26 Things I Learned by 26

Okay, you got me, 26 years + 1 day. 🙂 Reflecting on life yesterday on my Birthday gave me a chance to think about all the things I have learned and experienced over the years that have brought me to this point. I’m not the same as I was when I was a kid or in high school or in college or even six months ago- and I am so grateful that I have grown, learned, and evolved over the years into who I am today – the person I feel like God is calling me to be!

I would LOVE to share some of these things that I’ve learned that have made me who I am today…and I hope that it can be some inspiration to one of you reading this. In celebration of my 26th birthday, here are 26 things I learned in my 26 years! Maybe you can relate….

1… You have a purpose // God created you for a reason They are one in the same. God created us all with incredible purpose that we get to live out every single day, how awesome is that? There’s no excuse to waste any of the time God gave us when He put us here for a reason. Reminds me of my favorite verse: Jeremiah 29:11.

2… God is so so good. Can I get an amen? I think as much as you can learn and know when you are young, that’s just the base line until you get older and really start to experience God and talk to God yourself- and then you can truly realize how amazing He is. Sometimes I feel like God probably gets sick of hearing from me, but I know I have a friend in Jesus who gives me such incredible grace every day. God is good all the time – All the time, God is good.

3… You should never leave people wondering how you feel about them. Tell people you love them – tell them often and a lot. I would much rather smother someone with my love than for them to ever have to wonder, or for me to not have the chance to tell them again. To all my friends and family reading this, I love y’all!!!

4… God’s timing in your life will always be perfect. No matter how impatient I may be, or how much I want to rush- God has shown me time and time again that He has it all figured out in His own time.

5… You should embrace the season of life you are in, rather than trying to hit fast forward. This may not be something I have perfected quite yet, but something I am working towards every day. I am a dreamer of ‘somedays’ and ‘when I, then I’ statements, but I am slowly learning to fully embrace where God has me in each season of life for it will never come around again.

6… Vitamins are necessary and essential. Okay, but really, I should have taken my vitamins as a kid instead of pretending to and then actually hiding them instead (Sorry Mom and Dad!). This is something I have come to learn just in the last few months. It’s not fun, but I have felt a million times better with my overall health since I started taking good vitamins consistently.

7… Everything you eat, drink, use, and do has an impact on your health and overall wellness. Unfortunately that means that the junk food is only good for the 10-15 minutes of yumminess and then ya feel like crap. We try to stick to an 80/20 diet- 80% good and healthy, and the other 20% enjoying and treating ourselves to the stuff that isn’t so good for us. We don’t have it even close to perfect, but taking ownership of my health has been empowering and energizing! However, from my college years and from some of that 20%, something else I learned is…

8… You CAN eat raw cookie dough and not get sick. In case anyone was wondering. 😉 Obviously it’s not the smartest decision, but I have done it time and time again and I’m still kicking! However, I have tried this amazing ‘safe to eat’ cookie dough option https://nobakedcookiedough.com/ and it is so so good. YUM!!

9… Comparison is the thief of joy. And it ain’t worth it, sis! Comparing yourself to someone else is so unnecessary, pointless, and simply degrading to the awesome person that YOU are. Want a quick way to feel bad, sad, mad, etc? Start looking at someone’s highlight reel on social media, or what they have, or where they are in life. Again, it ain’t worth it! Trust God’s timing and don’t compare. See Number 4.

10… Numbers do NOT define you. The weight on the scale, the likes on a photo, the money in the bank. You are more than ALL of that.

11… Your size will fluctuate and that is OKAY. As a woman with a thyroid condition , heavy tension, and obviously a love for cookie dough my size has fluctuated so much over the years. Looking back through pictures there are some I really don’t love, BUT when I think back about those times of my life I was happy and doing things I enjoyed. I know I didn’t love how I looked but just like in Number 5 I have learned to embrace the seasons of life, and like in Number 7 I have learned to take ownership of my health and do what I can to feel healthier and not worry about the numbers on the scale- see Number 10.

12… Not everyone has the same heart as you. Woowee if I had a dollar for every time I have broken my own heart because of this I probably wouldn’t even have to work. I have a big heart and I love hard and not everyone expresses things the same way. Over the years, I have had to process this for myself when I feel like others don’t care as much as I do or love me the same. It was a tough lesson to learn and I had to learn it over and over again, but I have finally learned that God gave me this big heart to be a light to others, not to be walked on or broken.

13… Just be nice- it’s way cooler. There are times I can look back on in my life that I know I wasn’t as nice as I should have been or could have been. And I regret those times so much. I still don’t get it right all the time- when I’m stressed I catch myself reverting back to a negative, venting, whiney person, but I really don’t like that version of myself. I want to make myself proud and I want to make God proud.

14… Family over everything. Family is the most important thing in my life. I was blessed with an amazing group of people to do life with and I try to never take that for granted.

15… Find your tribe and love them hard. My friends are like family to me, and like Number 14– Family over everything. I was blessed to find THE best friends when I went to college that love me for me. When you find friends like that, don’t lose touch and don’t take them for granted.

16… Chase your dreams. Just.do.it! It can be scary, it can be full of rejection, second-guessing, and learning lessons- but it can also be full of love, passion, success, and impact. What fills your cup? What’s your biggest dream? Don’t let anything stop you from going after it!

17… Get a good skin care regimen. Is there any explanation needed? Your skin is worth the investment!

18… Never let a man define you, change you, or make you feel like anything less than what God made you to be. I plan to do one big blog post about this topic, but girrrl if you are reading this and you feel like your man is causing any of this in your life and heart…kick him to the curb! God has someone amazing for you.

19… There will always be a rainbow after the storm. No matter what tough things come your way, there will always be something awesome on the other side of it! You just have to believe, keep pushing, and keep praying. Something beautiful always comes after the tough times!

20… It is okay to ask for help. As an Enneagram 2 this is something I still struggle with literally all the time, but since my husband has been in my life this is a lesson I had to learn in order to let him in. Asking others for help is not a sign of weakness.

21… Breathe. Maybe it’s just me, but does anyone else just forget to breathe sometimes when they get anxious? Learning how to breathe deep has been so helpful with my stress and tension.

22… Relaxing is not a bad thing. I feel like I thrive on busyness and to-do lists, and like to be doing things all the time. But that doesn’t mean that relaxing is a bad thing! Take the time to just chill out, I promise you, you’ll be better off for it!

23… A smile really can set things straight. All my life I have been told how important it is to smile – this whole mask thing is really putting a damper on that! Smiling at someone can make their day, it can end a fight, and share positivity and happiness. Never hide your smile from the world!

24… Love yourself. How can something that sounds so simple, be so hard sometimes? I feel like I spent (AKA wasted) so many years not fully loving who God made me to be. And that is just not what life is all about! Love who God made you!

25… Talk to God. Put it down, give it to God, let it go. Don’t let anything weigh so heavily on you that it steals your joy and makes you feel far from God. Talk to God and give it all to Him!

26… Just be happy. Life is too short to be anything but happy! God gave you this life, a purpose, a reason for being, and we get to wake up every morning and live out God’s plan. Why be anything but incredibly happy?

It has been a wild ride of 26 years and I’m so excited to keep adding to this list with each year of life! Can you relate to any of these? Which one do you need to learn in your own life?

All the Love,