This is the 5th installment of my birthday series. Here’s the previous post:

I hope your Sunday has been rejuvenating! I had a lovely day with just a little bit of sun, a fresh haircut, a movie and a delicious late lunch of sushi. I’m good :)

Here are a few more lessons:

Invest Wisely

Investing in yourself (education, health, etc) is important. Telling your money where to go is important too :) Once you have accumulated a bit of savings, put it to good use. I am a work in progress with this one. Financial insecurity when I was younger gave me good saving habits, but it also made me pretty averse to risk. I keep more cash reserves than the average investor. When I see the asset allocations other people hold I get heart palpitations :). It’s totally a first world problem.

Tidy Up

Yep. I am not a domestic goddess :) but I do know the satisfaction gained from from a freshly clean abode. This is one of my big Adulting challenges. I find that "perfect can be the enemy of good"; taking it one laundry basket as a time works for me. Maintaining a tidy home environment reduces stress, keeps you organized and provides you with a space you actually like to hang out in.

Control Your Emotions

Take a deep breath and let your brain have a say in the matter before you let your emotions do the talking. Especially anger. I find that if I get rattled in the moment, it’s best to take it “offline” and process for a bit before making any hasty decisions.

Step out of your Comfort Zone

If we don’t take risks every once in a while, we don’t grow. And if we don’t grow, we stagnate. It’s ok (encouraged, even) to be thoughtful, but avoid being locked in analysis paralysis. At some point you need to take the chance and go for it :)

Share Your Appreciation

Let other people know how much they mean to you, and why. Do you have a mentor, a role model that positively impacted your life? Did you tell that person? Most of the time we don’t communicate our gratitude. Have the conversation; it’ll make their day and you’ll feel great too.

Celebrate

Take the time to celebrate milestones. I used to think it was silly and sort of childish to make a fuss. Than I realized I don’t care if I look or sound like a dork, if it’s fun :) We need to take advantage of every reason to smile, recognize, and build fellowship.

Part 6 and the FINAL post in the series is tomorrow! Thanks for reading :)