My 33 on my thirty third.
- Gale Araniego
- Mar 30, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 31, 2021
Your present may not always be tied up in a bow but it is still a gift, make the most out of it.
You matter—yes, you do. You occupy space on this existence because you have a purpose. Figure it out and pursue it.
I’m not gonna sugar coat this but at some point in your life, you will fail. You will lose, you will mess up. But before you throw your hands up, raise the white flag and give up. Bear in mind that NO, it doesn't make you a failure. NO, it doesn't define you. Surely it is discouraging, it will leave you in doubt and fear but your victories aren't measured by how many times you failed. Your triumphs are measured by how many times you rise up, dust yourself off and try again and again after every failure.
It's hard when you reach a wall or hit your rock bottom. They often don't just leave you with bruised knees—nope, life doesn't work that way. But you can learn to lean on the wall, you can learn to put your palm against the rock and push yourself upward. You can learn to start where you fell down. Yes, it will be painful and tough at times but it's not what knocked you down, it's what makes you stand up. This is why it's so important to acknowledge your strengths, not for the ego. It's knowing where to grasp for energy and bravery to pull yourself up. There is an intense power in the willingness to start over and to be imperfect again. You are born with resilience — master it.
Certain things take time—let it resonates. So chill, relax and don't be too harsh on yourself—you are on your own path. When frustration is eating you from within, always remember that when the goal is difficult, it takes time to achieve it. When you are doing something you’ve never done before, it takes time to master it. And as far as I am aware of, nothing moves faster than the speed of light. So embrace the process, progress takes time.
Not everybody will like you—and that is perfectly FINE. All you need is a fair number of people who will be riding with you in this elevator life of yours. Those who are going to treat you with love and respect. Those who will make you feel valued and appreciated, those who will make feel you are beyond blessed whether you are crawling or soaring. They are your solid ground. They are your people—cherish them.
You need to have your own definition of success. Is it having your dream job? A house as big as a palace? A family of your own? Children? Sending your Siblings to College? Being a president? A room full of trophies? A fat bank account? Being able to provide for your family? Hectares of land? Founding a charity? Financial freedom? A passport filled with country stamps? Finishing that 10k marathon? Maybe it's having a consistent job or maybe it's a long list of experience and expertise on your resume. It can be all of the above, because yes—YOU CAN. Micro or macro, you’re allowed to label your success. After all, you are the one who worked hard for it. You sweat, burn and show up to achieve it. You are the one who climbed that mountain. You gave your best — celebrate it.
Mind your own paper. Not everyone will approve of the choices you will make and there are people who will never hear you no matter how loud you are, so focus on your own race, do your work, bloom in your phase. You are the CEO of your life, the author of your story—you write it.
You don't have to meet everyone else's expectations because if you do, it will feel like your self-worth committing suicide—that's self-sabotage. Remember, their portrayal of you is theirs and theirs alone, let it be. You are not born to fill up anyone else's shoes. What you need to do is to meet your own expectations. You have your own set of gifts — talents, ideas and interests to answer your calling. Your timeline is uniquely and exclusively for you.
Whether you work smart or you work hard. You have to go to WORK. Don’t be a couch potato. If you are blessed enough to have a safety net, be grateful for it. But bear in mind that you'll have to sew your own one way or another. And at the end of the day, you will feel accomplish and content to have something you can pour your energy into and give you something that will sustain your financial needs. Trust me, you’ll take pride in paying your own bills. So, arse up and go to work.
You must take your responsibilities seriously, you really should—but so is resting. Everybody gets tired at some point whether it is physically, emotionally or mentally. Giving yourself time to rest is being productive too. Take time to replenish. Go pamper yourself—guilt free.
Be willing to admit you need help because it doesn't make you look weak. Even heroes need help sometimes. It just means that whatever it is you are handling, you are not in it alone.
Structure your day, prioritize, buckle yourself up with courage and dive into action. Sometimes you have to do it scared and more often than not, the time is now.
Your health is your most valuable asset — don’t take it for granted.
