40 birthday truth bombs

Find Your Superpower newsletter 021

Read time: 6 minutes

Topics covered: parenting, inspiration, adulting, my birthday

Dear newsletter subscribers, it is my birthday week!

I am going to share with you 40 truth bombs that I have learnt the hard way, in honor of my 40th revolution around the sun and four decades on this beautiful Earth. Not all of it may be applicable to you, but I am sure some of it will be.

It wasn’t easy to write, so here goes:

Juliana’s 40 birthday truth bombs

1. Wake up early. Starting 1-2 hours ahead of everyone gives you more time for deep work.
2. Be a minimalist. A maximalist has no upper limit for satisfaction, whereas a minimalist needs very little to be satisfied.
3. Saying “no” is a superpower. Saying no to the things you don’t want to do allows you to say yes to the things you want to do.
4. Accepting “no” is also a superpower. Being told no can be painful at first, but that is how we grow.
5. Practice gratitude daily. It is a low-key and free way to fight sadness and anger.
6. Sleep over a problem. Sometimes, a good night’s rest is all we need to gain a new perspective on it.
7. Be kind to your inner child. Soothing our inner child is the first step to healing our unresolved childhood issues.
8. Limit your social media and news consumption to reduce your emotional reactivity and anxiety.
9. If you can afford it, get a therapist. The world would be a happier place if everyone treated mental fitness like they did physical fitness.
10. Exercise. If you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to make time for your illness. (Joyce Sunada)
11. “Just learn how to get stuff done.” (Barack Obama)
12. Be accountable. Blaming others when things do not go our way is not how we want to be remembered.
13. Work for a company that is mission-oriented, not money-oriented.
14. Find your ikigai, your reason for living. It is a combination of what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.
15. When you take any kind of risk, don’t bet all of your chips on it right away.
16. Understand the difference between a good decision versus a good outcome.
17. Develop an abundance mindset. Collaborate with others to enlarge the pie, instead of fighting for crumbs of a small pie (scarcity mindset).
18. In a VUCA world, stay curious and open-minded. “It is not the skills of the future, but the mindsets of the future.” (Crystal Lim-Lange)
19. “Every storm runs out of rain.” (Maya Angelou)
20. Play offense, not defense. Don’t dim your light to make someone feel less uncomfortable with you. (Sarah Blakely)
21. Healthy relationships are psychologically safe and may even feel boring.
22. Listen to wise mentors who have already fought the battles that you want to take on.
23. Even better, find yourself a champion or sponsor. A mentor tries to fix parts of you, but a champion shouts about you from the mountain top.
24. Every girl needs a squad that is genuinely happy for her when she succeeds. If they compare themselves with you, they aren’t a friend; they are a frenemy.
25. Hire for character and train them on the job. Attitude matters more than qualifications and appearances.
26. When interviewing for a job, don’t downplay yourself. Have a growth mindset and believe in your potential to learn new tricks.
27. Moms, please take care of yourself first. When mom is happy, everyone is happy.
28. Moms, let’s stop beating ourselves up about trying to please everyone around us. Stop this mom guilt right now!
29. New moms, listen to me carefully. We shall only have three basic objectives to survive the first year: get enough sleep, feed the baby, and finish our work on time.
30. New moms, it is normal to feel extreme sadness after baby is born. It is called post-natal depression. Talk to someone.
31. Protect your peace. Detach yourself from energy vampires and have zero expectations about other people.
32. Be smart enough to keep learning, unlearning and relearning. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” (Socrates)
33. Find a job that allows you to work flexibly or remotely. The pandemic has shown us that it is possible to work differently from how we used to.
34. Pick teammates and business partners that best complement your strengths and mask your weaknesses.
35. Guard your time zealously. Real wealth isn’t money or fame, but owning your time.
36. There is no obvious winner to the soft skills vs hard skills debate. But someone who has both will likely fare better than someone clearly deficient in either category.
37. Instead of trying to be above average at everything, be very good at a few things. Thor has just one superpower and he seems to be doing just fine.
38. Play the long game. The most successful people aren’t necessarily the most gifted. Consistency compounds over time, like the S&P 500.
39. 40s are the new 30s.
40. It is not how long we live, but how well we live. Santé!

... and there you go, my 40 birthday truth bombs!

I am heavily influenced by the thought leadership of the following folks, in no particular order: Mel Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Blakely, Lewis Howes, Simon Sinek, Adam Grant and so on, so somewhere in my head lies all of their combined wisdom in one giant alphabet soup.

Thanks for reading issue 021 of my weekly Find Your Superpower newsletter.

Happy birthday to me!

See you next week. 

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