay to cry. While in the act, put two spoons in the freezer. You’ll be grateful later when you’re dealing with the post-cry, swollen eye.
See the world. Emerge in other cultures. Discover what’s out there and beyond.
Embrace change. Life is full of it. Understand that you can only control what you can control.
The pull out method may actually be effective. You have a 0.04% chance of getting knocked up using this method. Not sure about all those scare tactics in middle school, but better safe than sorry; use a condom.
White buns only look good on hamburgers. Get your spray tan on. Even orange looks better, and skinnier, than pale.
Time is the most previous gift anyone can ever give.
