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 🙂