This is MY personal List of what I wish I had known at age 23. My personal opinion. Sharing it my way with you so you can reflect and in hopes it can help someone. Anyone!

Do it now. Do it wrong. Then do it again. Better

1. It’s important to know people. Network! If you want to go further in your life or career, you need mentors and advocates. The sooner you start building a network of people who can support and help you, the better.

The difference between the two is “A mentor can be a friend, a coworker, or a therapist who helps you figure out what you need to do to be more successful in your life/career. An Advocate is someone who will make things happen for you.

2. Exercise. Eat healthy most days. Health comes first. If you aren’t healthy, you can’t enjoy anything else, like your job, money, or family. Get your annual physical done. So many of us procrastinate about the most important thing: our health.

3. One day, There will be a real connection with that special someone. Tell them! If you instantly connect with them, Let them know how special they are to you. If you keep this feeling to yourself, you might regret it one day.  But also, if you are single, Give yourself some time to be alone. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. It’s worth the effort. Sometimes, we waste our time with someone who doesn’t deserve it. Taking them on as a project. Waiting for them to love back and after it’s all said and done.. they weren’t meant to be. STOP WASTING YOUR VALUABLE time with people who don’t deserve you or your time.

4. In this world, there are sharks. Be aware of the sharks who want to take advantage of your kindness and innocence. Be kind, but strong. Balance is important. Have you come across these types, I call leeches? They are the ones you go out with; before you know it, they stick you with most of the bill. I can go on about these types, but I’m not. Just BEWARE of those! These types are EVERYWHERE!

5. Everyone has their own destiny. Some people get rich and famous a lot faster than others. If something you want hasn’t happened for you yet, don’t stop getting ready for when it will. Getting ready ahead of time helps a lot. I realized and learned about multiple income streams at 48 years old. To think my daughter, at 20-something, was already trying to educate me on it. I wouldn’t listen. I was content with working for someone else, and now I eat, sleep, and poop, thinking about MY OWN business and GENERATING MULTIPLE STREAMS of income.  I know it will happen, and it can happen to you. Just DON’T GIVE UP! STAY THE COURSE!

6. Not all of your friends are important. Some people only exist to take advantage of your fears and make you feel bad about yourself. Get close to people who want the best for you. Don’t be afraid to cut ties with people who don’t want you to do well. My mother was able to pinpoint these so-called friends. I wouldn’t listen. If someone tells you so and so is not a good friend believe them. Just Fade away and don’t look back.

7. Don’t worry that you might screw up. Failure is a beautiful thing. When you fail, you are doing things that are outside of your comfort zone and in your stretch zone. Always work at the edge of your comfort zone. This is how you’ll get better. When I first started this blog … So many mistakes and so many issues—I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I would cry cause I couldn’t figure certain things out. The moment I would silence my mind, answers would come to me. My boyfriend (My personal encourager) would tell me, “You’ll get it, don’t stop.” I honestly think it’s his belief in me that keeps me trying. I used to be a quitter, and now I feel there’s no stop in me.

8. And on that note… Show and tell your loved ones that you love them. Say it with actions not just with words. Spend time with the people you care about. We think we have endless time, but we don’t. We don’t think that this day—today can be our last day.. Spending more time means putting phones away. Give them your undivided attention. Listen to what’s on their hearts.

9. Learn how to put your money to good use. Most bank accounts are nothing more than places to store money. Saving doesn’t make anyone rich. Investing is how people get rich. Also, it’s never too early to start saving for retirement while you’re at it. The earlier you start saving and investing, the better your future can be. Can you imagine being able to retire at the age of 40? No financial worry. You are still young enough to travel or do things that make your heart smile. Again, this is why my #1 on this list is so important!

10. It doesn’t help to feel hurt about things that have already happened. If you learn from them, you can avoid making the most of them again, so don’t dwell on the past. This one took me many years to learn. Several self-help books later, I still wasn’t getting it. Trust me. I know this one is easier said than done. But in reality, ask yourself: what do you get from holding on to mistakes and pain others have caused, dwelling on a yesterday that will never come again? I know some hurts are hard to let go of. But this is where, again, My # 1 comes in. Surround yourself with good people. Get professional help if you can. Take it day by day. Before you know it, the hurt has subsided, and your heart feels lighter.

11. Learn how and when to say “No.” Saying “No” does not imply being selfish. Being a yes person or a people-pleaser can be exhausting or frustrating. If you think about it, Is it really worth trying to make everyone happy while you are miserable?  Do you really want to help or want people to like you? Being overly nice makes it easy for people to take advantage of you. If you genuinely feel happy, then by all means, say ‘Yes”. But if you know deep down inside that Afterwards you are miserable as F*$#, then saying “NO” is the way to go.

12. Every person is the main character in their own story. People are too busy thinking about themselves and worrying about what others think of them to pay much attention to anyone else. That’s good news, because it means that people don’t worry about you as much as you do. They have the same fears as you do.

13. Confidence is the key to almost everything; you can learn how to get it. It will get you what you want in life and give you an edge over everyone else. It can be used for going on dates, making business connections, feeling good about yourself, and so much more.

14. There is a big distinction between authentic friends and people you hang out with because it’s convenient. The first kind is hard to find, but if you can find at least one or two, it will be well worth your time. When you do make real friends, try as hard as you can to keep in touch, because it’s easy to lose touch and let things go.

15. Lowering your expectations is the key to living a joyful life. Expect too much, and you’re bound to be disappointed daily. This does not mean lowering all of them to an impossibly low standard. You should still maintain expectations but limit them or keep yourself in check to ensure you don’t expect too much. My last was from a fortune cookie years ago. I kept it and taped it on my CPU because, for some reason, I forget and have to read it repeatedly.

“He who expects NO gratitude shall NEVER be disappointed.”

How true this is. We help others who never acknowledge our help and feel hurt by it. I know I felt this way for many years.

Thank you for your time. Feel free to add What you wish you knew at any age. See you on my next post. 😉