In 2021, I turned 40 years old. The big 4-0. Then at the end of last year, I turned 41. Yeah still not used to it. I don’t feel like I should be in my 40s, but it is what it is. But I’m gonna try to embrace it.

The past few weeks, I’ve done a lot of thinking about what I want to achieve in the next few years. Getting healthy and losing weight is on the top of the list, along with several other things. But I decided to reflect on the past 41 years, and what I have learned. I sometimes feel like I have lived an entire lifetime because there has been a lot of water under the bridge. But I have learned a lot of lessons over the years. So here they are.

1. Keep things simple.
2. Don’t over-react  because things are usually ok in the end.
3. No need to worry until there is something to worry about.
4. A cluttered mind keeps you frazzled.
5. Without a plan, I don’t function very well.
6. Life is short, so try to enjoy it.
7. Cherish the ones you love, because they may not be here tomorrow.
8. Don’t be afraid of starting something because if you are always afraid  of starting, then time keeps going by and you haven’t started yet.  Think of how far you could have been had you just started.
9. If someone doesn’t like you, it’s not my problem, it’s theirs.
10. Don’t take the blame for things you didn’t do.
11. Don’t expect others to stand up for you; the only one you can depend to stand up for you is yourself.
12. Be tough-skinned; people will always dislike you or be mean to you; learn to let it go.
13. Let them talk.  You don’t need people like that anyway.
14. When you go through a major event or tragic event in your life, you learn who your friends are. 
15. Take care of your skin.
16. Don’t trust everyone.
17. Be as healthy as you can be. Use the 80/20 rule.
18. Stay in shape, because the weight will definitely creep up on you faster than you think.
19. Stay calm at all times, even when you are tempted to get upset and excited.
20. Learn something everyday.
21. Take care of things so they will last longer.
22. Learn, do, and enjoy doing the old-fashioned things because there may come a day when you will need those skills.
23. Pray.
24. Love God.
25. Don’t be so serious all the time.
26. Design the life you want. 
27. Don’t just let life happen to you all the time.  Be in control of your life.
28. Get fixed up everyday.  You will feel better.
29. Don’t always do the things you don’t want to do.  Sometimes you have to though.
30. Notice the little things in life.
31. Stay busy.
32. Always be working on developing new habits to better yourself.
33. Practice everyday at being the person you want to be.
34. Jump in and help when you see someone struggling or just needing a helping hand.
35. Some things just aren’t worth  continuing to fight for.  At some point you have to think of your own mental health and sanity.
36. You don’t have to have the best of everything to be happy.
37. Money is not everything
38. At some point you have to move on for you.  You will know when that time is.
39. If someone gets mad at you because you didn’t do what they wanted you to do, it’s not your problem.  If you didn’t feel the need to do it, then that’s on them, not you.
40. Be strong in mind.
41. Let bygones be bygones.

This exercise was very enlightening and really made me reflect and realize so many different things I have learned over the years. I encourage you to try this same little exercise. Maybe yearly or every 5 or 10 years. You might be surprised by what you come up with.