It Was My Birthday.

Yesterday I turned 39 and today I am 39 + 1 day and I feel…the same. Birthdays haven’t ever really been super important to me, but sometimes I wonder if it’s because I have a fall birthday, and on the farm we could never celebrate it because it was harvest time - so I learned not to get my hopes up or be an inconvenience for wanting a celebration. As such, I usually avoid telling people it is my birthday or making a big deal out of it - but you know what, it IS a big deal! I just spent another shifting folks and myself, healing the world a wee bit at a time, and make big changes in my business. While my day of birth is what it is, it gives me a marker to see if I’m where and how I want to be in alignment. Yesterday morning, before doing my self portraits, I did a meditation and it was focused on introducing me to my “future self” and I saw myself at 40, 49, and 99! I saw myself surrounded by folks who love me, reading books in a state of peace and relaxation, and speaking/teaching about body image - THE THINGS I AM ALREADY DOING! It was beautiful to be able to look around and see that I have the support that I didn’t know I had, to recognize that I’m sitting in PVR, Mexico getting ready to teach a gaggle of humans while taking some downtime to relax, read, and create. I am very blessed to have such a beautiful life.

So, on my birthday I like to make a list of things that correspond with my age of things that I have learned in my life. So, here are 39 life messages from me:

1. If you don’t rest, your body will make you.
2. If you don’t have deep connections with others, you truly have nothing.
3. Getting your dream life will require sacrificing something.
4. Dreams are just dreams until you take action.
5.Your body is your partner, not your enemy - treat it accordingly.
6. People have a right to ask, you have a right to say NO!
7. You are not responsible for other people’s reactions to your experience/stories.
8. We don’t need as much stuff as we tell ourselves we do.
9. Confidence is a verb, not a noun - you feel it when you do something that scares you.
10. Sometimes you just gotta try something, but you can always go back to what you did before.
11. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between self depricating humour and truth - it assumes it ALL is truth.
12. You do become whatever you consume/surround yourself with.
13. There’s at least one person in the world cheering you on.
14. Overriding your body’s needs is a surefire way to break your body down faster.
15. Weight loss isn’t what gives you confidence - it’s the privilege that comes with weight loss that does it.
16. We can do a lot of things when we learn to manage our inner child fears.
17. It’s okay to be inexperienced at things.
18. You aren’t done growing.
19. Challenge is an invitation to growth.
20. Learning how to breath will help you in so many situations.
21. Say YES to things that are a full body yes, but no to everything else.
22. Your life is your life - you get to choose what to do with it.
23. Distancing yourself from toxic family members doesn’t make you a bad person.
24. Reading will always be a good time.
25. Taking time for yourself that benefits no one else is necessary.
26. Changing your mind is okay.
27. Changing careers is okay (yes, even if you are good at it!)
28. Quantify the unquantifiable (I will know I am successful with my family when….)
29. Your money habits won’t change by making more money - figure that shit out BEFORE you make more money.
30. Stand up for yourself, no matter how much your voice shakes.
31. I am not a hero, you are not a hero - we are people who make choices.
32. We can choose to change our thoughts - they are all made up.
33. Play is underrated - do more of it.
34. Say thank you when people offer you anything and choke down the discomfort (you deserve to receive)
35. Having plants will help you help yourself.
36. Traveling is fun, but make sure you appreciate home too.
37. Running away doesn’t get you closer to the truth.
38. You’ll never be able to photograph the sunset or rainbows properly so stop trying.
39. You are and always have been - magic.