It is approaching: a new life age or rather a new decade of life. As I have been coming closer to that date or rather to that number of age, I thought I would take this wonderful opportunity to walk down memory lane… to recall what I’ve learned so far and where life has brought me to this point I am at right now.
Life can only be lived forward and understood backwards. It doesn’t show us the big picture until we’ve taken one step at a time. But from time to time we realize a bigger part of this whole puzzle which is so exciting to reflect upon.
Each of us faces challenges but at the same time amazingly rewarding moments. I always say: Life is not there to be thought to death in your brain but to be lived, to be experienced. Life wants to be discovered by us, every single day.
Actually, I would have been able to come up with even more learnings I took out of my 30 years lifetime on earth. However, the following conclusions were the first that came up in my mind.
Enjoy reading!
~ 30 things I’ve learned in 30 years ~
- Always try to stay curious and open. Developing, evolving and changing is one of the fundamental principles of nature. Nothing wants to be stuck in stagnancy. Nothing is permanent. Although the nature of human beings adores to blanket itself in comfort, we definitely need to grow consistently. Open up your mind, don’t stay stuck in a narrow mindset and try new things – the world has SO MUCH to offer!
- Being imperfect is real perfection. Our small rough edges, “being different” but at the same time unique make up our imperfect perfection. I’ve been learning to embrace those parts of myself I always felt annoyed about or what I wanted to change. But just think about this one amazing fact: There is not one single person on this planet which is 100 % identical to yourself. You are a masterpiece with all your sunny and shadowy sides. Love it!
- Set yourself priorities in life and commit to them. I believe when you uttermost want something and commit to it, the whole universe conspires in supporting you to achieve it.
- Sticking to healthy daily routines brings a lot of ease into life. Especially for me as a highly sensitive type of person, it was a life-changer when I became aware of my body-mind-type and my needs. Sticking to morning and evening routines, to certain foods and exercises has been supporting me a LOT lately; which leads me to the next life lesson…
- Take care of your body: It has taken a while to realize what unique vehicle we were gifted with while arriving on planet earth. And it still is something I regularly have to remind myself of. Otherwise, my body will be that reminder because it always shows me quite quickly when I become out of balance. I tend to neglect certain self-care routines when I get busy with work, involved in social issues with family or friends etc. However, my awareness has definitely been rising as I implemented some non-negotiables, which have been supporting me so much to tune into my body and becoming more and more aware of its needs. These are …
- …eating at least 1 meal per day without any distractions (laptop, phone, chatting).
- …sleeping at least 7 (better 8) hours per night and being in bed by 10 p.m. the latest.
- …taking enough time for myself in the morning where nobody should be present for approximately 1 hour.
- …exercising at least 30-40 min daily.
- …practicing yoga, pranayama, and meditation every single day.
- Our body is a natural healing machine and its own pharmacy. It always works FOR and never against us. Every time we feel off or get sick our body simply tunes into a healing mode. Don’t fight against or numb this process, but give it the time to rejuvenate. Give it all the necessary surroundings which nourish your body and simply REST. We do have everything we need within in order to get back on track.
- Life is just an impermanent experience. Don’t waste your time doing things that do not serve you and don’t make you happy. Don’t waste your time with “What if”-Thoughts. All you have is NOW. The past is over, the future is not here yet. So why worrying about things that might go wrong or think about (horror) scenarios in the future which will probably never become reality?
- Gratitude multiplies happiness. Give thanks to what you have every single day and you’ll realize that it is a lot. Abundance is all around!
- You don’t have to justify how you feel and what decisions you make. Saying “No” is totally fine.
- Everything is energy. On a deep level, you are vibrating on a specific energetic level on which you always attract a match.
You will always feel attracted to something or someone who shares your state of vibration. So “Be the energy you want to attract” – The law of attraction goes back to this principle. You don’t attract what you simply say or think, but you attract who you are, what you feel and what you’re internally (sub-consciously) convinced of.
- The outer world is simply a mirror of your inner world. You do only recognize outside yourself whatever beauty, love, pain or aggression you carry within. You only see those things in people what you already have or are working on the inside. They are just a reflection.
- Don’t take anything personally. We become offended or feel betrayed by people which often times outrages us. We start questioning ourselves which only causes unnecessary self-blame. Everyone just acts out of their own state of unresolved issues and internal resistances. You might trigger their own blockages inside but in fact, it has nothing to do with you personally.
- Don’t moralize or convince people of your own opinion. Everyone has a different past, different background, and different experiences. They may remain in a different stage in life and not resonate with the current vibration you’re offering – and that IS okay.
- Don’t blame others for not sharing your own values. Respect everyone’s opinion. We’re all on our own journey.
- Distinguish between constructive and destructive criticism. People who make scathing remarks to be hurtful often traces back to their own jealousy, helplessness or their need to justify their own behavior. But constructive criticism can be helpful, use it in a positive way to improve yourself and not negatively to lower your self-esteem.
