25 LESSONS FROM 25 YEARS.

Hello Friends,

Lately I’ve been pretty nostalgic about the past 25 years of my life. I feel like so much has happened from living in another country, attending and graduating undergrad, playing semi-professional soccer, moving back to Europe to play soccer professionally, and creating a blog. So many great things have happened in such a short amount of time.

Of course, there have been bad times too. Losing both of my grandmothers and one papa, heartbreak, distancing of friendships, rejections, and constant internal conflicts.

Regardless, I’m thankful for these 25 years of a pretty incredible life. The greatest part about all of it is that I am continuing to learn every single day. Each day, I am given the opportunity to learn something new about myself and the world around me. Here are 25 of my favorite (and most valuable) lessons I’ve learned from the past 25 years. 

25 YEARS, 25 LESSONS 

1. Your happiness should be your #1 priority. Don’t waste time trying to impress others. Do what makes you happy and be proud to do it!

2. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You might end up in a foreign country, in love, or heck, even both! What is life without risk? (NO FUN!!)

3. Be kind. If people don’t show you kindness, be kind anyway. Find it in your heart to be a good person. (This doesn’t mean let people walk all over you!) Simply do not let the cold-heartedness of others discourage you from being fantastically YOU.

4. Leave the people who take away your happiness. PLEASE do not waste your love, time, or energy on anyone who doesn’t appreciate the beautiful being you are! You deserve all the happiness the world has to offer.

5.     Book the flight and go! Some of my favorite memories have been spent abroad. I can’t wait to see more of the world. If money is a concern just remember that money will always come back, your time won’t.

6. Take 5 minutes every day to reflect and express gratitude. I like to keep a gratitude log in my journal. Every day I write down one thing that happened that I can be thankful for. How do you express your gratitude?

7. There is more than one way to do something. If you try and try and try, but somehow keep failing, try a different way. Look to elders, friends, and google for advice on new and innovative ways to do things! You got this!!

8. Love yourself LOUD and you will be invincible. This is not easy and rewiring your mind to believe you are worthy is not an over-night process. Try your best every day to look yourself in the mirror and say “I am a badass! I am doing my best! I love everything about myself!”

9. Bad days do not last forever, but neither do good days. Embrace the ups and downs of life and remember that they pass. It can’t rain forever.

10.  Pay no mind to anyone who tells you “you can’t” because guess what? YOU (most definitely) CAN!

11.  Be compassionate, everyone fights their own battles. Everyone has their own story to tell, their own struggles to over come, and their own dreams to chase. Instead of judging, learn something new from them!

12.  Study what you’re passionate about. If you’re going to pay any amount of money to pursue higher education, make sure you study a field you’re actually interested. I learned this one the hard way.

13.  Learn something new every day because education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.

14.  Don’t compare your life to the lives of others. You will never be happy. You are right where you’re supposed to be.

15.  Give yourself 24 hours to be upset before you address the situation. (some of us, like me, need 48) Communicating with an anger-filled heart will get you no where.

16.  Love comes in all different shapes, sizes, and forms. Encourage it. Embrace it. Learn from it.

17.  Be understanding if someone doesn’t love the way you do. It may be the only way they know how.

18.  Forgiveness will set you free. Every. Single. Time.

19.  Make time for your loved ones. Time on this earth is limited so always say I love you and make sure you take time to SHOW that love too.

20.  Always listen to your intuition. If you feel in your gut and in your heart that something just isn’t right, you’re probably correct. Don’t second guess yourself. 

21.  Don’t justify other people’s actions. People are going to do whatever they want. It may hurt your feeling and it may break your heart…but at the end of the day everyone has their own choices to make. If the choices they make hurt you, don’t sit around trying to justify for them. Walk away and close the door quietly.

22.  The shower can’t cure all your problems, but it’s a damn good place to start.

23.  MEDITATE. Seriously people, do it! Meditation doesn’t have to be this lengthy sit-in-zen-legs-crossed-fingers-folded huge thing. Start slowly like a minute a day or even small things like practicing being present in the shower. Taking a second to be in the moment allows us to open our hearts and live fully.

24.  Protect your time and your energy. It’s okay to not be everything to everyone.

25.  You have nothing to prove to the people who doubt you. There will always be someone who thinks you can’t. Let the results speak. Period. 

All my love, Kenna

And there you have it folks! I’d love to hear what lessons you’ve learned along your life journey?