In 2014 I celebrated a momentous milestone. I turned 60. This was not a traumatic event. It was a joyous moment. Life has taken me through peaks and valleys. It brought great happiness, often tempered with challenges and sadness.
Sunset after a storm in Tucson, Arizona
But I have prevailed. I learned the lessons my journey taught me, looped them back and applied them. As a result, I lead a life of balance, clarity and joy. So, here in random order, are some of those lessons:
Accept that life is not about you. Nobody owes you anything. Life is neither fair nor unfair. It just is.
Life has peaks and valleys. To paraphrase Kipling, “treat these two impostors just the same”. It gives you perspective. As you travel through those unavoidable valleys, create pockets of joy. It will make the trip to the peaks easier. If you cannot be happy aim for contentment. This is your job, nobody can do this for you.
Set high standards for integrity and honesty and then live without regrets.
Put the interests of those you love before your own. It takes nothing away from you to do so.
Adversity is a great teacher – learn from it. Delete the following from your narrative: victim, self-pity, self-doubt, guilt, regret, procrastination.
Accept who you are. Don’t let social and cultural norms define you. Your humanity not your labels define you.
Be your own best friend and enjoy your company. Let others compete for your time.
Make peace with the fact that doors on parts of your life will close. If you allow it, other doors will open. Enjoy every phase of your life and learn from them.
Make your life count for something. It does not matter what as long as your contribution to someone or something is meaningful.
Make plans for the future and be prepared but live in the present. Don’t miss the “now”.
Photo Credits
Photos by Tom Body – All Rights Reserved
Guest Author Bio
Monica Gurdjian
Monica Gurdjian was born in Bucharest, Romania during the Communist regime. Her mother was a Viennese operetta singer of Jewish descend and her father an Armenian Roman Orthodox surgeon. The family fled to Austria and then to Iran where they lived for 13 years. Monica spent her formative years in Iran before immigrating to Canada. She pursued multiple careers which included the United Nations, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and managing her own international management consulting firm. Monica and her husband are retired and with the pit bull Tiger divide their time between Victoria, British Columbia and Tucson, Arizona. Their son lives in Denver, where he works for a multinational company.
Blog / Website: Monica Gurdjian
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