- Only hurt people hurt people. Nobody intentionally acts out of spitefulness. It just happens unconsciously when they themselves suffer and act from a state of fear. We need to shine the light of awareness on such situations, send them love and compassion which will serve each of you – and yes, this is NOT always an easy task, to be honest!
- Choosing or rather living a life in awareness is not always easy, but it’s worth it. It might be tough, especially in the beginning, but eventually, you’ll get the greatest magic out of it. Facing the truth will hurt one time or another. But it will also heal and bring you back into alignment. It’s always better to make a painful break than draw out the agony. Never compromise your true feelings. Face them, embrace them and let go of them. Pain is never inevitable, but suffering is – because suffering a choice! Pain doesn’t want to be kept hold by you. Let it go and look forward.
- Everything you resists persists. Everything you repress, you’ll express. Always look at what you try to avoid, what frightens and challenges you most. If you put on resistance, it will just grow and accumulate inside you. It will keep repeating until you’ve learned a lesson. That’s the school of life!
- Accept what you can’t change. Some examples: Our current environmental issues, political situations, animal exploitation, food industry or people’s mindset. I’ve learned to face and accept what the situation IS at the moment, but at the same time to focus on the positive changes I can contribute on a daily basis which definitely supports my own as well as the higher good of everyone else. Because what does it bring me and the people around me if I lament on certain “problems” and show resistance, anger and hate towards what is? Nothing at all. – It rather makes everything even worse as I put myself and everyone around into an emotional and therefore energetical downward spiral and lower the vibration. Face the shadow and focus on the sunshine.
- Put trust into life and surrender to it at some point. You don’t have to know and be able to figure out everything at once
. Life won’t present you the big picture at once – you just need to take one step and trust that the next one will be revealed to you as soon as you’re ready. Each of us tries to control something in life and desperately WANTS to make it happen. But this rigid mindset will create resistance from the alignment and the intuitive voice that is always inside you. Yes, be committed to what feels completely aligned, but don’t get too stuck in your plans; rather trust and let go.
- Life CAN be lived in ease, flow, and happiness. Regard challenges as teachers. Stay true to yourself. Let go of everything that no longer serves you. Enjoy each and every moment…with the awareness of the fact that life is a gift.
- It’s worth listening to your soul’s nudges. When you feel any kind of urge inside to follow and do something, especially if this feeling persists continuously – as unrealistic as it seems: dare to take a step towards this dream. Unless you haven’t tried it, you will never know what amazing opportunities life would have revealed to you. Life is too short and too precious to compromise your soul. Choose your dream. Commit to your dream. Act towards your dream. Live your dream!
- Connect yourself with like-minded people and those who already are where you want to be. Your mindset will blossom and open up to new dimensions.
- Don’t identify with your mind or attach to your thoughts: You are not your thoughts. You HAVE thoughts.
- Less is more when it comes to physical things. Real richness, abundance, and fulfillment lie within the non-visible. Materialistic things can support you in evolving towards a great version of yourself, but they won’t fulfill you in the long run. I’ve been living very minimalistically for a couple of years and don’t miss anything at all.
- Respond and don’t react. – This comes back to your state of (un)awareness. If someone offends you or something happens and you feel personally attacked, don’t react immediately. Take one step back, take a breath, give yourself the space to assess the situation, and then respond consciously. Be fully aware of what you say or do.
- Act truthfully to yourself and in alignment with your values. But first of all, become aware of what your highest values are.
- Life is dual and you can choose your own perspective. There is always a bright and a dark side; in everything. What side of the medal do I want to focus on? Because “Where your focus goes, energy flows”.
- You always have a choice: Do you want to act out of love or fear? This comes back to the duality of life. What intent stands behind your thoughts, words, and actions? Everything is based either on love or fear. Bringing awareness (internalization) to this fact will enable you to make a conscious choice.
- Travel will change your world view. Although I haven’t traveled a lot yet, my last two trips to Asia (Thailand in 2017 and India in 2018) opened not only my eyes and my mindset but also my heart. To encounter people, cultures, cuisines from all over the planet gives me this feeling of connection. Although our skin color, language or local food availability may differ – at some point you find closely like-minded people and places you’ve never ever dared to dream of!
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My dear friends, as you can see, I came across a bunch of different topics which would be worth to get into even deeper. You can leave me a comment or send me a message and tell me what topics you want to hear more about; at what point of life you stand right now; which life lessons you went through as well. Feel free to share your experience.
I want to finish this article with one of my most favorite quotes from Deepak Chopra:
„The most creative act you can undertake
is the act of creating yourself.”
As always: Take care of yourself. Stay healthy. Follow your inner nudge. Listen to your intuition. Live life fully, most authentically and from the bottom of your heart.
Lots of love & Namasté,
yours Isabel!
Pictures
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