Lessons I Have Learned in My First 50 Years

In 2011, I wrote a column on lessons I have learned in my first 50 years on the planet. I took a look over the weekend, and I thought it would be worth sharing again.

There’s nothing I would change except do/use/see more of what you love. Or as my friend Wendy Williams often said to me when I worked with her: “If you aren’t good enough for your best china, who is?”

1. Life isn’t a to do list. Create a bucket list if you like but don’t be so focused on the end that you forget to enjoy the road to your destination. 
2. Life is sometimes saying to heck with the list and spending time with a loved one. Even if you have to burn the midnight oil later. 
3. Letting go isn’t about losing things. Letting go is about making room for something new. 
4. Life is knowing that no matter where you are, the people you love will always live in your heart. 
5. Three squares a day does not mean brownies, Nanaimo bars and date crumbles (even if they do have dairy, fruit, and grains). 
6. Mom was right when she said eat your veggies. Dad was right when he said reading was important. One feeds your body; the other feeds your soul. 
7. If you do your best, people may not notice. If you do your worst, they surely will. 
8. Being a grown-up can be fun. Yet when something you do is no longer fun, stop doing it. Remember there’s a difference in having to do something and wanting to do it. One breeds resentment; the other sustains a feeling of accomplishment. 
9. Make sure your goals and dreams give you a sense of purpose you can live with. Know your limits. But don’t aim low, either. 
10. Don’t expect others to take care of you but don’t be afraid to ask when you need help. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. 
11. Chocolate may help when things are tough, but friends are better. Have someone in your life — be they your family, your friend or your partner — that you can call at 2 am and say, “Help me.” Be that person for someone else. 
12. Remember, there is nothing so big that you have to carry it all by yourself. There is no problem that doesn’t have some kind of solution that will help make things better. Starting with a cup of tea always helps. Making cookies doesn’t hurt either. 
13. There is beauty in the smallest object. Flowers, even a dandelion and buttercups stuck in a juice glass, add something to your day. 
14. Be connected to nature. Walking in the rain won’t cause you to melt. 
15. Building a snowman, no matter what your age, is always an opportunity to be creative. 
16. Be an explorer. Travelling doesn’t mean having to leave your city or country. It can mean leaving your neighbourhood to see what’s just beyond the next block. 
17. It is amazing what laughing every day will do to change your outlook. 
18. Focusing on what you have is always better than brooding on what you don’t. 
19. Change is always possible, and in many cases, usually necessary. 
20. Achieving perfection isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Joy, on the other hand, is.