27+ lessons for 27 years: a very birthday review (+ my charity: water fundraiser!)

Welp, it happened again.

Another year has passed and suddenly: IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!

This year, the world has been kind to me. So I want to be kind to it right back.

That’s why I’m ringing this next trip around the sun with a fundraising campaign for charity: water, which you can check out right here.

100% of the proceeds go to projects that give at-risk populations access to clean, safe drinking water. When the projects are complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped.

How cool is that?

So, if you feel called, please click here to donate! Let’s change the world together. :)

As you can probably tell, birthdays are always a time of self-reflection for me.

Looking back on my (relatively brief) stretch of life, taking stock of what works and what doesn’t, what made me happy, and what made me sad helps me feel like I’m not wasting my time.

This year, I just happened to write down some of those lessons. So now, I also wanted to take today to share a silly little list with you.

Read. Enjoy. Giggle. Ignore. Whatever you like – because I’m away from my desk and chillaxin’, baby!

Real talk though, I’d love to hear if you have anything to add to the list below. I may have my lessons, but I’m always open to learning more. ;)

May I present:

27+ lessons I’ve learned in 27 years: a very goofy birthday review

1) If someone prefers the cookie part of the Oreo over the creamy bit, they are clearly an alien and should be treated with suspicion at all times.

2) Cats are nicer than you think. Also, weirder.

3) If you’ve done something to be proud of, don’t stress yourself out about toning it down, or offending anyone by shining your light. The good people will cheer right along with you – and anyone who suggests shutting up is projecting insecurity, and also may need a hug.

4) Buy a slow cooker. It will change your damn life.

5) Don’t be afraid to let the music you listen to/art you love/nightlife you’re into/stuff you do for fun change with the seasons. No one says you have to dedicate your life to one genre or style. The world is rife with every flavor and color you can imagine. Go sample as many as possible.

6) There’s always more to the situation than you read in that clickbait article.

7) Don’t worry if you embarrass yourself at karaoke. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. Besides, “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” ain’t gonna sing itself.

8) Clients are like bears. If they’re showing their showing their teeth, growling, and standing up on their hind legs, it just means they’re more afraid of you than you are of them. Stay calm, and find a way to neutralize the fear with communication and compassion. Or play dead. I dunno, I’m struggling with this metaphor.

9) Aeropresses > Keurig cups. Forever.

10) Personal branding should be a celebration of what makes you awesome. So shower yourself with a little self-reflective love, pop the champagne, and let it fly.

11) If you need to, just fart. Honestly.

12) If someone’s trying to step out of your life by doing repeatedly terrible things, sending mixed messages, or just ignoring you altogether: let them go. Your life will be so much happier for it.

13) You’re never too old to suck the helium out of a balloon and cackle in an insanely high voice.

14) Sushi is not just raw fish. Most of it is cooked. Do yourself a favor and at least try it.

15) Invest in a good bathrobe. Or 3.

16) There will always be more recycling to take down.

17) Don’t have enemies, it takes too much energy. Just aim for neutrality at worst.You can never hate someone as much as they hate themselves.

18) If you’re gonna make a crazy/ugly face, GO ALL OUT. No one likes a little bitch ass tongue-halfway-out pout. GO IN ON IT.

19) There will be stretches of time when you’ll feel like you do nothing but work. That’s OK. Just make sure that’s a means to an end – and there’s an end in sight.

20) Don’t be too impressed by someone who has a lot of “stuff”, very quickly – in business or life. Chances are, they’re in more trouble than they’re letting on.

21) If you can, try running, even if you’re convinced you hate it. Give it a go, 3 days a week for 3 weeks. See what happens.

22) No quality will serve you quite as well as being difficult to overwhelm. The ability to sift through a lot of information quickly will help you every day. Work on developing it.

23) Change your hair up. A lot. There’s nothing like walking out of the salon (or your bathroom at home) with completely new locks. The world looks at you in an entirely different way.

24) Hold yourself to a simple standard: do what you say you’re going to do.

25) Invest in your friends (and not just monetarily). Listen to their dreams and give them feedback and support. Care about them. Nurture them if they need it. When they talk, really listen. Surprise them. Let them know you love being around them. They are sign posts on your road of life, reminding you who you are and where you came from. That is precious. Treat them only with care.

26) A good boyfriend will laugh at your silly hip thrust dance. A great boyfriend will immediately start to do the dance himself, even more enthusiastically, and start doing it with you at every opportunity.

27) Hold yourself to a simple standard: do what you say you’re going to do.

28) Devotion and mastery go hand in hand. Hours are never wasted practicing your craft.

29) Remember: while most people are worthy of forgiveness, not everyone is worthy of your time. Namely mean people.

30) Read poetry. And lots of it. If you haven’t in a while, read some right now.

31) Be with someone who makes you coffee and waffles in the morning. Then, bake them cookies at night.

32) Remember: the beauty of embarrassing yourself with your crazy dancing/terrible singing voice/loud proclamations of enthusiasm for pretty much everything in a crowd is that you’ll probably never see those people again.

33) Take the things you enjoy seriously. You never know when your well-loved hobby might come in handy.

And that’s it for me folks. Cheers, hugs, and thanks for being with me on this journey. It sure is an honor to have you around.
And just so you don’t have to scroll up again, here’s that charity: water link again!

Much love to you all.