Part 2: 30 Lessons in 30 Years
DAREDEVILS 4 LYPHE. Thank you for this special birthday gift, Nancy!
In celebration of my 30th birthday and for the fact that I love learning from others, I thought I'd share 30 lessons I've learned in the 30 years I've been blessed to live on this beautiful Earth.
You can find Part 1 here.
And if you're here for Part 2, please, be my guest.
16. Don’t jump to conclusions until you’ve experienced it. I have a very good friend named Pakou Hang who makes you feel like the most important person in the room. She invited my sister and me to her home one New Year’s Eve. We somehow got to talk about how she was helping a younger relative apply for an Ivy League school (Pakou graduated from Yale). I was certainly impressed, but also felt intimidated.
I said something like, “Oh, that’s so cool. But I’ve heard it’s so hard to get in.”
And then Pakou gave the best response ever:
“Well, have you ever tried it?”
Of course...NOT. I jumped to a conclusion and simply closed that opportunity with the stories I've heard and thoughts I've had about Ivy League schools. What Pakou said has never ever left me since, and of course, I left loving her so much more. #PakouHangPOWERHOUSE
17. Listen to your intuition aka your truth. In any situation, you may not know everything, so you might allow others to make the decision for you. That’s ok…until your intuition kicks in. Listen to it and move in its direction.
18. You are responsible for your life. One of my biggest A-HAs. It took me most of my life to figure this out, but I’ve been told that I am lucky to discover this at a young age. Many people will show and tell you that they are in charge of you and your life. BUT you were in charge all along, because ultimately, you were the one who gave them permission to take over. #somethingtothinkabout
19. ‘Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ – Unknown. I first heard this in high school and it is still very, very, very, very, very true in my book.
"A sister is a little bit of childhood
that can never be lost." - Marion C. Garretty
20. Relax & keep your eyes open. There were many rules to remember as a new skydiver (i.e. arch your back, lift you feet up, etc.). Right before I jumped 10,000 feet in the air, my sky diving instructor told me these were "the two most important things to remember." After landing, I finally understood. The fall happens so quickly; you must keep your eyes open to enjoy the view. It sounds a lot like life to me. :)
21. Make the time to remove weeds from your garden. Have some thorny weeds growing in your life (i.e. thoughts, Facebook “friends”, items) that you keep around for no good reason? Pull them out. Trust me – you won’t miss ‘em.
22. The hardest part to making anything happen is starting. Whatever you’re afraid of (i.e. rejection, failure, inadequacy), just sit down and start. You’ll be surprised at what you achieve.
23. A natural high is what you seek. When you find it, don’t let go.
24. You don’t ever have to or need to do what everyone else is doing.
25. Keep doing YOU; they'll eventually come around. In the beginning, listeners talked more about my physical appearance than my music. However, today, without doing anything much differently, I can proudly say that my music is what people are talking about more often than anything else related to me. The point is: just keep doing you.
26. You were loved from the beginning. The first time I met my 5-month-old niece, Scarlett, I volunteered to take care of her for 6 days. When she cried, I would drop everything (or woke up instantly) and rushed to make a bottle or hold her. And I could have chosen not to, right? (Inconceivable!) I had only met her, already loved her, and she didn't even need to do anything, but be. If you’re reading this, someone loved you even when you were helpless and could not do anything for them in return. You. Are. Loved.
27. Speak up with confidence. Even when the other person is smarter, more talented, more vocal, more pretty, more logical, more this, more that, or simply a hardhead.
28. The learning never stops. I graduated from college more than seven years ago, but I haven’t stopped learning since. Actually, I am more active today as a learner than I was in college. And there's no stopping me. #TrueStory
29. Lose weight = make my health a priority and a ritual. It really is that simple.
30. Work hard and take advantage of what is available to you. In my high school senior year, I applied for over 20 college scholarships. I didn’t know my chances, but in the midsts of school, homework, extracurricular activities, and a job, I’d find some time, some way to fill out applications. By the end of my senior year, I had earned myself a full-tuition scholarship and half a dozen other scholarships to support my college career. I am truly grateful for the opportunities available to me, and for knowing then that they were valuable.
BONUS! If you get goose bumps, you’re standing in your truth/destiny. I always, always, always get goose bumps when I watch a performer onstage. And I’ve been told that goose bumps are what old sages (defined as “man of profound wisdom”) would get when they were in the presence of truth. #Powerful
"Relax and keep your eyes open."
So there you have it! Which lesson spoke to you? Do you have lessons of your own, regardless of age, that you want to share? Please leave a comment below. I do read them and would love to learn from you too!
Until next time...
Dream BIG,
Pagnia
