22 Lessons in 49 Years

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.” ~ Buddha

April 22, 2025 marked 49 years of life, 49 solar returns, and 49 years of healing, learning, and reflecting. In celebration, I’m sharing this year’s 22 lessons—reflections gathered through experience, challenge, clarity, and grace. I decided to share them all here rather than send you to the blog (though I’ll post them there too), so you can take them in without breaking your reading rhythm.

22 Lessons Learned in 49 Years

1. The work isn’t in doing the work, but in believing you can do the work.
    

2. The temptation to give up is strongest when you’re closest to a breakthrough.
    

3. Don’t keep focusing on past failures as a way to hold yourself accountable or to pay dues for future success.
    

4. Taking time to daydream daily is good for mental health.
    

5. Sometimes we outgrow people, and that doesn’t mean we are better than them or that they are beneath us.
    

6. Great blessings often flow after periods of intense challenge.
    

7. I don’t need to hit rock bottom or even come close to it to feel motivated or rise to the top.
    

8. How I see the world is a reflection of how I see myself in that moment.
    

9. Doing too much is nothing to celebrate.
    

10. There is no shame in repeating the same lesson.
     

11. Pain isn’t always a sign of growth.
     

12. Constantly fearing the worst will keep us on edge and blind us to our power.
     

13. When things feel easy, accept them as they are without the temptation to overcomplicate or self-sabotage.
     

14. We don’t have to prove anything to anyone, not even ourselves.
     

15. It’s more important to be intentional about where we invest our energy than to struggle with maintaining perfect balance in all areas.
     

16. We are all here for a divine purpose. Connecting to that purpose can feel easy, but walking in it and staying on the path is where the work comes in.
     

17. We are constantly outgrowing things. When we hold on past their time, we stop learning and growing. And when we move on with judgment or resentment, we miss the beauty of the experience and the growth it offered.
     

18. The best relationships are the ones that grow with us, where we walk similar paths and the energy shared is supportive, encouraging, and uplifting.
     

19. The body will always need supportive movement. Aging may change how we move, but that doesn’t have to be a limitation. It can become an opportunity to explore new ways of staying connected and strong.
     

20. People see us through the lens of how they see themselves, and we do the same. If we want to see better in others, we have to begin by seeing better in ourselves.
     

21. We can do anything we set our minds to, but we must take action from our heart.
     

22. We don’t have to wait to reach the end of the tunnel to see the light. We are the light, and the light is always shining.

I hope these reflections resonate with you in some way and inspire your own moments of introspection.

With love and gratitude,
Dana Andrea