🎉 Today is my 49th birthday 🎉

And while yes, I’ll absolutely be eating a large slice of carrot cake 🍰 (with proper cream cheese icing, thank you very much), I wanted to share something a little different today.

These aren’t hard-and-fast lessons. They’re more like life’s gentle nudges (and the occasional smack between the eyes). These are my 49 personal truths.

Values, beliefs, and guiding thoughts I’ve picked up as a business owner, trainer, keynote speaker, solopreneur, step-mum, cousin, godmother – and let’s be honest, an ADHD-empowered, occasionally overwhelmed, but thoroughly empowered human just trying to keep-her-tabs-open-without-collapsing-her-browser type girl.

I didn’t read these in a self-help book. I’ve lived them. Some arrived gently, others like a rugby tackle from one of the Bomb Squad. And I’m sharing them not because I’ve got it all figured out, but because I don’t.

This is me, giving back with love, humility, and heaps of gratitude, as I head into my 50th lap around the sun. (How the flipping heck did that happen? 🤔)

So here they are. 49 truths I’ve learned in 49 years. I will be stoked if just one of them sticks with you 💛

1. Being passionately curious is more powerful than qualifications.
Some of my proudest moments didn’t come from what I knew, but from what I was willing to learn.

2. Rest is productive.
You don’t have to earn it. Sometimes rest is the bravest thing you can do.

3. Speak up, even when your voice shakes.
Courage isn’t loud. It often starts as a whisper.

4. Don’t fake confidence.
Rather, build it the hard way – by attempting scary things and surviving.

5. Kindness is underrated. 🤗
In a world that’s tired and busy, being kind should be a non-negotiable for society.

6. Marry someone you truly want to spend your life with.
You don’t need to match in every way, but shared interests, regular laughter, and meaningful conversations? Those are non-negotiables as you age together.

7. Take more baths.
The water always knows what to do with tension.

8. Pets are people too.
They become family. Their love is unconditional, and losing them 🌈? Gutting. Love them like they are part of the family, as they can teach us more than most humans do.

9. Try everything once.
That one “yes” could change your life.

10. Don’t ignore/ghost people. 📭
Respect is free. A simple reply is human.

11. A job that supports your lifestyle is worth more than one that steals it.
At my age, inner peace is the new gold. 🥇

12. Praise fades. Purpose doesn’t.
The applause dies down. But purpose? That echoes for much longer.

13. EQ beats IQ.
The most intelligent person in the room isn’t always the one people want to follow. Emotional awareness, empathy, and how you make others feel – that’s what really sets you apart.

14. ADHD is not a flaw.
It’s part of how we work. It’s our pattern-spotting, idea-jumping, creative-driving superpower. You know who you are 😉

15. Laugh often. Loudly. Snorts are most welcome. 😆
Often, laughter is the only way through. It should be practised DAILY.

16. If your confidence needs wine, it’s not real confidence.
The real, authentic, genuine you shouldn’t need anything else to prop it up.

17. Build your network before you need it.
The best connections are cultivated and nurtured, not hastily formed at the last minute.

18. Let go of people who don’t grow with you.
Some chapters close naturally without conflict. Let them. (Thanks, Mel 😉)

19. You can absolutely build a career from something you stumbled into.
Recruitment found me. I stayed. Then I made it my calling.

20. Travel when you can. ✈️
Every journey teaches you something about others and a helluva lot about yourself.

21. Read books that transport you.
Fiction gives our minds a place to wander when the real world feels too loud. Sometimes, escaping into someone else’s story helps us better understand our own.

22. Don’t take your health for granted.
It’s easy to overlook, until it’s not there. Prioritise movement, sleep, good food, and regular walks. Your future self will thank you.

23. Progress beats perfection.
I’ll take messy activity over polished procrastination any day. (This one still causes friction in my business if I am honest, but I am working on it!)

24. Breathe deeper than you think you need to.
Especially before you speak. Especially when you’re unsure. This helps when you are about to deliver a keynote presentation to hundreds of strangers or deliver a eulogy at your mom’s funeral.

