Last year I wrote this post for my 36th birthday which included 36 life lessons. I just read it again and I must say, not much has changed. I agree wholeheartedly with all of them to this day. So, here’s to being consistent!

But as I mentioned last year and it bears repeating: We are always learning, are we not?

With that, I give you 37 NEW Life Lessons:

1. You don’t HAVE a body, you ARE a body. (shameless plug for my last blog post which discussed this from a fitness standpoint)
2. Having a goal of writing a book is so much more daunting than I ever thought possible. So much to say, but no idea how to say it. But I keep plugging away!
3. Setting an alarm on your phone is perhaps the best advice I ever gave myself and anyone else. The alarm can be anything from “Cook your dinner now!” to “Everything will work out fine.”
4. Since evil is the absence of good, I want to avoid evil at all costs. I ask myself if I’m working towards that which is good prior to taking any sort of action.
5. I worry less and less about the physical flaws and worry more and more about…nothing!
6. Fasting once a week is a great way to appreciate how lucky you are.
7. When people told me, “You’ll change your mind,” in response to my decision to not have children, I realize now that they were right. I did change my mindSET. I still don’t desire to have them, but I probably love them more and appreciate them more than I ever have.
8. Being thankful everyday you have breath is a great reminder of how awesome life is and how blessed we are each day to be alive to witness this miracle.
9. Seek advice from those who do very little talking. Those people are the best listeners.
10. Nutella is a drug. The side effects include ecstatic happiness and a constant state of euphoria. Eat sparingly to avoid eternal bliss.
11. There are living saints among us. I call them Mothers.
12. This past year I found my lats. This means after many many many lat pulldowns, I finally was able to activate the muscle that is supposed to be working during this exercise. Just further proof that the mind is a powerful tool when it comes to bodybuilding.
13. When you take the blindfold off your eyes, amazing things begin to happen.
14. Face to face contact is still my preferred form of communication. Sadly, not to many people care enough to make the effort to engage in this kind of contact anymore. It’s considered “archaic.” I would also add that no one seems courageous enough for face to face interaction.
15. I will probably never have good handwriting. And I will continue to blame my left-handedness as the reason even though it probably isn’t.
16. Changing your heart is one of the best side effects that comes from changing your mind.
17. The gym is the best place to people watch.  It’s also kinda gross to see how much people sweat on the elliptical without wiping it down.
18. Thinking of 37 life lessons gets more difficult after number 15.
19. I wish more people would take the time to get pictures developed instead of just sitting on your phone/computer for no one to enjoy.
20. Babies are awesome to look at but if you stare too long the parents will think you are a little weird.
21. Sometimes kids take forever to grow up into mature adults. Give them time. Like, 37 years.
22. The reason people do stupid things is because they mistakenly believe those stupid things will make them happy.
23. The biggest lie I believed for a long time was in order to be a productive member of society, I must always be doing something. Nope! There is beauty in being still.
24. Multi-tasking is NOT a skill.
25. It gets even harder to think of 37 life lessons after number 24.
26. When I think of what I wanted for my 30th birthday, I cringe. Someday I’ll write a blog post about it.
27. Speaking of writing, everyone should keep a journal. It’s awesome to see your thoughts from years gone by.
28. The word terrific actually means terrifying. But no one uses it in that way anymore. Which is terrific and terrifying to think about how the english language has changed.
29. I did just learn this year that dilemma is really spelled that way.
30. My love/hate relationship with social media continues but I’m proud to say I’ve practically discontinued use of Instagram, Twitter and Periscope. Some things just don’t need to be shared.
31. If you’re ever tempted to send a text while driving, throw your phone in the backseat.
32. If you’re ever tempted to speed while driving to get somewhere, think of how much that speeding ticket will cost you.
33. I try and carry enough cash on me to give some to the homeless guy on the W 150th exit ramp. But if I don’t have change, I try and just smile and look him in the eye. It’s not much but if you look someone in the eye instead of looking away, I think that leaves an impression.
34. Miserable people HATE associating with happy people. They will do everything they can to make you as miserable as them. Love them anyway. Sooner or later, your happiness will either rub off on them or they will flee from you to be with their miserable cohorts.
35. No matter how many times I cheat on my diet, I still think, “I’ll do better tomorrow.” Sometimes I do…Sometimes i don’t. But many times just saying it and believing it helps me to TRY to do better.
36. For my fellow PT’s: Don’t ever give away personal training for free. There’s value in what you do.
37. A blog post under 1,000 words is the best way to ensure you readers will read all the way until the end. Tell your readers to comment and share their life lessons.