5 Things I've Learned This Past Year: A Birthday Reflection

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It was my birthday last week, so this episode is a little different. Instead of a practice or a trend, I'm sharing five things I've learned over the past year or few years. The lessons that actually changed how I live. I'm saving the real takes for the episode. But let's get into where they come from: how aging feels now, the advice that finally landed, what change really costs, and who I've learned to listen to.

Why do birthdays feel different as you get older?

Mine felt quieter this year, and that surprised me. The number started to matter less. The way I feel on the inside started to matter more. I talk about the strange gap between how young I feel and how the years show up, and why I've made a kind of peace with it.

What is the best advice you have ever gotten?

I think you probably heard it before you were ten. There is a line from my elementary school that I ignored for twenty years. Then one day it finally clicked. I keep the line itself for the episode. But it quietly reframed how I see every single day.

What really happens when you decide to change your life?

More than anyone tells you. When I started changing, I only pictured the good part. I was not ready for what you have to set down to pick something new up. I was not ready for the fact that not everyone comes with you. I get into the bittersweet side of evolving, and why it is still worth it.

Should you lead with your head or your heart?

For most of my life I led with my head. Some of my worst decisions came from it. I talk about learning to let my heart lead and my mind support it. And how I stopped talking myself out of the life I actually wanted.

Whose advice should you actually take?

Fewer people than you would think, and I include myself in that. I share why the people with the least experience often give the most advice. And the question I now ask before I let anyone change my mind.

At the end, I say something I really mean about where I have been and where I am going. The full take is in this episode. Press play up top.

Quick questions

What are some of the best lessons learned in life?

In this episode I share five, from how to handle change to whose advice to take. The stories behind them are up top.

Why do birthdays feel strange as you get older?

I talk about why mine feel different now, and how I made peace with the number.

How do you make a big life decision?

I share how I shifted from leading with my head to letting my heart lead and my mind support it.

Should you take other people's advice?

Sometimes. I get into how to tell whose advice is worth taking, and whose to let go.

Come practice with us

We hold live virtual sound baths each week. Headphones in, the world dimmed, fully transported. Reserve your spot.

Where peace meets power. Let's dive in. xx, HOU

Find me everywhere: houseofundine.com, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack (The Lighthouse), Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.