Saturday, May 24, 2014

34 Things I've Learned In 34 Years

Today was my birthday!  I had a great lunch at Houston's with my Mom, Dad, and Jason, and afterwards my Mom and I tore up Sephora together!  I thought it might be fun to share 34 things I've learned on my 34th birthday!  Some of these are things I still need to work on, so it's good to have them written out as reminders. :)

1. Smiles are free and should be doled out as often as possible.
2. Laughter IS the best medicine!
3. If someone makes you feel good, spend a lot of time with them and tell them they are awesome.
4. If someone makes you feel bad, do whatever you need to do to get the hell away from them.  Life is too short to spend it with someone who hurts your feelings.
5. Work hard.
6. BE KIND.
7. Try new things.  If you've never tried pan-fried Peruvian sea bass / African dance / Selena Gomez music, how do you know you won't love it unless you try it? 
8. Take time to take care of yourself.  Be it a nice long bath or having some quiet time to read a novel.  You need this time to recharge your batteries!
9. If you're PMS-ing, HAVE THE DOUGHNUTS/COOKIES/FAMILY SIZE BAG OF CHIPS.
10. Don't ever be embarrassed about the things you like that make you happy, unless they're seriously harmful to you/others.  Saved By the Bell re-runs have not yet been proven to be damaging, so you're okay there.  ;)
11. If you've always dreamed of dying your hair / trying caviar / starting a blog, DO IT!  
12. If you see litter on the ground, pick it up.  Be a good citizen.  It's the little things.
13. Don't just watch from the sidelines.  Interact with people who intrigue you.  You never know, you may just make a friend!
14. Wear SPF but don't pledge to never see the sun again.  Being outside is awesome!
15. Don't leave the house in anything you're not 100% comfortable in.  Chances are, you'll spend the entire day/night wishing you'd worn your favorite jeans/dress/shoes/bra.
16. Know your strengths and your weaknesses, and work on improving both.
17. Exercise.  It's not fantastically fun, but you'll be happy you did it later.
18. "Spring" clean often.  Donate things you don't need to charity.  A chaotic environment doesn't breed a sense of peace.
19. Spend one night a week doing whatever the hell you want to do.
20. Buy the lipstick.  Especially if it's limited edition.
21. Send people cards / treats / flowers for no reason other than to let them know they are awesome human beings and that you love them.  Showing people you're grateful for their friendship and love should not only take place on holidays.
22. Spend as little time as possible worrying about what other people think of you, unless they are your boss. :)
23. Watch the birds outside your window from time to time.  It's very relaxing and interesting.
24. If someone asks you to keep a secret, keep it.  Unless it's a matter of national security.  Being trustworthy is one of the best traits a person can have.  
25. The other best trait, in my opinion, is to be resourceful.  Can you fix a drawer with a cotton sock, the wick from a Bath & Body Works candle, and 2 pennys?  If you can, I want to be best friends with you!  Try to figure things out on your own.  You'll be really proud of yourself when you get it right!
26. I am 34 years old and still haven't used algebra.  If you don't understand trigonometry, don't feel bad about yourself.  Just make sure you learn how to balance a check book and manage credit cards.  Those are math skills that {quite literally} pay the bills!  
27. Step out of your comfort zone every once in a while.
28. Don't be envious of others even if their life appears perfect.  There's a pretty solid chance it's not!
29. Don't put anything in writing you wouldn't want put up on a billboard.  A former boss told me that and I thought it quite sage advice!  
30. Donate blood.  Donate to charity.  Donate your time if you can't give monetarily.  You will FEEL FANTASTIC!
31. Be a good listener!
32. Say or do something genuinely kind every day.
33. Say something genuinely kind to yourself every day.
34. If you're reading this, know that you are loved!

25 comments :

  1. LOL about the math! Hahahaha Marky would agree with you 100% there! I like your Spring Cleaning ethic-mine's the same! I'm constantly editing and donating things. Just went through the coat closet and have a bag full!
    HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAREST!! I wish you all the joy, HUGS galore, and cookies! xoxo

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  2. Happy birthday, Kristen! I hope you're having a fantastic one! I wish I could donate blood. I've been with friends and I wanted to do it, but I just couldn't! Does feeding stray kitties count? I eventually even took one home :p

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  3. Happy birthday, Kristen! This was such a lovely post. I so agree with you on number 2. Whenever I'm down, I just need something or someone to make my laugh (as in rrrrrreally laugh until it hurts) and then I'll feel better. And I'm going to try take your advice on number 4. I'm always afraid of hurting people by cutting them out of my life or just not wanting to be friends with them, but in the end you have to think about what (and who) is good for you right!