25. You’re allowed to outgrow your old goals.
They were right for the you that wrote them, not necessarily for the you that you are now.

26. The zigzags in your career are where the magic happens. 🌈
The detours, the pivots, the what-now’s, from teaching to Scuba Diving to hospitality to recruitment, back to training – they’ve all taught me something irreplaceable and add to my unconventional life story.

27. Don’t turn every passion into a paycheck.
Some things are meant to bring you joy, not income. Protect the hobbies that light you up, like my photography – not everything needs to be a side hustle.

28. No one lives forever.
Don’t take your important relationships for granted. One day, you won’t be able to pick up the phone for a quick chat, and that kind of hurt cuts deep.

29. Send that message, make that call.
Someone out there might really need to hear from you today.

30. Say no. It’s a full sentence. ❌
You don’t have to explain everything.

31. The best advice often comes from someone wiser who cares.
My most life-shaping conversations didn’t happen by mistake – they came from intentional chats with wise women (and men) over mugs of hot tea. 🍵

32. Nature heals.
When I walk, I process. I know I need to spend time outdoors every single day, and I generally make this happen.

33. Family will love you through the messy middle.
Even when you feel like a bit of a stormy mess, they have to love you regardless, so use them as your sounding board. They are your people.

34. Never let others define your worth.
You are ALWAYS enough, even if they don’t applaud.

35. Build a personal brand you’re proud of.
Be the same person online and off. Be authentic and genuine consistently, and be somewhere that people know where to find you.

36. Your attitude will determine your altitude.
Always try to show up with oodles of curiosity, kindness, and courage. These will take you further than talent alone ever could.

37. When you meet someone, hand them an imaginary bucket of trust.
What they do with it is up to them: fill it, chip away at it, or chuck it out completely. Either way, you’ll learn fast who’s worth your energy. 🧛‍♀️

38. You’re never too old to start something new.
Most of my boldest life moves came after 40. This chapter still has plenty of plot twists, trust me.

39. Surround yourself with people who make life feel lighter. ✨
Energy is contagious. Choose yours carefully. Remove Energy Vampires.

40. Learn how to write a Boolean string.
It’s nerdy. It’s brilliant. And it’s saved me hours of scrolling.

41. Never burn bridges.
You never know when someone might cross your path again and how important that moment might be. Leave with grace, even when it’s hard.

42. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.
Every version of you brought you here. It’s okay to evolve again.

43. Don’t rush into marriage.
The right person is worth waiting for. Just trust me on this one – I spent a long time ‘on the shelf’ collecting dust and I am glad that I did 😉

44. Be the change. 🛠️
You don’t have to fix the whole world. Just your corner of it.

45. Surround yourself with people who have become family.
They might not share your blood, but they’ll stand by you when life gets messy. Those are your keepers; never take them for granted.

46. Burnout doesn’t always look dramatic.
It can look like silence, detachment, or scrolling endlessly. I’ve been there and it’s not pretty.

47. Good people, travel, and time in nature, these are your real riches.
Everything else is just decoration. Spend more time doing things that make YOU happy.

48. This is your life. If you don’t take the lead, someone else will.
You’ve got the pen. Write the story you’d want to read on your deathbed. 🛶

49. And finally, eat the carrot cake.
Celebrate the journey. Honour your growth. And don’t wait for permission to enjoy the sweet stuff 🎂

That’s it. 49 truths. My personal truths. Hard-earned, sometimes hilarious, often humbling, but all mine. Thank you for reading. For showing up. For walking this wild path with me. 💚❤️🩵🤎💛🧡💙

I hope that at least one of these truths stayed with you. And if you’ve got one of your own to share, I’d love to hear it 💬

This wasn’t about being wise or polished, it was about being real. Because life isn’t linear, or tidy, or always Instagrammable… but it is precious. And if we can keep showing up with curiosity, courage, and a good sense of humour (plus cake), then we’re doing just fine.

Here’s to the next lap. 🥂

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