Wow, it really feels like forever since I’ve been at my computer trying to write a blog post for my own website. I’ve missed it. (Warning: I’ve never been great at grammar! I don’t have an editor so try not to be too harsh when judging my posts, please…!) Anyway, one thing I never really did in the past was share a lot of my own personal experiences or even share any real snippets from my life. It was always something I kinda regretted because I felt like being able to share my experiences (just like all my readers did) was what I initially intended to do.

Honestly, I felt a bit like a hypocrite. It wasn’t intentional. It had a lot to do with my role in the company. Yes, the site was all about helping other young women but I was also supposed to be running the business side, too. So many people advised me to be the editor-in-chief and keep my own trials and tribulations out of the public eye. Rather, use my experiences to create content and generate content ideas. I was a newbie to this whole website/business owner/CEO thing so I listened.

Over the last few years, this is something I’ve thought about a lot. Did I sellout? Did I fail my audience and readers? Or did it really not matter because I achieved what I set out to do which was to help other young women deal with the ups and downs in life? I’m a bit OCD and spent many nights ruminating on my old website — what worked and what didn’t. (And so much more but that’s for another day…) Ultimately, I was driving myself crazy thinking about it and decided I needed to just move on so I tried not to dwell on it too much. (Definitely, a challenge for me!) Finally, I just promised myself if given the chance again (and courage) to launch a new site, I’d do things differently.

So here I am a few years later… I’m definitely older (eek!) but I’d like to think I’m a bit wiser, too. The last few years have been a true roller coaster. Some things I’m proud of and other things I’d like to chalk up to mistakes. (Or better yet, little life lessons….) I’ve always believed that some of the best lessons we learn are not just from our own experiences but the experiences of others. I’ve also always believed that there’s nothing better in life than the reassurance that you’re not alone. Sure, our lives will never perfectly mirror another person’s, but some of our experiences are similar especially some of the emotions we feel during them.   Obviously, we hope that our family and friends are always there for us. And for many of us, they are 100% of the time. Yet,  life can be so unexpected! You never know who (or what) will help you during your toughest and most challenging times. Sometimes, it’s the person who’s “been there, done that” who’s experience guides you through whatever it is you’re facing. Other times, it may be someone who’s going through something similar to you that unexpectedly becomes a pillar of strength. And who knows maybe there are times that an absolute stranger or a random blog/website provides you with the extra little support you need. Honestly, this isn’t even just about the hard times because we can be guided during our good times, too! I don’t know about any of you but I absolutely love getting lost in a fashion blog or hoarding recipes I plan to make… someday.

I’m definitely not a life expert. (I don’t even know what that is, frankly. Do they even exist?) I certainly don’t have my life completely figured out, either. Trust me, I’d be lying if I said otherwise… I have experienced my fair-share of good, bad, and ugly times. I’ve been knocked down, gotten back up too many times to count BUT no matter what I always learned something new about myself or life in general. That’s the beauty in life. We’re constantly evolving. We’re always a work-in-progress. We should always strive to be the best versions of ourselves as we can be!

It’s my hope that these “little life lessons” will somehow be useful in your life as a source of strength, fuel to kick-start/keep you motivated, or maybe just to give you a little extra guidance in your day-to-day life. (Don’t worry — some of these will be light-hearted and funny, too!) Naturally, some of these may be tidbits of knowledge you already know from experience or just because you’re so darn smart! Some of these may be lessons you’ve already learned in the past. Maybe a few will be just the perfect words of wisdom you needed to hear, today. Maybe there will be some good ones you keep in mind for the future. It’s my hope that each of you will find something valuable in these little life lessons and can use them as a little cheat sheet for life. So without further ado…

One of the biggest LLLs that I’ve learned is “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” Why is this so important? Very simply, we’re given one life to live. There’s absolutely no reason to not live your life to the fullest. If you want pink hair, dye your hair pink. If you want to change your job, then run along and change it! If you want Kylie Jenner lips, I’m not here to judge — go ahead and plump up your puckers! If you want to go back to school, hit the books and make it happen! If you have dreams of owning your own business, get to work and get it started! Feel like you deserve a raise? Speak up and let your voice be heard! Whatever it is (big or small) that will make you happy, start living it! Don’t apologize. Don’t second guess yourself. And absolutely don’t waste another minute living your life on anyone’s terms but your own. People may judge you. They may criticize you. And people around you may not understand what the heck you’re doing. They don’t need to. It’s your life. It’s your destiny, not theirs.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you should be ditch all responsibilities, push away the people that love you or put yourself in harms way. It means living in a way that leaves you feeling fulfilled day in and day out. 

Big changes won’t happen overnight. Just take the first step towards what it is you want and you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do for yourself (and even those you love) is be your true, authentic self!

*Stay tuned for more “little life lessons”… Feel free to share your thoughts on this first one in the comments section. Of course, if you love it please share it with the other women in your life.  Also, if you have a “little life lesson” you think would be useful to other women, please post it in the comments section (anonymously if you don’t want author’s credit!) and I’ll definitely share it with our readers!*