Life Lessons I Hope To Pass On To My kids - Part IV

1. Learn how to say 'No'. You don't have to say 'Yes' to everything and everyone, you aren't responsible for pleasing everyone. Make sure that you have time left for yourself. Often, we don’t always feel like we have the right to say NO, or not now, or I just can’t do this or that – so we say YES and end up feeling overwhelmed.  Don't cause yourself suffering from the resentment that comes from overfilling your plate. I want for you to be able to say (with confidence) NO! To me, to their friends, boyfriends – to anyone or anything that doesn’t feel right to them.  It's Okay to say no.
2. Trust your gut and intuition. When you aren’t sure of something, ask yourself, "How do I feel about this?" instead of "What do I think?" More often than not, you will know the answer.
3. You don't need to be in a relationship to be happy. Find ways and things that you can do that make you happy and fulfill you. You aren't a loser if you don't have a significant other in your life. A relationship doesn’t validate you.
4. Know how to take care of yourself. Know how to make yourself happy. And, find what you need to develop your spirit, passion and satisfaction in life. When I talk about independence, I don’t necessarily mean, you need to be able to stay home all alone and do everything without me. I mean you need to learn WHO they are, and know how to take care of youself emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
5. Love your body. Beauty doesn’t come in a specific package, size, shape, or form. I want you to feel beautiful - not in spite of what they may see as flaws, or what society says are flaws – but including these things.
6. You are never too old to dream or to follow your dreams. And more importantly, if you can dream it – you can do it.
7. If there is something you want in life, you need to learn to work hard to get it. I don’t want you to think that everything in this world will be handed to you on a silver platter. I expect you to work hard and contribute around the house. Your work ethic will get you far in life and you will be recognized for it.
8. Learn how to say you're sorry. Not just to other people, but to yourself as well. If you can say you are sorry, you can admit when you are wrong, then you can grow from those mistakes. And even more important,you can learn to forgive yourself (and others) along the way. 
9. Have a grateful heart.  You learn gratitude, not by being told to say ‘thank you,’ but by truly appreciating things in their own way. Try to stop and smell the roses along life’s path.
10. Don’t take life for granted. This doesn’t mean that I want you to feel like the end is near, but the reality is time is short. Much shorter than we think it is at times. LIVE every day of your life. Don't hold onto to regrets or losses, or anger or resentment. Laugh as much as possible (even at yourself), love as often as you can – and make positivity a part of your life. “Life is too short to sulk."