41 birthday truth bombs

Find Your Superpower newsletter 068

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Birthday month, wisdom from the greats, adulting, inspiration

Hey there, it is my birthday month!

To celebrate the anniversary of my 41^st trip around the sun, I am going to continue my annual tradition of sharing 41 truth bombs that I have learnt (the very hard way).

I am heavily influenced by the thought leadership of teachers such as Oprah Winfrey and Simon Sinek, so please assume that somewhere in my head lies all of their combined wisdom in one giant alphabet soup.

Here are 41 truth bombs from me to you. I hope some of them resonate with you:

1. Waking up early is a superpower. Starting 1-2 hours ahead of everyone gives you more time for deep work and calm reflection.
2. Minimalism is the new black. A maximalist has no upper limit for their satisfaction, whereas a minimalist has a clear lower limit for what they need.
3. Being able to say “no” is a superpower. Many of us, especially women, were raised to be agreeable, to be “nice.” Saying “no” requires us to unlearn some of that.
4. Being able to accept “no” is also a superpower. For many people, the first time they really hear “no” and experience failure is when they’re grown ups.
5. All of us could use a good therapist. Mental fitness is like physical fitness.
6. Practicing gratitude daily is a free way to fight depression, sadness and anger.  
7. Never make a decision after midnight. Sleep on it to gain a better perspective.
8. Many of our adult wounds originate from childhood traumas. Be kind to your inner child.
9. It is crucial to recognize the difference between a good decision (a diversified investment portfolio) versus a good outcome from a poor decision (placing all our money in crypto and getting a windfall).
10. If you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to make time for your illness.
11. If someone has an issue with you and they’re telling everyone but you… they’re just using you for attention.
12. Heroes and villains have the same origin story. Both undergo suffering, but the hero focuses on eliminating pain, while the villain focuses on increasing pain.
13. An abundance mindset is powerful because you enlarge the pie which provides plenty for everyone around you, versus a scarcity mindset where you fight for crumbs of a tiny pie with everyone around you.
14. “Every storm runs out of rain.” (Maya Angelou)
15. A magnet both attracts and repels. If you want to attract, you also have to repel. Get used to people not agreeing with you.
16. Every woman needs a squad. If you have a friend who is even slightly insecure when you succeed, I’m sorry but they aren’t your friend; they are your frenemy. Find better friends.
17. Don’t dim your light just to make someone else feel less uncomfortable with you. (Sarah Blakely) 
18. Get good at distinguishing a giver from a taker. Work exclusively with the former group, and run as far as you can from the latter group.
19. Moms, please take care of yourself first. When mom is happy, everyone is happy.
20. New moms, listen to me carefully. We shall only have three goals every day: Get enough sleep, feed the baby, and finish our work. Stay focused on these three basic objectives and you will survive the first year.
21. Moms, let’s stop feeling guilty all the time. We are superheroes. Stop this mom guilt right now!
22. Our health can’t wait: let’s get ourselves screened for cancer every year.
23. Study the laws of detachment. Learn how to detach yourself and have zero expectations about other people.
24. People will work on themselves if and when they want to, not because you want them to.
25. Be careful of gurus. The smartest person isn’t the most educated or knowledgeable, but the one who appreciates how little they know. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” (Socrates)
26. The only “good” thing to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic was revealing how unproductive working from an office really is. Remote work rocks!
27. Real wealth isn’t money or fame, but owning your time. Wherever possible, don’t sell something that you can never buy back.
28. You will never run out of job offers, promotions or clients if you provide more value than what you expect to be paid.
29. Pick yourself. Choose yourself. Don’t wait for The New York Times or Wall Street Journal to feature you. You can tell your story better than anyone can.
30. Success in one’s career is sometimes as basic as this: “Just learn how to get stuff done.” (Barack Obama)
31. Instead of juggling 5-10 different ideas and projects, consider focusing on one and bringing it to completion. Focus is a superpower.
32. The most successful people aren’t necessarily the most talented or gifted. They are sometimes the most consistent. Consistency compounds, just like the S&P 500.
33. Winning is an inside job. You can have a million dollars and constantly feel like the odds are stacked against you, or you can have barely enough and feel like a million dollars.
34. When you have a growth mindset, you win or you learn. You never lose. (Adapted from Nelson Mandela)
35. There is no clear winner in the soft skills vs hard skills debate. Having a little of both is probably better than being clearly deficient in either.
36. Mask your weaknesses by working with people who complement your weaknesses, instead of those who are similar to you.
37. We only need one or two superpowers to be really successful in life. Thor has just one superpower and he’s doing fine.
38. Make a bucket list, pin it to your desk, and start manifesting. Life has a remarkable way of turning our deepest desires into reality.
39. I don’t believe in coincidences.
40. 40s are the new 30s.
41. It does not matter how long we live, but how well we live. Santé!

💌 PS: Guess what, I received the best birthday gift ever last night... a happy and satisfied client. Enjoy my birthday sale here!!!  

SOME AUGUST UPDATES:

💌 Come celebrate my birthday with me. Enjoy my August 2024 masterclass sale here!

💌 Cohort 4 of my six-week Find Your Superpower LinkedIn bootcamp (October 5 - November 16) will open for enrollment very, very soon. Waitlist here to be the first to hear about pre-launch and early bird offers.

Thanks for reading issue 068 of my weekly Find Your Superpower newsletter.

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