Birthday Life lessons & gearing up to 2020 with anticipation of hope.

My Birthday lies at the tip of holidays while anticipating the New Year will bring upon us. At this stage, many are reflecting on how 2019 has been while others are celebrating it will never come back- a cheerful bye-bye to its turbulent seas of problems it has unleashed. In any case, we ought to learn that as with each year, comes new struggles, new anticipations torn of the old, and a side kick of melancholy. As I sit back and look into my 30’s, this year has taught me a lot. I have failed many things but I have also learnt to let go…to find myself in those seas I didn’t know I was sailing.

So here are the 35 lessons I have learnt and or reminded myself as a celebration for my Birthday.

1. Give yourself self care or self love, your balance in the world depends on it.
2. Beauty fades but not a good kind heart immersed with great character. Fake beauty hides the hollowness of the heart yearning for acceptance.
3. Forgiveness is not for the wrong doer, it is for setting your heart free so you can sleep during the night and walk with ease the next day.
4. It is okay to hurt or go through failure and heartbreaks. Life is not a straight journey for most passengers of this world.
5. Discard bad friendships for good ones. Center yourself around people who will support and love you no matter what, without ever condescending you.
6. Never take for granted SIMPLE things. It is those simple things that deprives most human eternal happiness in the age of plenty.
7. It is okay to ask for help, no one is ever a hero of their own story all the time. BUT ask help from people who are most certain to guide you ahead.
8. If you have some form of power, use it as a weapon for those who are marginalized or minority to ascend. It’s opens a path of belief.
9. Self judgement or self hate is the poison to the soul. Practice self appreciation instead.
10. Some people have to go out of your life so that other can enter it. Be open to new possibilities, its called learning and growing if not evolving.
11. Every story that happens (good or bad) in your life is leading you somewhere to something. Remember that!
12. Be straightforward with your intentions, it saves you a lot of self questioning.
13. Solitude replenishes the soul and has the keys of finding yourself. All great minds and masters of faiths had this common. So do it often if you can.
14. Know who you are before the world exploits that chance to delude you to what it wants you to be.
15. The more you chase success, the more it seems to run away.
16. You will certainly face many rejections in life. But its useless to also think that everyone will love you in the first place. So keep moving and carry-on!
17. Pray, Meditate, exercise, read, eat healthy if you can, and listen to your body and then, have some little bit of fun. You deserve it.
18. Whatever has been decreed by God as yours will always find you. Sometimes we have to practice a little bit of patience.
19. Each soul is unique and a singular force powering within the force of the universe. Stop underestimating yourself by always compromising, it never develops you personally and rather furthers your exploitation in all ends.
20. Never rebuke death or overpraise yourself…the wheel of life is always taking turns. You never know when you will fall into the line next.
21. Climate Change, Misogyny, sexism, racism, and other forms of profiled phobia are not good for this world. Use every tool you have to fight them.
22. Choose the battles you fight. At most, many might turn out to be unnecessary and might not require your energy.
23. Mind your own business, it saves you a lot of time, money and emotional drainage.
24. Never stop asking ‘why’- it will teach you a lot in the world of wisdom.
25. Take a walk into nature or travel and listen to people’s stories…your life will never be the same again in its meaning and purpose.
26. When the future is unpredictable, be steady fast, always.
27. If you choose to ground yourself on social media, follow the people that do meaningful things that add to your self worth and give you daily inspiration.
28. A discontented heart is an empty one.
29. MEN- vulnerability doesn’t emasculate us, it teaches us humility in the sphere of humanity as a whole. It is futile to always act as immortals.
30. Promote a compliment culture and appreciate people in your life before they are gone. People will always remember how you made them feel.
31. Learn to listen. Sometimes all we need is a listening ear to understand better.
32. If you don’t have much to say, better to be quiet and observe.
33. Control your ego before it controls you.
34. You will not search and find God in a prayer house. Rather, better search your heart, soul and your very own existence in the first place.
35. At the tip of happiness lies the recipe to fall into the abyss of unexpected ruins, just as at the tip of despair and hopelessness lies the ray of hope to occur unexpectedly. Stay in the balance if you can.

ONE LAST WORD:

Tell yourself: You are beautiful/handsome, intelligent, gifted, loved, belong to a unity of greatness, have an army of force shadowing you and that you are distinctly smart and capable. Look yourself in the mirror and if you are parent or elder, tell it your children or young ones. Goodness always comes back to you in double fold in very unexpected ways. Spread the love and compassion and happy 2020 everyone- if we ever meet it, to look it into the eye and fully embrace it.