#44: 31 years around the sun, 31 words to live by

At the grocery store yesterday, I was carded purchasing beer and wine. When I showed the clerk my id I jokingly said, "tomorrow will make ten years that I've been 21." She wished me a happy early birthday and shared that she had a birthday earlier this week. Within the banter of our brief conversation, she mentioned looking forward to her thirties (she just turned 22) and I couldn't help but think how much I have enjoyed my first year in this new decade. I genuinely love getting older. I feel as though each year I relax a little bit more into the person I am becoming in mind, body, and spirit. To celebrate another year around the sun, I want to simply share phases that I keep at the forefront of my mind. I thought about elaborating on them but felt simply sharing the list was more powerful. This way, as you read you can allow your own mind to wander to consider how these words uniquely resonate for you (or maybe they don't but they allow you a jumping off point to find what resonates for you). 

I chose to share 32 phrases: 31 statements but also "one to grow on" where I invite you to share a quote or phrase that you live by. And if there is something you're curious about from my list that you'd like me to explain more thoroughly or give an example of, please ask in the comments. I hope you find something from this list that inspires you or sparks your curiosity. 

1. More is not better; more is just more.
2. Balance is not keeping your buckets filled equally, it is flexibly filling the bucket that needs it.
3. Conflict resolution doesn’t require agreement, but rather connection.
4. A mountain top is a goal, but it is not a life. You visit the peak; you do not live there. 
5. Be curious, not judgmental. 
6. Life is cyclical, not linear. 
7. A recipe for a good life requires a lot of living presently and a pinch of mindfulness and reflection. 
8. We are ever becoming, and the pursuit of better is enough; we will never be perfect. 
9. No one is owed a relationship with us. 
10.  When we give ourselves permission to live authentically, we set an example that allows others to do the same. 
11.  We cannot actually create our path; we can live mindfully on the path that unfolds before us.
12.  What’s for me will find me, and if it is before me, it is for me (or at very least is something I can learn from). 
13.  Do for others, but do not sacrifice your life or happiness for others. 
14.  Live where you ARE. Meet your neighbors, create new friendships, be friendly when you are at the gym, grocery store, etc. Do not only keep relationships formed with family or in childhood. Take your earbud out, look up from your phone, and CONNECT. 
15. The answers live inside of YOU; they are not in the world, nor are they found in the advice/opinion of another. 
16.  Finding the silver lining in a failure or difficult time helps propel you forward and keeps you from dwelling on negative energy that only keeps you stuck. 
17.  Routine is a great foundation, and novelty/ spontaneity are necessary and valuable. 
18.  How do you connect deeply? Ask questions, be genuinely curious, and be vulnerable when the moment calls for it. 
19.  People are inherently good but flawed. We must remember everyone is at a different stage of growth and awareness and sometimes focusing on intent rather than impact is necessary. 
20.  We do not need to transcend ego, we need to acknowledge it as part of us, recognize when it speaks, and not let it be our driver. 
21. Activities aren’t inherently bad, but our motivations can be. 
22. You can’t make yourself happy by thinking about being happy. Happiness comes from living your life presently (flow state). 
23. We will never learn something and then always execute perfectly. Instead, when we fail or mess up, we recover faster, or the reaction becomes milder. The first step is always awareness. 
24. What you consume is more than what you eat. It’s who you allow in your life, it's what you do in your spare time, the thoughts you think, and the environment around you. 
25.  There is a difference between being nice and kind. Be kind. 
26. The majority of the ‘things’ you’re worried about won’t happen, neither will that ‘plan’ you have mapped out. Life is unpredictable, ride the wave and live in the journey you have, not the fantasy you wish you had. Don't live your life preparing for a worst-case scenario or saving your living for the future. 
27. Keep a journal without rules and create a habit of using it. 
28. Know your values and live by them with integrity. 
29. Life is less about a right or wrong way to live or do something, and more about the right way for YOU. Give yourself space to build the dynamics best for YOU and your family and allow others the space to do the same without judgment (when judgment comes in it is simply the ego trying to validate your way). 
30. I do not need to be everything I am ever going to be right now. I can love this version of myself/life while also seeking growth, setting goals, and looking forward to the future. 
31.  Let go. Surrender. 
32. One to grow on? Please share something with me in the comments that you live by or that adds to my list.