You are allowed to change perspective of things, life is transformative. You are not the same person you were a year ago. You can always re-invent yourself. You are learning and evolving. In the course of your life, you learn more about yourself. Growth requires change even small ones —have a space for it.
Find something that you are passionate about, something that sparks joy from within— explore it.
You’ll get through life crap—you will. So, lighten up, lighten up. Patience is a virtue, this too shall pass and the best is yet to come are tales as old as time in which the bottom line is: we should give time, time.
You have all the right to cut off the things that ain't healthy for you anymore. You have all the right to create boundaries. Your peace is a sacred space—protect it.
You need to forgive yourself for the things you should have known better. For your shortcomings, for allowing fear and doubt to contribute to your past decisions, for that step you never ended up taking, for allowing other voices to surface other than what your gut is telling you. You have to forgive yourself for not knowing better when you are still learning. You are doing this life for the first time like everyone else. Your value doesn't shrink for the mistakes you’ve made, it molds you to be better. Have a space for self-compassion, it's a way to honor and respect the human in you—embrace it.
You don't have to be a millionaire or as strong as a diamond to have an impact and contribute to this world. It's in the small things. May it be lifting up somebody who needs it, opening the door for the elderly person, planting a tree, putting your trash on the right bin, wearing your mask, engaging with a community and sharing whatever skills you have. I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Trust me on this, even your 1% makes a difference.
The stuff you don't know is something you can learn. So, stay curious. Stay hungry. Read books, write, create, travel—engage yourself into learning something. Life is more fun and interesting that way.
Be grateful. Always count your blessings for it's a game-changer, it will improve the quality of your life. When you light up with gratitude, you open yourself to abundance. Recognize the small joys —on repeat.
You don't have to be everything, you don't even need to be something. Just be you. There is a unique beauty in your becoming—trust it.
Compliments are mood boosters, their like sunshine translated into words. So, give them willingly and accept them graciously.
Tell the people you love, you love them. Show the people you care for that you care for them. Be thankful. Be blissful. Be hurt when it’s hurting. Mourn when you are mourning. In John 11.35, Jesus wept. Now that's a grounding one. Your emotions, though they aren't always picture-perfect moments are meant to be felt. Vulnerability gives you strength—acknowledge it.
Find peace and follow it.
Everybody has things about them they don't like—and that’s all right. There are parts of us that bruise easily. It's human to have insecurities. What you can do is to notice them, embrace them, and then make room for improvements. There is growth in self-awareness.
LOVE. Four letters with a colossal impact. If you want a taste of life to the fullest, you have to include this vital ingredient in every single particle of your being —always. Let me share my all-time favorite verse that I claim as the message of the Lord the moment I was born. “Jeremiah 31:3 — I have loved you with an everlasting love”. So powerful. Everyday my love tank is filled the moment I claim it. Remember, it’s already in you. The moment you choose to share it fiercely is the moment you are fully alive.
In prayer, you’ll find your true quiet. The time when you disconnect and unplug from the earthly noise and dive deeper into your connection with God. What a wonderful gift it is to enjoy and be embraced by His presence. Dive into the sea of calmness. — do it often.
Genuine connection doesn't require chasing—welcome it.
We are all struggling at something. There are secret battles we have no idea about so be kind. Be kind, always. Let what flows out from your lips build others not destroy them.
Know when to say you're sorry and mean it. We are flawed and we can pretty mess up. Knowing when to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness is like building a passage into deeper healing for both sides. Your passport to true peace and freedom is humility.
Breathe in the moment. Be present. We often underestimate the power of now by reminiscing the past or thinking about the future. Every moment you have is a blessing. Your present may not always be tied up in a bow but it is still a gift, make the most out of it. Learn from your past, plant for your future but be here. It’s hard to be in three places at once so choose to be all in the now. Live for today, this is exactly where you belong.
Surrender it all to God for his love is always constant, it never changes and never fails.
Thank you for reading till the end, I hope you found something that resonates with you.
As for me today:
“I am what I am. That's a great thing to be! If I say so myself, Happy Birthday To Me!”. —Dr.Seuss
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