I had the pleasure of visiting with my best friend since high school over the Thanksgiving Holiday. She decided to fly in to Virginia from California with her oldest daughter. Her main goal was to visit with her mother and father, and show support.

As we chatted and reminisced about PG-rated memories, you end up learning so much about yourself and things you “shoulda, coulda, woulda” grasped sooner. That is the essence of living… learning from your past!

Here are some of the nuggets of “wisdom” that I didn’t even know that I had, but so glad I figured them out during a conversation with a 5th grader.

1. Like who you are. This statement is so much easier said than done. So much of it comes with age and maturity, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could instill this into our kids daily. It has taken me a few decades to just like myself. This is a deep down like, not just the surface. You need to learn to like your strengths and weaknesses. These are the ingredients that make you unique and draw other people to you. Do yourself a huge favor and “just like yourself.” Stop the internal struggle and stop finding that acceptance from the outside. No one will like you more than you like yourself. Let’s all teach our kids this, so they can jump forward into life and living with self-confidence and self-love.

2. Find friends that are just a little bit different than you and bring out the best in you. None of my friends are just like me. That would be b-o-r-i-n-g! I like to have a few things in common with my friends because that is how the initial attraction draws two people together. Other than that… let’s mash things up! Let’s all be different and unique. This is how we lift each other up and love each other more deeply. I love that I have friends that are super outgoing, great photographers, incredibly fit, meditate, artistic, down to earth, and flashy. We have fun when we are together and can appreciate each other’s talents. We often find ourselves learning new things because of these differences.

3. Love your job. I thought I loved being a middle school teacher. That was my first “real” adult job. And, I did love the kids, learning with them, sharing US History with them, the camaraderie with the other teachers… But, I did not love the grading tests and papers! Blah! It took me having my own children and using a home birth midwife to find my true calling. Yep! I made the leap from History Teacher to Home Birth Midwife!!! And guess what? I super duper LOVE my job. It doesn’t even feel like a job. It is a calling. The people around you will know whether or not you love your job! You can’t help but bring that happiness into your everyday life. It is called passion. Passion is a must for loving you job. I recently added another job to my everyday life. I am a Lemon Dropper! A Lemon Dropper is a Young Living Essential Oil Independent Distributor. I sell essential oils! And, I LOVE it!!! Midwifery and Essential Oils (especially the Lemon Droppers) have changed my life in so many ways. They are all positive and ignited passion in my heart and in my purpose.

4. Don’t be afraid to be smart. I have been told that I am smart since I was a young kid. My mom made sure that we all were told this… You are smart! I know for a fact that because my mom told me this over and over as a child that I believed I was SMART. Since I believed it, I made it happen. I love learning. I love reading. I, even, like tests! I know weird, right? I have actually had people in my life disconnect from me because I was too smart. What? Their loss. I have never, ever understood why you wouldn’t want to be around smart people. They make you stretch your own mind, your view of situations and problems, and they become an incredible resource for knowledge. My mentor midwife is a genius! I love being around her and learning from her. It seriously makes my mind boggle when she pulls information from an experience years ago or something she has read. My husband is also smart. He knows so much about the human body, movies, cars, and other random guy things. I want to be around smart people! So, don’t be afraid to be smart. Don’t be afraid to talk intelligently. Don’t be afraid to be a resource for those around you. Smart is cool. Smart is useful. Be sure to tell those people around you and your kids that they are SMART.

5. Stay connected with your friends. Friends are the spice of life! Find those friends that make you a better person and make the effort to stay connected. Listen to them. Find out about their families, their relationships, their passions. Encourage open conversations. Support their decisions. Support their passions.

If you do all of the above, you will do Epic Shit! And you just might find yourself turning into a Unicorn!