5 Lessons I Learned Since My Last Birthday

Another year has flown by which means another birthday is also passing by.  After my successful post about my birthday accomplishments last year, I wanted to do another post for my birthday this year.  I wasn’t sure what to write about, but I knew I wanted to write about something very important. 

So, I thought about all the accomplishments and failures that I have done throughout the year.  All those accomplishments and failures had one thing in common – I learned a lesson from them.  That got me thinking to write a post about all the lessons I have learned since my last birthday.  Most of us learn and grow daily so I wanted a post that captured my growth from last year.  Anyway, enough rambling – Check out my birthday lessons below.

Build Positive Relationships

I’ve had many ups and downs between family and friends for the past year.  One thing that I have learned is that, if a person is not providing me happiness, then I should not continue to put effort towards that person.  I know from personal experience that it’s hard to let some friendships go, especially ones that you have had for a while however, just like a romantic relationship, some friendships need to go through a breakup as well.  If it’s a toxic friendship (or family member) then you should break up with them, to be better mentally and emotionally.  

On the opposite end, if there are people in your life that keep you happy then you should focus on those relationships more than the negative ones.  As my husband has told me many times, “Focus on the positive friendships that you have instead of the negative ones that you don’t need”.

Never Stop Making New Friends

In addition to the above lesson, I’ve also learned to never stop making new friends.  Some of my best friends were made in adulthood.  Even post-college and grad school, I have made some amazing friends.  However, it does not come easy to make friends as an adult.   I mean one of the reasons I started to blog was so that I could meet like-minded people in the South.

Making friends as an adult is extremely hard.  However, put in the effort and you will be surprised.  I’ll even reach out to new bloggers in my area from time to time and see if they want to grab a cup of coffee.  You never know if you might meet another amazing person so don’t close yourself off to new people.

Eat healthily and work out

This one goes without saying however, I didn’t realize how much changing your lifestyle and diet did indeed affect your weight.  During Quarantine, my husband and I quickly realized how much we ate out.  Since most restaurants were closed during quarantine, we cooked a lot at home.  In addition, both of our companies had a work-from-home mandate, so we were also both working from home together. 

Now, if you’re anything like me, staying at home all day will drive you crazy.  To prevent me from getting cabin fever, I would take a 30-minute walk in the beautiful outdoors.  Gyms were closed as well so taking my daily walk is what helped my sanity.

With the change in our diet and my daily walks (in addition to at-home workouts), we both lost about 15 lbs. each.  Crazy to think that last year, we made these small changes and lost weight without even trying.  However, as soon as we went back into the office, we both gained the weight back because we went back to our old habits. 

In conclusion, the lifestyle changes made during quarantine last year made me realize that putting my health first will bring positive changes to my mind and body.  That’s the biggest lesson I have to learn and I continue to make changes to improve my health.

Self-Care

Self-care is super important, especially as you get older.  I notice that the weeks I don’t have a “me-day”, I feel extremely stressed and burned out.  Whereas the weeks that I do have a “me-day”, I feel much more relaxed and ready to tackle anything that comes my way.  So since the last year, I have set aside time once a week to have my self-care time. 

Self-care comes in many forms and is not just a “spa/pamper” day.  It can mean a spa/pamper day if that’s what makes you relaxed and happy.  Although, there are many other ways to have self-care days such as reading a book all day, binging on your favorite Netflix show, doing a hike, etc.  Doing a low-maintenance, relaxing activity is good for your mind, body, and soul.

Do what makes you happy

This lesson may be a cliché lesson however, most people just overlook it.  In the past year, I have been focusing a lot on what makes me happy.  I knew we couldn’t travel much in 2020 however, I did want to go somewhere special for our 5th wedding anniversary.  Even with all other Covid-travel restrictions, my husband and I were still able to make a trip to St. Lucia for our anniversary.

We were both ecstatic about this trip and couldn’t believe that we were visiting one of our dream locations.  This trip made us happy, and we decided to do more things as such to make us happy. 

Another thing that makes me happy is walking outside.  I’m not much of a runner but walking is something I enjoy.  So, I make an effort to walk for at least 30 minutes/6 times a week (with my furry baby). Also, this blog is a huge passion project of mine that keeps me happy. Thus, I dedicate my time and effort to this blog because it keeps me happy. In conclusion, this is a hard lesson to implement however once you start to do things that make you happy, you are in such a better mental and emotional state.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the lessons that I have learned since my last birthday.  What’s one that you have learned since your last birthday?  Let me know in the comments below!

Much Love,