It is my birth month!

Though I find growing old a bit depressing, I quite like the fact that I’ve grown wiser (I’d like to think I did) over the years. I attribute most of it from the time that I left home and lived on my own in a foreign land.

I’m not planning on becoming an advice guru but here are a few things I realized for every year that went by.

YOU’LL NEVER BE IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE FOREVER

We all feel safe and secured in our little nests that we almost always reject change. We cringe at the idea of having to adjust and move away from what we have been so used to that we deny ourselves the chance to grow and experience new things. It takes courage to break that safety wall that we have built. Once you’re out and have gone through the worst phase of adjustment, you’ll feel liberated. You’ll thank yourself for taking that risk. As they say, ‘there’s no forever’, so be bold, take chances and embrace the fact that life is full of uncertainties.

WEEPING IS FOR THE WEAK

Or maybe not. At some point in our life we’ll feel defeated and discouraged that everything we have envisioned is not just happening no matter how hard you try or think you have tried. It is ok to breakdown and feel vulnerable and experience all this kinds of emotion. To feel is to be human. But let this be a motivation that you will carry on despite all the odds.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOALS

Set your goals, short-term and long term. Setting a goal and actually achieving it and making it happen are two different things. A lot of us have this list of the things that we need to accomplish yet fail to follow through (guilty here). If you really find this difficult, like me, begin with simple and realistic goals that you think you can achieve in a short span of time. This way you’ll be confident that you’ll be able to tick one by one on your list. Once you succeed with this you’re set up for the bigger ones.

STAY GROUNDED

Our achievements and successes matter and we can’t help but to be proud of ourselves. But what adds more weight to it is the fact that we keep our self grounded. Don’t let it get to your head. Be humble.

I’ll be a year older and hopefully wiser. Cheers to more learning and adventures!

Ciao for now.