Good-bye to my 30s....hello to my 40s!

Me at 40

Today is my 40th birthday. I am officially leaving my "young" adulthood. As I celebrate this milestone birthday, I find myself pondering upon the things I've learned in the 40 years I've been on earth. I'm not talking about the 3 Rs; rather, I'm talking about the pearls of wisdom (if any) that I've gathered along the way, thanks to my personal experience on earth over the past 40 years. This is what I've learned:

10. It's not always about you. The world does not revolve around you and sometimes, people don't like you for reasons that have nothing to do with you.

9. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. You get out what you put in. This is not a cliche to me; rather, I look back and see all the times I achieved goals only after putting in a lot of sweat, long hours, and determination.

8. There will be times you will give of your time, friendship, money, or kindness to help another person and they will accept it and, in return, stab you in the back. But just because one person has done this to you does not mean you should never undertake to help another person. If you assume every dog is going to bite you, just because one dog bit you in the past, you might miss out on all the good things a dog can bring into your life.

7. Everyone has their private struggles, even those who appear to have it all. No one has a perfect life....no one.

6. You will never know the depth of parental love until you have children of your own. A person can attempt to explain it to you but it will remain a mere concept to you until you enter parenthood.

5. Not every one was meant to be a parent. While most people have the physical ability to produce a child, it takes a person who is able to think beyond themselves to become a good parent. If you can't think beyond your own needs or if you haven't learned #1 above, then you should consider the option of living a child-free lifestyle.

4. Nothing lasts forever so you should learn to be adaptable to change.

3. It's OK to put some effort into your outside appearance but it shouldn't come at the expense of what really matters: your character, integrity, intelligence and your inner beauty. Over time, your outside appearance will wither but your inside will remain the same.

2. You should always listen to that inner voice, that intuition, especially when it appears to be screaming at you. On too many occasions, I have ignored that screaming voice in my head, reasoning that it's just irrational fear. However, more often than not, I discovered that the voice was right and, unfortunately, I am left to face the consequences of a poor decision.

1. Expect nothing from anybody but yourself and God. Expect only the best from yourself. I know that God will never let me down. I look back and I see all the times that God lead me, carried me, protected me, provided for me, and guided me. God has never let me down and He has always sent help whenever I needed it. God has been so good to me throughout my life and He is the only One I will rely on for the next 40+ years (I hope that) I have left on this earth.

That is what I've learned from living 40 years on this earth. I'm excited to see what other pearls of wisdom I will gather in the years to come.