24 Lessons I’ve Learned About Success and Happiness

My business and I recently celebrated our 24-year anniversary!

Mind-boggling.

I can tell the story of the last 24 years in a way that sounds like a lovely straight line. But in reality, it’s been more like a loop-de-loop, with stretches of straight lines and periods of two steps forward, one back, and another one sideways. And every one of those steps has been a necessary part of this amazing journey.

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

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

In celebration of 24 years in business, I’d like to share the 24 most powerful lessons I’ve learned – the ones that have had the greatest impact on my success and my happiness.

1. Professional development is personal development.
2. NEVER ignore your intuition.
3. 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!
4. Breathing makes everything better. Yeah, really.
5. 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.
6. If you have to pretend to be someone you’re not, you’re in the wrong place.
7. 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.
8. When you’re clear on what you want, the universe will align with you as long as you do your fair share.
9. Success and failure are 100% dependent on where you draw the timeline. Always.
10. There’s learning and growth in everything. It just doesn’t always come wrapped in a pretty package!
11. 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.
12. Cultivate extreme self-awareness.
13. 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.
14. Mastering the skill of saying NO is the only way to say YES to what’s important to you and stay sane.
15. A little bit of stretch in a goal is motivating. Too much of a stretch sets you up for feeling frustrated and stuck.
16. Be willing to ask for, and accept, help.
17. 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.
18. You can’t grow without getting out of your comfort zone. That’s why change, whether by choice or not, takes courage. So do bold moves, getting unstuck, and anything else that requires you to stretch.
19. Any time you tip-toe, step, or leap through fear and discomfort to reach for something you want, you’re being bold, no matter how large or small your move looks to anyone else.
20. 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.
21. None of us can make things happen because none of us are controlling the universe. But you can create the conditions that allow things to happen.
22. Be open to amazing things.
23. 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.
24. The way you live your day is the way you live your life.