15 Important Things I Have Learned by Age 50

Originally posted on 12/24/2014. 
Decided to start 2017 with the same lessons learned. Enjoy!

On January 1st, I will be fifty years old.

Yes, the "Big 5 - 0".

Life sure does fly by when you are having fun (or working too much or caring for farm animals or fill in the blank). But if life flies by and you have not learned much, then that is a travesty.

So, I could not think of a better time than now to note a few of the important things I have learned in these past fifty years. 



In no certain order or level of importance, here they are:


1.  For every mistake made in life, there is a lesson to be learned. Do not dwell on the mistake, focus on the lesson.

2.  Self esteem is not something you are born with, it takes years to develop. So parents, the best thing you can teach your kids is the importance of self worth and confidence at an early age.

3.  Do not be in a hurry to grow up.  Childhood only lasts a fraction of your lifetime, enjoy it and keep playing as a child would - well into your adult and senior years.

4.  Use your finest set of china (nice outfit, new shoes, fill in the blank) that your were saving for that special occasion. Today is that special occasion.

5.  Let go of anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, etc. Keeping any of it inside only hurts one person - yourself.

6.  Have a pet.  Does not matter what kind of pet, just have a pet.

7.  Do not try to control others, it never leads to anything good. You are only in control of yourself and your own emotions.

8.  Do not allow friends, family or anyone else to treat you badly. The first offense may be free, after that a huge penalty should be given - including removing yourself from the situation.

9.  There will be many love partners in your life. The trick is picking the right one that you want to spend the rest of your life with.

10. Always save room for dessert, especially if it has chocolate in it. In fact, sometimes having dessert before a meal is great. Even better, dessert as the meal many times is the perfect thing to have.

11. If you have not been able to fit into those "skinny jeans" for over a year, then toss them out or give them to charity. (Maybe because you saved room for dessert?)

12. Laugh more at yourself and do not take life so seriously.

13. Tell your loved ones that you love them - every day.  No one is guaranteed tomorrow.

14. Do not let fear or anxiety talk you out of the things that you really want to do in life.  Carpe Diem!

15. Lastly, just be real.  Be yourself, warts and all.  Because that is what you have to offer the world and no one else can be YOU!

Happy New Year - 2017 !

A New Year in the Resolution-Free Zone


I stopped making New Year's resolutions a few years ago, simply because of the added stress that those resolutions brought to my life in the few short weeks that I was able to keep them on track.

Initially, I felt lost without having several resolutions to guide me through January of that first year.   I felt that everyone else had made their resolutions and that maybe I was wrong not to.  But, I proceeded to be the salmon swimming against the current that first year and am so thankful that I stoically bucked the status quo to become one of the few who continue to not make a New Year's resolution each year.

As a side note, let's be honest - no one really gets past January with their resolutions intact (without some modification from their first version of it) ... Okay, maybe a few die-hards do, but I am not speaking to those one-percenters!

I am certain I have lost some of those that are steadfast in resolution-making  - who were reading up to this point, but that is okay.  Those still reading probably want to know how to overcome the urge to make a New Year's resolution.  Unfortunately, I do not have the answer, but can only offer a little advice to you on how to proceed into the new year without being ridiculed for having no resolution and hopefully get you on a path to a New Year's resolution-free lifestyle.

The very first year that I did not make any promises to myself or to my family to lose weight, eat healthier, be nicer to people, stop hiding chocolate in places I would forget to look and stop rambling on about meaningless topics, I was irritated.

More than just irritated, I was angry that I had no resolutions to torture myself with at the beginning of the new year and  had nothing to add to the conversation when someone asked me what my New Year's resolution was.  I simply stated to them that my New Year's resolution was not to have any New Year's resolutions.

This news came as a shock to most of my friends and family.  It was as if I had stated that I had taken up Voodoo or Oprah-ism as my new religion (not that there is anything wrong with those religions - just saying).

Yes, that first year was difficult, I lost friends,acquaintances and strangers alike because of my new found views.  But, it made me realize that the New Year is not the only time to set goals or to make resolutions.  No, the time to do this is each and every day of the year.

You heard me correctly ... We all need to be disciplined and resolute enough to state and pursue our goals or resolutions 365 days a year!  This was the new mindset I learned that very first year.

Some may think I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth at once here, but I assure your that there is a subtle difference between making a New Year's resolution and making a choice to state and pursue your goals each day of the year.  That subtle difference is TIME.

Time is all we really have here on Earth and why should we make things harder on ourselves to accomplish something in a given, peer-pressured time-frame at the beginning of any year?  It just makes sense to me to work on things in life a little at a time, step by step and without the added hubbub or stress of it being a New Year's resolution.

Simply said, we need to make the most of the time we have each and every day of the year.

So, go forth and set your goals on a daily basis.  Work towards those goals each day and you will be amazed at the progress you can make throughout the year.