10 Things I've Learned in 46 Years of Being Alive

Hi Kula Cloth friends!

Today is my 46th birthday.

And in honor of 46 years of being alive on this strange, beautiful planet, I wanted to share ten things I’ve learned along the way.

Not because I have anything figured out. Quite the opposite, actually. The older I get, the more I realize how little I know.

But these are the things I keep coming back to. The things that make life feel a little more spacious, a little more magical, and a lot more meaningful.

Maybe one of them is something you need today, too.

1Nothing is really that serious.

We’re floating on a planet in an infinite cosmos. When you remember that, it tends to put all the stuff we usually stress out about into perspective.

Sometimes it helps to zoom all the way out and remember where we actually are.

2If you had lived somebody else’s life, you would see things the same way that they do.

Have compassion toward others, even those who might not think the same way that you do. Maybe especially toward those who may not think the same way that you do.

Every person you encounter has lived an entire lifetime that you haven’t. They have experienced things you haven’t experienced, been taught things you weren’t taught, felt pain you haven’t felt, and seen the world through eyes that aren’t yours.

Remembering that doesn’t mean we have to agree with everybody. It simply gives us the space to meet each other with a little more compassion.

3Dance every chance that you can.

Life is short, and no matter what’s going on, every day deserves dancing.

Dancing always makes every single day better.

Put on a song. Close the door if you have to. Dance badly. Dance alone. Dance for thirty seconds.

Just dance.

4Following your heart is what will make you happy.

Your job in this world is not to make everybody else happy. Your job is to bloom into the best version of who you are.

Follow the nudges, inspiration, and little impulses, and see what happens.

There are so many tiny whispers inside of us that we learn to ignore because they don’t seem practical or productive or because we’re afraid of what somebody else might think.

Listen anyway.

5It’s not what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it.

Every moment is an opportunity to bring peace, love, and kindness to others.

Don’t let the world obscure your view and have you miss the point of everything.

The point is not your small idea of what matters.

The point is to be a beacon of light in this world.

Whatever you are doing today—answering emails, washing dishes, running a business, sitting in traffic, walking through a grocery store—you have an opportunity to change somebody’s experience simply through the way you show up.

6When in doubt, a very delicious and well-timed chocolate chip cookie can change the universe.

I stand by this.

Here is the official Kula Cloth chocolate chip cookie recipe →

7Never underestimate the power of doing nothing.

Instead of fighting against the current, lie down on the ground. Take a nap. Drink some water. Go outside and look at the sky.

Things have a way of shifting into place when we aren’t trying to force them there.

We are taught that every problem requires action, but sometimes the most useful thing we can do is stop pushing long enough to notice that the current already knows where it’s going.

8Everything is not as it seems.

We’re taught to live within this structured world of reality, but meanwhile we are closing our eyes to the eternal essence that lives within each and every single one of us.

In other words, the whole universe is within each of us, and we’re missing it while searching for something else.

Everything you need, want, or will ever have is within you right now.

9Nothing is worth more than this moment.

We spend our whole lives chasing something that is fleeting and transient, a thing that we can’t even take with us, a meaningless idea of what makes us whole.

And all the while, we miss out on the only thing that we actually have: this moment right now.

All it takes is a few moments of conscious breathing to sense and feel the present moment.

Feel your feet on the ground. Notice the air entering your lungs. Look around at wherever you happen to be.

This is your life.

Don’t miss out on it wishing you were somewhere else.

10Love is the thing, and it’s the only thing.

How can we bring more love into the world?

This love is not outside you. It is not something you have to earn. It is who you are in the fabric of your being.

It is our gift to each other.

See what you can do today to bring that gift to everybody that you encounter.

And that brings me to what I would really love for my birthday.

Will You Leave a Gift for Someone You’ve Never Met?

If you have a few moments today, I would love for you to allow yourself to marinate in the feeling of love and possibility and gratitude. And then, down below, leave a message.

Not for me.

Leave a message for the next person who comes here. Write something that you would want another human being to stumble across today. Maybe it’s something you wish somebody had once told you. Maybe it’s encouragement. Maybe it’s something you’ve learned. Maybe it’s a reminder that helped you through a difficult time. Maybe it’s simply a few words of love from one human being to another. Imagine that the person who needs those exact words is going to find them. What would you want to tell them?

I can’t think of a more special way to celebrate my birthday than to create a little corner of the internet filled with messages from strangers who decided, for no reason other than love, to leave something beautiful behind for somebody else.

And there’s one more important thing to remember. As you give, so too do you receive. Notice what happens inside of you as you sit down and intentionally generate love for somebody you’ve never met. Notice that as you give love to another, you get to experience that love, too.

Maybe nothing enormous happens. Maybe the world looks exactly the same afterward. But see if some tiny part of your day changes because you intentionally chose to generate love and kindness. And then, if you’d like, read a few of the messages that other people have left for you.

Take what you need. Leave something for somebody else. And let’s see what happens.

That would be the best birthday present I could ever ask for.

With so much love,

Anastasia

Founder, Kula Cloth®

about the author

Anastasia Allison

Anastasia is the founder of Kula Cloth, a former park ranger, a backpacking instructor, and a wilderness first responder.