15^th April 2022 is my 40^th Birthday. It’s come around quicker than I expected. I’m sure the last time my birthday made a difference to my life was when I turned 17 and could learn to drive?

I see ageing as a privilege not offered to many people and I am planning to celebrate the sh*t out of this occasion.

There will be fun, food, singing and dancing with the very best of friends and family.

I thought I’d write a list of the stuff I’ve spent the last 40 years learning as a reminder for myself. Then I thought, why not share this?

So here it is, 40 random lessons from a 40-year-old:

1. Sleep is the foundation for human performance – invest in it, protect it, value it!
2. Drink (more) water – by the time you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated
3. Fizzy water quenches your thirst better than flat water (who knows why – someone please tell me?!)
4. You always feel better after a walk – get your trainers on and go for a wander
5. You feel doubly better if a walk (or pretty much any activity) is with a four-legged friend
6. Dogs are role models for living a good life – watch, listen and learn from them
7. Standing with the sunshine on your face for 10 minutes makes you feel awesome
8. A hug is medicine for your soul (if you’re a hugger that is – if you’re not it may have the opposite effect!)
9. The best friends are those who you don’t see for too long then it’s like you’ve never been apart
10. Spend time with people who support and challenge you in equal measure
11. You give a little love, and it all comes back to you (thanks for the inspo Bugsy Malone)
12. Choose your bosses very carefully, your relationship will have a massive impact on your life
13. Your work colleagues will see you through 1/3 of your life – care about them
14. Do work that lights you up on the inside – even when the work is hard
15. Life is way too short to surround yourself with mood-hoovers (or to be one!)
16. You can do anything but not everything
17. One tiny action feels WAY better than inaction
18. It’s easy to go from a bit “meh” to neutral than it is to go straight from “meh” to “yeah”
19. Worry is a misuse of your imagination
20. Choose progress over perfection – every single time
21. In every situation, you have choices – even if you’re not keen on the options
22. We have a weird relationship with time – work with it, not against it
23. You need to start from exactly where you are, not where you want to be
24. The stories in your head are not always entirely true…
25. There’s always more than one side of any story
26. Growth feels a bit icky when you’re in the process and bloody brilliant on the other side
27. You can walk away from things that no longer work for you
28. Boundaries are how we show other people we have respect for ourselves
29. You have all the answers you need; you just need someone to ask the right questions
30. Fall back in love with the music from your youth – sing it at the top of your lungs for that warm nostalgic feeling
31. A three-minute dance party to your favourite tunes is a fantastic brain refresher   
32. Your body can’t tell the difference between fear and excitement
33. A good cry is sometimes exactly what is needed
34. Laughter has magical healing powers, spend time with people who make you laugh so hard your tummy hurts
35. Some friends are for a season, some are for a reason and some are for life
36. 525,600 (ish) minutes a year – choose who you share them with carefully
37. Doing nothing is an act of self-care, it’s not lazy (still convincing myself of this one)
38. Be silly as often as you can
39. If you’re too much for some people, they’re not your people
40. Sometimes, the only answer is chocolate 

I wonder what will change over the next ten years…what will my 50 lessons at 50 look like? Excited to explore and find out.

Beth x