Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!), I look back on my life and think about things I wish I knew earlier. It would have made my life so much easier if I knew then what I know now. Here’s my list of things I wish I could turn back the hands of time to tell my younger self. Maybe it’s not too late for you.

1. You’re stronger than you think you are.
2. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal.
3. There is nothing to hold you back except you.
4. You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s a matter of wanting it bad enough.
5. No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible.
6. You are limited only by your own imagination. Let it fly.
7. Perception is reality.
8. Your instincts can be trusted.
9. There is only one question to ask yourself: “What would you do if you were not afraid?”
10. It’s often hard to tell just how close you are to success.
11. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
12. Never let success get to your head, and never let failure get to your heart.
13. You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.
14. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
15. Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
16. Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often.
17. If you want to feel rich, just count all the great things you have that money can’t buy.
18. Forgiving yourself is far more important than getting others to forgive you.
19. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you’ll often find that you’re right.
20. Be nice to yourself.
21. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what people think. Follow your own truth.
22. No education is wasted. Drink in as many new experiences as you can.
23. Making one person smile can change the world.
24. Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!
25. You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.
26. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
27. You cannot change what you refuse to confront.
28. Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. It doesn’t always solve your problems either.
29. No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
30. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
31. You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren’t busy denying them.
32. Give up worrying about what others think of you.
33. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.
34. You have to accept that some things will never be yours, and learn to appreciate the things that are only yours.
35. As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”
36. Don’t be afraid to move out of your comfort zone. Some of your best life experiences and opportunities will transpire only after you dare to lose.
37. Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go.
38. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work. But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.
39. Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future for too long. Right now is life. Live it.
40. No matter how cautiously you choose your words, someone will always twist them around and misinterpret what you say. Just say what you need to say.
41. Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of good luck.
42. If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved.
43. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
44. What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.
45. Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.
46. It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance.
47. If it were easy everyone would do it.
48. Be vulnerable.
49. A problem is a chance for you to learn.
50. Regardless of the situation, life goes on.

A great list don't you think?

I met someone recently who upon learning that I’m not married, said, “How could that be?  What is wrong with you?  Are you crazy?”  I stared blankly at him, a bit shocked, then replied, “No,  I’m not crazy”.  Perhaps in an attempt to backpedal, he quickly added “but you’re a catch.  I don’t understand.”  He then proceeded to tell me that he never should have married his wife (oh yeah, did I mention… he’s married).  He said that he knew it was a mistake before his wedding day, but he went through with it anyway.  And now, all he really wants, is to fall in love.  It’s what’s been missing from his otherwise successful life.  It’s hard to feel bad for the guy who, at least from the outside, has everything.  Only he knows he is lost and longing for a different life, growing resentful of passing birthdays and watching the grains of sand fall a little faster through the hourglass as he recounts the big decisions of his life and wonders how it could have turned out differently if he had not denied his intuition.

That conversation left me wondering, too.  Maybe I am crazy… to believe that living an authentic life where genuineness, intuition and optimism have truly been my compasses to follow.  Perhaps people place no value on my choices because they haven’t followed their hearts so they think anyone who does, is just nuts.  There are so few examples where people actually create a life (job, spouse, adventures) where they follow their hearts – above all else. Maybe there aren’t enough everyday examples for people to believe it actually happens in real life. It’s so rare, they make ‘feel good’ movies about peoples’ stories where they persevered and followed their gut.

So.  Ok.  I’ve concluded that maybe there is something wrong with me.  I want to create a life in which I love my man with 100% of my big open heart and not hold back 20% because it’s smarter playing the odds and assuming that it will end someday.   I want to be loved 100% by a man who knows how to give to people he loves with an open heart without fear of being duped or rejected.  I want to earn a paycheck doing work that I really believe in, bringing joy (and example, to do the same) to people who also want to make the world better.  Is there something wrong with that?

I could not have said it better!!! I suppose I am crazy for not compromising what I value in a relationship. But, with so many of my friends divorced ... am I really?