I think it’s impossible to mark a BIG birthday without having something to say about it. Maybe it’s because no one around me will let me forget it’s a BIG birthday. Or maybe it’s because I’ve made so many changes to my life in the past two years, reflecting and planning has become a part of my daily routine. In any case, here are a few words of wisdom from my point of view.

1. If I’m not happy, I quit.

2. Stuff is just stuff. It’s the experiences that make me who I am, and allow me to share myself with the world.

3. Stop and smell the roses. And the lilacs. And the jasmine.

4. Stop over thinking things. Just do it.

5. Quit worrying about what others think. They won’t remember what you did tomorrow any way.

6. Always have fresh flowers on your desk. Always.

7. Say yes more than you say no.

8. Quit worrying about what you look like. If others notice, that’s their problem.

9. Take more risks. Risks are the things that help you learn who you are.

10. It’s okay to cry your eyes out every once in a while.

11. Working is totally overrated. Get what has to be done quickly so you can go out and play.

12. Making money is totally overrated. Yes, you need money to survive. But if you’re not happy now, a million dollars in the bank won’t buy you that happiness.

13. We’re all entrepreneurs in charge of how we live our lives every day.

14. Listen to your kids from the moment they start to talk. They are put here on earth to teach us as much as they are here to learn what we have to say.

15. It is possible for your child to be the love of your life, and have the love go both ways.

16. I’ll always miss my dad. He died so young, I wasn’t a true adult yet. His influence will live on forever because there is so much he taught me simply by not being here.

17. Dream more, do more. The only way dreams come true is if you actually do something.

18. I’m a storyteller at heart. I love sharing my stories, but its equally important to me to listen to stories too.

19. Never judge a person by their looks. The happiest, richest person in a crowd may be the one in old blue jeans driving an old car, and not standing out in any way!

20. Some times you just gotta have chocolate. Don’t deny it, just do it.

21. Always lead by example. If you can’t live the life first, why should anyone trust what you have to say?

22. Do less. Multitasking is so overrated.

23. All of my regret comes from the things I haven’t done or haven’t tried.

24. I’ll never be able to read all the books I want to.

25. Why read an entire book cover to cover if it isn’t riveting and captures your attention from the first word?

26. Write the book. It’s in there, just do it.

27. Forgive and move on. It doesn’t mean going back to life as usual; but forgiveness brings closure, and lets me move on.

28. I come prewired with my own prejudices. I can’t change where I’ve come from, but I can keep an open mind about where I’m going to.

29. Never do something just because everyone else is doing it. Sometimes it makes the most impact to do things all on your own.

30. My health is everything. It doesn’t come to me; I’ve got to work for it.

31. I’m a vegetarian because it’s the healthiest way I’ve found to live. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates

32. Don’t be bothered when someone tells you your wrong, yells at you, and doesn’t share your same values and opinions. It just means you’re on a much clearer path to who you are meant to become.

33. The only way to have a great conversation is to ask the most difficult questions. That’s how you find out what people truly think.

34. It takes the same amount of time to make dinner together as a family as it does to run through the drive thru.

35. A walk in the park changes everything. Or by the river. Or through the forest. Or within a garden…

36. It’s not the gift that is important. It’s the meaning it has between the two of you.

37. A bottle of wine and a view of the sunset is the only thing in this world you need to melt away a bad day.

38. If it doesn’t get done, it’s probably not that important any way.

39. Why beat yourself up for the bad when you can reward yourself for the good?

40. Every girl needs to have a best friend. A friend who will tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. Someone who laughs with you, cries with you, plays with you, works with you, and who has your best interests at heart. Someone who stands the test of time. For 32 years, its always been Andrew Osterberg, and for that I say thank you 🙂

41. Even though a best friend is vital, other friends are important too. Some friends are there for a day, some for a year, some for a lifetime. They each serve a purpose for making me who I am, and for all of you I’m grateful.

42. Respect must work both ways. Life is too short to not live with equal standing.

43. It’s okay to listen to Enrique Iglesias over and over and over again. (No matter how much my daughter tells me to stop.) He reminds me of my trip to Spain, and he makes me dance. What could be better than that!

44. Travel is the most eye-opening thing I’ve ever done. It makes the world a much smaller place than I ever thought possible, and makes me realize how alike we all really are.

45. Why would I ever dust when I can get in my car and go to the beach?

46. Forget recording everything you do on paper, camera, smartphone, iPad, video, Twitter, Facebook, etc. What you have to say will never mean as much to them as it does to you.

47. Stop assuming. It’s never true.

48. Aging isn’t bad. It beats the alternative.

49. The bigger the change, the more you realize who matters most in your life.

50. I’m better than ever at defining who I am and what I want. My next 50 years are all about making it come true.