Hitting the age of 45 feels surreal to me. In my mind flashes of memories, long-lived filtered through. In reality, four decades and a half aren’t that long. It wasn’t long ago I viewed forty as a milestone. It felt like days ago that I turned forty and here I am at forty-five, five years away from FIFTY!!!

I was a teenager a few years ago looking through the lens of life wishing for freedom. Planning my life ahead of me, sieving through the bad eggs, I was sure of how long it would take before arriving at forty.

Living Life

It wasn’t long ago I chose a life partner and went ahead to have some kids. Life happened quite quickly alongside failures and achievements and here I am at 45 asking how the time slid away.

It is hard to comprehend that I am at the mid-life crossroad of my life. Whether I liked it or not, I am on the descent; a descent through life. I have probably lived more life than I have left and this is hard to fathom.

With hours passing by, it doesn’t feel like time is flying by. News of the end of life, the start of life, successes, mishaps and opportunities keep soaring higher. Some stung like bees waking us from our slumber and others soothing. In all these, there are lessons, regrets and hopes.

I haven’t figured it out

It would have been lovely to admit that I have figure out life at 45, to let you into the secret of living and winning. But in truth, I haven’t. I have dreams, goals, decisions to make and there are questions I can’t even answer. Never the less, I feel I am still in my twenties despite my age count.

However, I am determined to spend the next chunk of my life leaning and growing. I am more determined to live doing what I enjoy and less of what I don’t. I am more willing to live and stop merely existing.

45 Lessons I picked up through the years.

1. It is never too late to try something new. Don’t fret the magnitude of your vision. Give it a go.
2. Sometimes losing yourself is the best path to a rediscovery of what you were made of.
3. You are the only person you have control over. Make it count. The sky is the limit with personal changes.
4. Don’t delude yourself thinking that everyone is actively taking a seat in the audience of your life listening and watching every move you make. In reality, people would talk about you for a while and move on to another person. It doesn’t worth it getting emotionally stuck over someone’s opinions about you.
5. Never let go of that friend who invites you to the truth, whose interest in you is to see you succeed.
6. Know that life is a test. Life gets stuck sometimes. Be patient. It will get better.
7. Death is inevitable. Be the best you can now. You’re not guaranteed tomorrow
8. Spend time with your parents. They won’t be here forever.
9. Learn how to love yourself. Value yourself and respect yourself.
10. Make fun of yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
11. Admit it when you’re wrong.
12. Free those you lock up in the prison of your mind. Learn to forgive others. It is a life-saving therapy.
13. Always make time for a cup of water. Sit down relax and sip.
14. Pick up a book and read. This is the meal for your brain. Build a person library.
15. Be kind. It is a lot easier to be the opposite. Choose the harder option: be kind!
16. Treat your husband, partner, wife with compassion, respect and kindness. What is worth doing is worth doing well.
17. Don’t be afraid to start all over. Every day gives you the opportunity to hit the reset button.
18. Write your goals down, hang them somewhere you can see. Make a plan.
19. Dress up when you feel down. Add a bit of colour to your norm.
20. It is okay to feel sad sometimes. Life is a ride. It is not all merry.
21. Keep an indoor plant. We all need to spend more time with nature.
22. Driving and swimming are life skills. Learn to drive and swim.
23. Exercise. Have a routine that allows you to exercise a few times a week.
24. There are a few things to do when angry: take a sip, walk away or talk to an imaginary friend pouring your heart out.
25. It is better to let people know how they make you feel than to buckle everything in. If you’re offended by someone’s action or utterances, let them know.
26. Give your body enough time to digest what you fed it. Don’t overindulge in food.
27. Fasting is a key to good health.
28. We all need much less than we have. Review your possession, give out what you don’t need. You’ll feel a lot better.
29. Have a bedtime routine. Always prepare for a night of good sleep. Nap in the afternoon if you can afford it.
30. Waking up early is the key to success.
31. Grow something from seed. Every seed you sow have a lesson to teach.
32. Reuse and recycle. You are saving the world you live in.
33. Travel. Take a tour. It is a piece of knowledge that enriches you.
34. Learn something. Be a student over and over again. Never stop learning.
35. Don’t hold grudges. It doesn’t do you any good.
36. Don’t say Yes, when all you wanted to say is NO. Learn to say NO. You can’t please everyone.
37. Help out. Volunteer.
38. Failure is a learning curve. You pick up life lessons in the process. Don’t take it personally. Forgive yourself.
39. Eat what you fancy once in a while. Forget the calories counts once in a while.
40. Be vulnerable.
41. There are other people sharing the planet with you so be considerate.
42. Talk less and listen more.
43. Create time to be alone with yourself without any distractions.
44. There are many people who would give up everything to be in your position. Be grateful. Show gratitude.
45. The universe didn’t just happen. There is GOD behind it all.