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  4. Hahah! 9, 11, 17,19, TWENTY, 26 and 32 are my FAVORITES. But they are all worth-while tid bits. You are one smart cookie! ;) Hope you have a fantastic time for your birthday, you so deserve it!!!


    MUCH LUH.
    XOXO BBBF
    I'm not really sure. Could be BBFF or BBBFF. Like what are we doing now? hahahah.

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  5. Lovely post! And happy birthday! They are all good rules to live by!

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  6. #10! And happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy birthday! <3 x 1000

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  7. Happy belated birthday! You're so full of cheer always, love it!

    YESSSSES to #9. And thank you for #18 because I live in a perpetual disaster zone. But thank you for #20 also. *buys all the lipsticks*

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  8. Thanks for the birthday wishes! <3 And yes, "higher" math is so overrated. Unless, of course, you're going into finance or science, lol! I've yet to see something come across my desk that involved numbers and letters TOGETHER in the classicly horrifying 2x(4y) - 67w(8.775g) = ____ format and hopefully I never will!

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  9. Thank you, Sunny! :) And yes, feeding stray kitties totally counts! It's all about good deeds, and being kind to animals is wonderful! >^;^<

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  10. Thank you so much, Melissa! I'm so glad you enjoyed this post. And you know, that's exactly it re: #4. You have to put your feelings first sometimes when they're being hurt! There is a Steve Harvey quote that I absolutely LOVE: "You can't be afraid of what people will feel at the expense of how you feel." If someone's not adding something to your life, then they're subtracting from it. Even though it's hard to stop being friends sometimes, you have to keep in mind that real friends don't make you feel bad to begin with. :) Loves to you!

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  11. Aw, thanks so much, SE! :D I knew I had a fellow algebra loather in you, lol! I like the BBBBF, the extra B for buxom, lol! :)
    Hurgs!!

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  12. Thank you so much, Alison! PS: SBTB re-runs are awesome! ;)

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  13. Thank you, Liz Bananas! That's your new nick name from me, btw. LOL @ "buys all the lipsticks"! You crack me up!!

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  14. and this is why I love you!!! Welcome to 34, my wise friend!

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  15. Ugh, I am leaving my job and everyone keeps telling me we should 'stay in touch' and that 'I should come and have coffee some time' but the truth is, most of these people are just co-workers and I don't have any desire to stay in touch with them... Like, at all. Why would I invest time in people that aren't my friends and that I am not interested in really having in my life. But I just find it sooooo hard to turn down a request like that... I just don't know how to do it.

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  16. Oh yes, the "let's stay in touch" dilemma! If you really don't want to but don't want to directly say "um, no thanks!", then just let the distance that naturally forms when you leave do the work. If someone you don't like wants you to come and have coffee, you just have to be too busy to do it. Eventually they will stop trying to meet up, though it will take longer than if you just vanished or said "Eh, I'm not really feeling a long-term friendship." Good luck!

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  17. Happy belated birthday Kristen! I realised your post was May 24 and it's already June 8th! I'm super super late, but better late than never :-) I love your attitude and I agree with all 34 of them, o' wise one! Can you be my fwend? I wuv you!

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  18. Happy Belated Birthday, Kristen! Sorry I missed it (I was in Thailand and without the internet, so...). First off, you don't look like you are 34! More like 27! Serious! Now, I will have to agree with #22. As I get older, I care less and less about what other people think of me, I don't even care too much what my boss thinks of me anymore! Haha. I don't know if that's a good thing! #30: I wish I could donate blood! I've been wanting to do since my undergrad years but I don't weigh enough. :(

    Thanks for such an uplifting post as always, Kristen!

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  19. Hi Kristen! I found your blog through HelloJaa :). I just wanted to say that I love this post. Thanks for sharing these tidbits with us, and happy belated birthday, and congratulations on your marriage!!

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  20. Oh my goodness! So sorry I'm just now replying! Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Lily! And yes, fwends 4-eva! ;)

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  21. Thank you, Jaa! And thank you - it's always wonderful to hear people say you look younger than you are! :D LOL about not caring what your boss thinks! You crack me up. I have another friend who'd love to donate blood but can't because she doesn't weigh enough! That is one problem I do not have, lol! :P

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  22. Hi Carolyn!! Thank you so much for your sweet comment and for stopping by! Always good to meet another beauty lover, and friend of Hello Jaa! :) Her posts and photos are epic. :)

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  23. Agreed!!! She is seriously the sweetest human ever!

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