Twenty-Six Life Lessons

It’s hard to believe I turn 26 this month.  Twenty-six!!!  As in, closer to thirty than I am twenty.  Crazy!!!  So, in honor of twenty-six years on earth I give you twenty-six life lessons I’ve learned:

1.      Defining your worth by numbers (whether salary, GPA, weight, number of Facebook friends, etc.) will never make you happy. 

2.      A smile goes a long ways.

3.      Always assume others have the best intentions.

4.      Friends come and go but your family is always your family.

5.      Growth requires pain.

6.      The way to put meaning in your life is to serve others.

7.      Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.

8.      Time heals all wounds.  Chocolate helps.

9.      The destination is only a tiny sliver of the journey.

10.   Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

11.  The most important things in life are relationships.

12.  The minute you think you know it all, you'll be reminded you don't.

13.  If fear is the primary motivator behind a decision you've made, you've made the wrong decision.

14.  Never, under any circumstance, ask "What else could go wrong?"

15.  If you have hard feelings towards someone, serve them. It will change your heart.

16.  Laughter is the best medicine.

17.  You're only as lonely as you allow yourself to be.

18.  One's opinion doesn't make it fact.

19.  You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.

20.  You're not the only person struggling.

21.  Hard work pays off.

22.  Life is too short for cheap toilet paper.

23.  Never give with the expectation of receiving.

24.  Write Thank-You Notes often.

25.  Invest in yourself.  If you don't, who will?

26.  How you see others says more about you than about them.