21 Lessons I’ve Learned About Success and Happiness

My business and I just celebrated our 21-year anniversary!

Twenty-one years. Wow.

It’s been, and continues to be, an amazing ride.

I’m so lucky and grateful that I get to work with incredible clients and colleagues who inspire me with their courage, brilliance, compassion, and commitment to being successful and happy.

And I never imagined that my business would be one of my greatest teachers.

I’m not sure why this particular anniversary feels like such a gigantic milestone. But it does.

Perhaps it evokes the long-ago memory of my 21^st birthday, which was indeed a very big deal :-). However, unlike that celebration (which involved excitedly flashing my ID and drinking my first legal cocktail while listening to the Commodores croon Three Times a Lady (why do I remember that?!!)), I commemorated this 21^st milestone with a list.

Yup, that’s me, partying down with a list!

(I also celebrated with dinner and a lovely glass of wine – no ID required.)

But back to that list.

In celebration of 21 years in business, I’d like to share the 21 most powerful lessons I’ve learned: the ones that have had the greatest impact on my success and my happiness.

Professional development is personal development.
NEVER ignore your intuition.
Self-care is critical to success. You operate at your highest mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual capacity when you take care of yourself. And that will boost your success and make you happier!
Breathing makes everything better. Yeah, really.
Life is too short to worry or stress about things that won’t matter in a few years, let alone a few days or weeks.
If you have to pretend to be someone you’re not, you’re in the wrong place.
Make friends with Eb and Flo. Life, professionally and personally, has ebbs and flows. I personified them by giving them proper names. It makes it easier to welcome each of them when they show up and to truly embrace the notion that both are necessary.
When you’re clear on what you want, the universe will align with you as long as you do your fair share.
Be open to amazing things happening.
Success and failure are 100% dependent on where you draw the timeline. Always.
Show up – fully. It’s often hard, and it’s so worth working through the discomfort. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you have something to offer. Allow yourself to offer it. That’s what showing up looks like.
There’s learning and growth in everything. It just doesn’t always come wrapped in a pretty package!
It doesn’t matter how other people do things. Figure out what works for you. It’s the best way to set yourself up for success.
Cultivate extreme self-awareness.
Gratitude is good for the soul and has a positive impact on success. It’s one of the few things in life where there’s no such thing as too much.
Mastering the skill of saying NO is the only way to say YES to what’s important to you and stay sane.
You are the only one who can give yourself permission to be you, to be human (which means beautifully and perfectly flawed!), and to want what you want. Don’t wait. Give yourself permission NOW.
A little bit of stretch in a goal is motivating. Too much of a stretch sets you up for feeling frustrated and stuck.
Be willing to ask for, and accept, help.
Mindset matters. Your mindset creates your experience, not vice versa. Action follows thought. And whether through words, actions, or vibe, your mindset impacts everyone around you.
The way you live your day is the way you live your life.