28 Lessons From 28 Years of Life

🎶 It’s my birthday, it’s my birthday, healthy girl contest, I’m in first place 🎶 

First place in my own lane that is 😌.

Last Wednesday I completed 28 cycles around the sun Alhumdulillah.

And one of the coolest reflections I’ve had is that I finally feel like me.

I’m more focused on being healthy, not shredded.

I’m more focused on making decisions with God and my wellness at the center of nearly all my decisions.

And I find myself comparing my journey, especially in fitness, to anyone else less and less.

Right now, I’m in first place in my own race, and it feels good.

With that being said, I wanted to share with you guys some of my favorite gems I’ve gathered over the years.

I hope you find value in at least some of them.

1. Give yourself time to be bored.

   • Constant stimulation is not good for the mind, body, or soul.

2. Move. Every. Single. Day.

3. Food is medicine.

4. You have to learn to be your own healer. (That doesn’t mean don’t get help from professionals, rather this means become your best advocate).

5. No one else can make you happy. That’s an inside job.

6. If you feel down, go outside , touch some plants, and absorb some sun. It can make the world of difference .

7. Momentum and discipline > motivation

   • Committing to moving every day vs. working out 3 times a week

     • Moving every day leads to momentum

     • You can’t drive a docked boat…you can’t just will things you happen …there are steps that need to be taken to get things moving.

8. You have to know when to turn inwards and when to radiate outwards

   • Anxious, stressing over other people’s opinions:

     • Turn inward, detox, do self-work

   • Bored, unfulfilled, being hypercritical:

     • Create, serve, commune

9. Emotions are not good or bad they just are.

10. Everyone has bad days, but if at their worst they are physically or emotionally abusive, distance or breaking off the relationship is completely warranted.

11. Changing paths isn’t quitting , it’s pivoting.

12. Never dull your light for someone who can’t handle your shine.

13. Always move through life with love, empathy, and compassion but other people’s emotions are not your responsibility.

14. When you try to do everything you risk doing nothing.

15. Change from a place of love not hate, excess not lack.

16. We are what we repeatedly consume.

    • This applies to food, conversations, media, books, etc.

17. There’s no reward for sitting in a burning building except burn marks.

18. Genetics load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger. You have more control over your health than you think.

19. Don’t demonize the parts of you that developed to protect you, do the work to understand them.

20. The beautiful thing about becoming an adult is you get to give your inner child the support you know they needed.

21. Almost everyone is winging it.

22. Choose rest before your body makes you take it.

23. You’re not behind.

24. Give yourself the empathy you’ve given others, but this doesn’t mean don’t hold yourself accountable. Balance is everything.

25. There can be loneliness in being a seeker.

26. Never center your identity around anything or any one external because when it/they leave, who are you?

27. Your value is independent of how much or how frequently you can contribute.

28. You are worthy of a life filled with goodness, happiness, love, abundance and radiant health.

     

I hope you all have been taking time for yourselves.

If you want to do something cool for my birthday I’d love it if you could donate anything to one of these two charities that are near and dear to my heart.

As always praying you have a week filled with abundant light and radiant health,

Aqilah ♥️