“Give me the gift of responding to any situation with complete compassion. It’s human to respond to criticism by defending yourself. But give me the power to empathize with an insensitive driver, a disrespectful cashier, or a critical relative. That I’d instantly know what to say to de-escalate a tense situation and leave it with grace.” ~Brandi-Ann Uyemura~

I turned 40 this year, and here are some of the recurring simple yet powerful nuggets of wisdom that simply make more sense to me:

1. The biggest room in our world is the room for Self-Improvement;

2. The best state to be in life is the Learning State;

3. The only business you should be minding is YOUR Business;

4. The only person you should strive to be better than is who YOU were, a moment ago;

5. The only people and things you should use up your resources for are those you truly Love and Care about;

6. The attachment to being ‘right’ robs us of the beauty and magic of Right Now;

7. You’ll make mistakes and fall continuously on your life’s journey, Get Over It! Arise and keep going…

8. The only part of your body that you must allow to grow bigger each day is your Heart;

9. The best pair of lenses to view people and the world through is Unconditional Love;

10. The most fulfilling type of gossip is the Reverse-Gossip- when you say as many positive things about someone behind their back! (If you can’t repeat things about someone directly before them, perhaps it’s a clue to keep your mouth shut). What and how you speak about others reveal the biggest clues about what’s really going on inside you!

11. Complaining, blaming, justifying or making excuses without thinking up possible solutions simply breeds more pain and keeps you stuck!

12. And the best moment in your life is always Right Now!

13. You’re NOT God, so why bother judging others? We’re all in this sh*t or adventure called life together and GRACE avails to all! The person in front of you is actually there to teach you something about…YOU! Lol. 

14. I’m finally embracing my stretch marks as my badge of honour; proof that I’ve grown, I’ve been stretched by life (and children :-))  and I’m still here, standing tall, still beautiful and strong!

15. Every single person I’ve ever met in my life and everything that’s happened to me are all sources of gratitude  learning, growth and wisdom. There ares no accidents in life; everything has a synchronistic flow and rhythm and sometimes you win by surrendering to the natural ebbs and flows of life.

16. To take time to periodically ask myself if I am led by my ego or heart. Sometimes, it is NOT necessary to engage in certain discussions, arguments and fights. The ego always wants to be right, but the heart only seeks to heal, connect, laugh, feel and celebrate. Learn to let things and people go!

17. Happiness is a discreet state, while JOY is a state of continuous being. I pray to always let my joy flows from within, from my creator and to seek to be one with that source of joy. No one’s job is to complete me or make me happy or joyous. That is simply setting people up for a fall. My joy is my responsibility and mine alone.

18. Everyone is doing the best they can with the tools they have. If they really knew better, they’d be doing it. My role is to accept people as they are and treat them how I know they’re capable of being.

19. I am learning more and more to simply BE. To celebrate every moment, happy or sad, to be present in the NOW because life is simply a series of sacred, synchronistic NOWs.

20. To wake up each day with a sense of deep wonder, gratitude and joy and to celebrate being ALIVE. My mission is to live life my way, in my unique style, to find and follow my path, with purpose, passion, compassion, power, beauty, grace and most of all to sow seeds of love, service and value  wherever I go and in whomever I meet!

What’s your favourite on the list? Be social! Read | Comment | Share | 🙂

40 rocks! I’m so looking forward to this next chapter in my life!

Warmest Regards & Cyber-Hugs,

Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido, MBA

Poet | Master-Certified Leadership Coach-Trainer -Consultant|

~Take empowered ACTION towards a Healthier, Sexier, Wealthier YOU!~

Blogger Bio:

The preceding is a guest post from Juliet Ume, MBA –Co-Founder and Executive Director at Whole Woman Network. Juliet is the author of the upcoming books: “UN-Locking Your HeArt of Leadership”  and “Today, I Will Not Bow”.  A self-described Life-Connoisseur, who loves life and the whole human experience, Juliet was nicknamed a ‘reminderist’,  [one who reminds us of that which we already know; that we are not fractured or broken and NOW is the perfect time to replace that fallacy with a new, beautiful truth: we are worthy, empowered, complete, whole creatures and our life journey is to return to wholeness]!

Her message is simply: “To use the power of written-spoken-sung WORDS to connect, heal, empower, change and transform our inner and outer worlds. Words have power in the meaning and interpretation we choose to give them and all of life is synchronistic poetry in motion! Are you telling empowering stories about yourself and others?” 

She is a passionate advocate of WomEntrepreneurship, Leadership, Investment & Financial Literacy for women and youth (especially girls). Her mission is simply to engage, educate and empower women, regardless of their levels of income or background, to return to ‘wholeness’ and live Healthier, Sexier, Wealthier Lives using Faith-based, Scientific and Universal (Common-Sense) principles! Follow her on Twitter: @wholewomaninc, @julietumeinc. Enjoy some of her portfolio of poems on her Floetry Blog and follow her daily reflective posts on Facebook.