What I’ve learned this month

A lot of the people I follow on instagram are fans of the writer, Emily P. Freeman. Who hosts the podcast The Next Right Thing (she also recently published a book by the same title).

Emily P. Freeman has a lot to say on intentionally reflecting on your life as you go and shares a quarterly 10 Things I learned list on her website. It seems like a “you can’t decide where you’re going til you know where you’ve been” exercise, and I enjoy reading other people’s lists of these things, so here’s mine.

On Fridays I’ll typically be sharing a T.G.I.F. practice, but I think that a monthly “what I learned” practice has a lot of great things to offer, so here it goes for May:

1. There is no prize for suffering. If you have a sprained ankle (I did) or get a headache, there is not prize for not using an external support, taking Advil, and otherwise tending to yourself. These things help you feel better in the moment and in the future. Use them.
2. Making a list is great, but if you don’t refer back to it, the things will not get done.
3. I re-learned that children need to play, and really all of us need to play. Fun is not an optional thing in life (even for grown ups).
4. When I want to have fun, I should have fun like an introvert. I enjoy libraries, float spas, and working out by myself.
5. When  you are preparing to speak in front of people, it can be very helpful to film yourself practicing your talk. You may not want to watch yourself talk, but doing so can give you really helpful insight in how to improve your presentation.
6. It’s a really liberating thing to leave your phone at home on purpose when you go on an outing.
7. If your child (or yourself) is going to get sick/have an allergic reaction to a bug bite/etc. it is much better to do take care of it during normal business hours when you can go to the regular pediatrician and pharmacy instead of the ER.
8. You do not have to wait until you’re really upset about something to tell someone it’s bothering you. In fact, you’ll probably be able to address it with more grace and flexibility if you’re not exploding with rage and frustration.
9. May 15th is National Cookie Day.
10. It can be nice to give yourself time to thoughtfully consider a decision, but if you’re really on the fence about something, it’s better to just flip a coin and decide rather than have the unmade choice nagging at you.