33 Things I Have Learned

1. The internet is the best toy ever.
2. You don’t need to live the story other people wrote for you.
3. When it comes to screws: lefty loosey, righty tighty.
4. You might never feel like a grown up.
5. My form tutor was right; I am a feminist. You probably are too.
6. Feminism is a concern for people of all genders. Anyone who tries to tell you anything different or that it’s not needed is mistaken, stupid or both.
7. The effort of making something yourself is always worth it (even if the results don’t measure up to your imagination).
8. You’ll have more fun if you stop worrying about what you look like.
9. Success is more than personal achievement and gain. I think to be truly successful you need to reach out and help other people reach their goals.
10. If you find something you like to wear which fits well buy a second, it will be worth it.
11. We are not so different. We may be separated by generations or location but the more I read of people’s lives the more I recognise my own feelings, hopes and fears.
12. Kindness is a strength. It is so much harder to always be kind then I ever anticipated and kindness in itself lends strength to others. Being kind is worth it every time.
13. Separate but different is a fraud.
14. Worrying about what everybody else is doing bigger/better/faster/more of leads to nothing but compare and despair.
15. Never trust someone who tries to tell you what to think.
16. Stopping to smell roses is a good thing to do.
17. There isn’t much which doesn’t feel better after a good long laugh with your friends.
18. There isn’t much which can’t be solved by asking Twitter.
19. There isn’t much you can’t clean with bicarbonate of soda.
20. The worth of a woman is so much more than her appearance and sexual attractiveness.
21. The mantra: this too shall pass is one to remember.
22. If it’s not a HELL YES it’s a no.
23. Self praise is no recommendation.
24. There is nothing like working for yourself both in terms of fear and reward.
25. You can be the things you dreamed of as a child.
26. Except maybe a ballerina, you really aren’t cut out for that.
27. The right thing to do isn’t always the easy thing to do.
28. Kitchens were made for dancing.
29. Once you have children that heart of yours will be forever wide open and all the beauty and kindness in the world will make you cry. Frequently.
30. The stories of our lives are a beating heart of belonging. Tell the stories, savour them and pass them on.
31. Sooner or later everything you learn comes in handy.
32. Some people say that you only regret the things you didn’t do. I say to them that they clearly never owned a lilac shell suit.
33. There is nothing like the last minute for getting things done. All the minutes that come before it are for surfing the internet.

And ALWAYS credit your sources. This was inspired by Ian Martin’s 60 thoughts about turning 60; some things I have learned in the last 33 years.