Beginning of a new month is a great time for reflection and pause. 

It’s a great time to re-evaluate what we want to leave behind and consciously make new decisions.

Here are a few questions I’ve been reflecting on:

• What needs to stop with me?
• What needs to start with me?
• What role am I called to step into?

When you see other people succeed, your mind may want to trick you into beating yourself up and engaging in endless comparison. Remember:

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• What others are doing says nothing about you

 

• Someone succeeding doesn't mean you're failing

 

• Everyone is on a different journey and having struggles & challenges that we aren’t witness to

 

• Let others' success inspire you, not defeat you 

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• Focus on your goals and responsibilities

In honor of my 37th birthday (and totally inspired by Kevin Kelly’s unsolicited advice he offered on his birthday), I decided to share 37 pieces of insights, practical wisdom, and reflections that I (do my best to) live by or that helped me sometimes throughout my life.
​Some of these are personal observations through my own experiences and others are lessons I collected from others.
 
Take any that may serve you and let go of the ones that don’t. Here are the first 5!
 
1. When frustrated or impatient, zoom out of the present moment and focus on the big picture. If it is not a life-changing decision, do your best with what you have and move on. 

2. Stop rushing, *there* is not better than *here*. It’s about the journey, so learn how to enjoy the process of getting there.

3. If you need to force something, maybe it’s not meant for you in this moment.

4. Facts don’t hurt, only painful stories we tell ourselves hurt. If you’re willing to let go of the painful story and focus on the facts, your pain will diminish.
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5. Most things we stress about, turn out to be completely irrelevant and they don’t make any dent in our lives.

​There’s nothing noble about diminishing yourself to support others. You can’t help someone from a place of lack and resentment.
 
Prioritizing yourself and being the best you never has to be at anyone’s expense. It’s not a zero-sum game.
 
When you put yourself first and take care of your needs, that’s when you have more to share and extend to others.

Remember that:
 
No one has to lose for you to win.
No one has to have less for you to experience abundance.
No one has to suffer for you to feel joy.
 
If someone is threatened by you prioritizing yourself, that doesn't mean you have to do something about it or change your priorities. You can decide whether you want to keep around people who benefit from you dismissing your needs.