"Life is a Gift" Weekly Wisdom

 

It's a new year and I am welcoming it with robust excitement. I am entering into the last year of yet another decade and what lies ahead is something I am looking forward to. The best part is, I have no idea what lies ahead. I think this is the best part. 

Every day is truly a gift. Don't roll your eyes, stay with me here for a minute. Not one single second of our life is "owed" to us - we don't deserve a damn thing and that includes the seconds and minutes of each day. Therefore, life and time are gifts. I think about people who don't make it to my age for one reason or another and how they did not get this gift of being 49. How they would have done anything for one more second or one more minute of their life. How they would have loved to see a another sunset, hug a loved one, eat their favorite dessert, laugh with their favorite friend or wake up in their comfy bed.  

All of these things are priceless, daily gifts. 

Most days I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. It's the same exact thing each morning and it is so vanilla, but I have learned to check myself and not be an asshole. I am awake, I am alive and I am gifted a few more seconds or a few more minutes to enjoy this life and to strive to be the best version of myself. 

Now go crush the day. 

#Freedom | #EmbraceTheHellYeah

AE

"Power of No" Weekly Wisdom

 

How does the word "no" fit into your life?

 I am aware I have discussed the power of "no" in the past. I am not sure I quite understood how much power it holds in good and bad ways. My "no" has been said mostly for good but I did trip along the way - living and learning the lesson and the power. My podcast guest this month, Maria, shared the perfect complete and simple sentence in her blog to explain her 
"no" reasoning:  "For me, it’s about setting boundaries and saying no to situations, events, or even people that no longer serve me."

Setting boundaries. 

This is one of the most difficult things to learn in our lifetime. I think of myself as a pretty studious person, who knows how to stay curious, study, learn and absorb A LOT of material. But never could I imagine in my life so far, would I understand the challenge of learning of and living out boundaries. As Maria puts it "safeguarding your well-being and mental space."  Wait, I am allowed to do this?  Isn't this selfish?  

It is not selfish. 

If you struggle to take care of #1 (that's you), then you are never going to be in a good place to be of service to others - saying "no" is part of this equation. I started off with saying "no" to easy things like filling up my whole weekend with events. I would say "no" to at least one outing a weekend, knowing I needed that extra time for myself to rest and recharge. I had sincere feelings of guilt for letting people down and this included my family and friends. But I stuck to it, was consistent and it got easier. My family and friends still ask me (thank you for not stopping) but now they also understand where my "no" is coming from - from a place of being a better person and being better company when I do say "yes." 

It is not selfish, you are just giving yourself the power to do what is best for you. 

#Freedom | #EmbraceTheHellYeah

AE

"Almost Third Quarter" Weekly Wisdom

What quarter of your life are you in?

This time of year is just concusses my brain. I get all reflective and sappy about the current state of my life and what I want for the future. Nothing like "new year, new me" but more of "best me, less time."  When I have been compartmentalizing the "time" I have been thinking about my life in quarters - taking me back to high school basketball. 

I have lived through my first, second and now, soon to be approaching my third quarter. I always felt the third quarter in basketball was the most boring quarter. We lost all the momentum with half time, effort and scoring was less and a lot of fans usually left - so the hype was gone.  I probably gave up more more than I should have...and I will come clean, probably doing the same thing with this almost third quarter of my life. There is a lot less hoopla and exciting firsts, there is more heartache and sad things that happen, I feel and think more about my mortality and that of my my loved ones and I catch myself becoming more like my parents (which is not a bad thing AT ALL, my younger self swore she would NEVER do that).

But...I know there is a lot of great things that happen and can happen in the approaching third quarter. There is always greatness. 

As we are ending 2024, take away all the expectations you have for 2025 and put the expectations on what you are going to do with the with the quarter you are in. It is always a good time to have a foundation of being kind, to others and to yourself. It is always a good time to focus on the health of your body and your mind. AND IT IS ALWAYS a good time to enjoy every nick and cranny of your life - the good, the bad and the ugly. It means you are alive and you are gifted another moment in this game of life. 

#realization | #EmbraceTheHellYeah

~AE