Weekly Hello! #28 // Level 31 — Happy Birthday to me!

Hey friend,

I am writing this entry with less than 4 hours left till my birthday. I didn't write it on Sunday because I was overwhelmed by the "birthday scaries". They usually come around a week before the actual day, so they were late this time. Not only were they late, they were shortlived and replaced by a sense of gratitude. I guess your thirties do bring with them some wisdom and calm.

Apart from growing a year older, I believe much of the ease has been brought about by my now 17-day reflection on my life. As I mentioned in the previous entry, I have been releasing a lesson per day on my TikTok. I'd like to share those with you today.

1. Put yourself out there: by sharing your ideas and work online, you increase your.
2. Spend time with yourself: How do you know if you’re pursuing the life of your dreams if you spend no time with yourself?
3. Seek out community: We were designed to be together; we aren’t meant to navigate life on our own.
4. Be authentic: be you, be great! Showing up as your authentic self not only serves you but also gives others permission to do the same.
5. Put in the reps: it's tempting to give up the first time you attempt and fall over, but you can’t stop there. You have to commit to putting in the reps!
6. Rest is productive: it’s so common to feel fatigued and burnt out even after long bouts of rest, but why is that?
7. Go outside & practise gratitude: please, please, please go outside at your earliest convenience & practise some gratitude while you’re at it!
8. Fill your cup: having a full cup means that you have space to show up for those in your life.
9. Plans are BS, but planning is everything: you got this! Create a plan, any plan, and just focus on executing!
10. Keep showing up: consistency doesn’t look like 100% every day! Sometimes you'll be at a 10, then a 40, followed by a 25, then maybe back to a 100.
11. Invest in your health: without your health, nothing else matters.
12. Take your time: be patient with your plans, goals & especially yourself!
13. Fall in love with the work: are you your biggest fan? First and foremost, are you creating for yourself?
14. Find a mentor: your mentor can be anyone in the world, dead or alive. All you need to do is to apply some attention.
15. Examine your mentors: it’s important to examine the source of the advice. Is it working for them as you’d want it to work for you?
16. Your struggles do not define you: no single aspect of yourself encompasses who you are. Allow yourself the gift of multiplicity.
17. The environment always wins: you have to work ten times as hard to achieve change when you’re also contending with your environment.
18. Pursue your purpose: Purpose is not found it is decided upon and pursued daily!
19. Bet on yourself: whether you believe you can or not, you're right! You become who you think you are.
20. Enjoy the small things: if you can't appreciate the small wins, the large ones will be few.
21. Live in abundance: do not resign yourself to a life focused on what you do not have. Don't undervalue yourself.
22. Rely on discipline, not motivation: motivation fades long before discipline begins to wake.
23. Govern yourself with kindness: even as you discipline yourself, do not forget to regard yourself with grace, patience and kindness. They will benefit you long after discipline has turned to bone in its grave.
24. Take up space: you are not meant to play small!
25. Allow yourself to fail: allow yourself to try again and again and again.
26. Push yourself; do not think of it as leaving your comfort zone, but rather expanding it.
27. Prioritise learning over earning: ideally, you should be in a job that allows you both, but if you have to pick between the two, pick learning.
28. Remain a student: being a lifelong learner is the gift you forever bestow upon your future self from your past self.
29. Break the mould: seek learning outside your primary focus area, often novel connections and ideas live there.
30. Follow your peace: if your pursuits bring you nothing but anxiety, you are likely running from one prison while building the next. Instead, follow what brings you peace.
31. Your dreams should scare you: if the thought of attaining the things you've dreamt of does not move you to action or turn your stomach in excitement, you're probably dreaming of the wrong things.

Bonus points:

• Pay yourself first: before you invest your energy or money externally, invest them in yourself first.
• Overinvest in yourself: for the things that bring you the greatest happiness and peace, be willing to overpay.
• Give an honest try: pursuit is not solely about achievement. You will sleep with great peace if you can honestly say to yourself that you gave it your all.

I could likely rattle off another 35 lessons if I were to sit for another hour, but this will have to do. I hope your week is filled with discovery, gratitude and abundance; stay you, stay great!

PS,

I will be updating the links and ordering as I post the TikToks ✌🏽