On the 7th of January 2021, I started my 50th year living on this planet and for me, turning 50 was a pretty big deal. This was because in my head, I finally became my definition of “old” that I held close to my heart when I was growing up.

Now I realise that someone who was 50 years old back when I was a teenager was a much older person in values and attitude but nevertheless, I have become a person who has… 

  • Shifted into a different marketing demographic
  • Eligible for APIA (Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency) products
  • Can enter some retirement villages

My Dad (who is a very fit 72) always says that “you only feel your age when you’re sick” and to a point that is very true.

Now that I’m under a month away from my 51st birthday I’m now able to look back on my 50 years of existence and acknowledge the lessons I have learnt in my life so far no matter how big or small they are.

Life lessons such as…

  • Stop focusing too much on the small stuff
  • You need to pick the right battles to fight
  • There are people more worse off than you… Always
  • None of this is of any importance
  • The older you get, the less shit you have to give
  • Be yourself because everyone else is taken
  • Age is just a number
  • We all want the same things in life
  • Never be afraid to say the word NO
  • Change is the only constant thing in life
  • Nothing lasts forever, everything has a use-by date
  • Honey in coffee is delicious
  • Life is the greatest teacher
  • Quality is far more important than quantity
  • Just because you CAN do it, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it
  • Action speaks far more loudly than words
  • Silence is more deafening than a thousand voices
  • Life is just too short…
  • Do what you fear the most. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?
  • Always be prepared to take a punt on yourself
  • The truth will always set you free
  • The answers you seek are always inside of you
  • Sometimes the smallest of things make the biggest of differences
  • Always embrace the “Happy Accident.”
  • Routine and discipline is the path to freedom
  • Always be the driver of your own bus
  • Too much information is better than not enough
  • Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy
  • Life… We’re all making it up as we go along
  • Emotions are unskilled workers, use them wisely
  • Get to know people for who they are, not for what you can get from them
  • Many roads can lead to the same destination
  • Multitasking is a myth, do one thing at a time
  • The greatest joy can rise out of the greatest sorrow
  • Creativity is something that needs to be shared
  • Slow, steady, simple and silent wins the race
  • Owning a dog is the best thing ever
  • YOU are the only you that ever was, ever has and ever will be
  • Never be afraid to say “I love you.”
  • Crying at the drop of a hat is good for you
  • Getting it done is far better than being perfect
  • Being all things to all people will not make you happy
  • We are all enough
  • No matter what happens, it always evens out in the end
  • Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something
  • When it comes to ideas… Never throw anything away
  • We are where we are through the choices we make
  • If anyone tells you they have the answer… They’re lying.
  • There’s no “THE meaning of life” but there is “A meaning of life.”
  • There’s no better feeling than to be loved by someone who you love

Yes, I know, some of these lessons sound like cliches mixed in with a bit of common sense, but it’s amazing what lessons you remember learning if you put your mind to it. You should really try it for yourself

Try to remember a time when something happened that was either a positive or a negative experience and try to see what the lesson you learned from that experience was. Make a note of it and just reflect on it

That’s what I’ll be doing with the list above because at least then I’ll have no shortage of topics to write about.

I hope you enjoy what is left of 2021.

Peace,

Corey 🙂