25 Things I Wish I'd Known in my 20's

1. The only thing you have control over is yourself. Trying to control other people or things is a waste of time and energy.

2. Holding on to something or someone is the best way to lose it. The tighter the grip, the faster they run.

3. You create your life experiences one thought at a time. Thoughts affect perception, which affect choices, which create your life situation.

4. You are completely responsible for your life and how you choose to live it.

5. If you are unhappy with your situation, take action to change it.

6. How we feel matters. A thought with a feeling – a passion – behind it is like a beacon with a huge magnet shining out and drawing it to us.

7. Feeling sorry for yourself is addicting. It may be okay for a few minutes, but spending much more time than that will take you years – or decades – to recover from.

8. Whatever it is that we think about and give our attention to, we get more of. Even if we say we don’t want it.

9. That childhood saying about “stick and stones… and words can never hurt me” is a total lie and was created as a “nany-nany-boo-boo” to cover up the hurt that you’re feeling.

10. Every time you remember one of those “nany-nany-boo-boo” experiences and relive the hurt feelings, it is an opportunity for you to heal it and let it go. Buried feelings never die.

11. Giving and receiving are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin.

12. In every human interaction, all anybody really wants is to be treated decently and with respect.

13. It’s okay to say “no” if you don’t want to do something. Saying nothing or being indecisive is the same thing as saying “yes”.

14. It is very important to be clear about what you want and what you don’t want. Otherwise, you spend a lot of time going in circles.

15. It’s okay to change your mind about what you want and don’t want – especially if what you thought you wanted is not working.

16. Happiness is an inside job. No one else can “make” you happy or unhappy, since happiness is mostly a matter of how we choose to perceive things and people.

17. Personal boundaries are not shackles. They’re a healthy sign of respect for ourselves and others.

18. We teach people how to treat us by the boundaries we set or don’t set.

19. If you don’t respect yourself, no one else will either.

20. Follow Mom’s advice to “just be yourself,” but don’t be surprised if she doesn’t always approve of the “self” you choose to be.

21. Needing other people’s approval – even your parents’ – keeps you from begin your real, true self.

22. There is enough of everything. It’s our fear of lack that keeps it from coming to us.

23. The first step to accomplishing anything is to believe in yourself and have the confidence to know that you matter.

24. You DO matter…. everybody matters….. or else we wouldn’t BE here in this world of “matter”.

25. The easiest way to get something is to ask for it. Then let go and allow the Universe bring it to you.

(c) Copyright 2006, Becky Waters