It's Thursday. Celebrate Yourself and Enjoy Your Life.
The self-improvement gurus say so! Your wellbeing will thank you for it!
Good day, my loyal readers.
It’s the last week of school so I’m feeling a little gooey. In the words of Harry Goldenblatt, “I’m a big pile of love today.”
Watching someone end one chapter and begin a new one (especially if it’s your cute offspring) creates this deep, emotional pull to want to suck the goodness out of every moment. That’s where I’m at right now.
I’m also coming from a place of EXCITEMENT firstly because I have taken on some really fun creative projects that will be released in the wild over the next few months, and secondly because it’s the start of summer which always turns me into a silly, giddy ball of carefreeness that I really take advantage of in the warm weather months. Freak Show Ash comin’ in HOT, Jake. Watch out.
I’m also, also high on authenticity right now, largely from the creative projects, but the sunshine certainly doesn’t hurt.
Being rewarded for being yourself is perhaps the best feeling in the world, I would say. And I highly encourage everyone to be their true, weird, loud selves, always. You never know where it can take you.
Because authenticity is top of mind, I couldn’t help but provide some keen reminders on putting your best foot forward this summer (and forever—and in my case, my best feather strappy platform sandal foot forward) in order to Capital-E Enjoy our lives— because why would we not?!
In order to provide these honed reminders to lean into your most fabulous self, we’ve gotta get a little dark and divulge the top regrets people have on their deathbeds. There are five of them.
Care to know the top five regrets people have on their deathbeds? I’ll enlighten you.
Not living a life true to themselves. Okay to me, this one is pretty straightforward. If I’m not getting dressed every day, wearing red lipstick, and indulging in champagne and sushi on Friday nights, I am not living a life true to myself. There were moments in my life, years actually, that I spent trying to fit into certain molds of career (ew, corporate) with certain groups of people (why are we so serious, now?) who just weren’t for me. Living a life not true to yourself is a sure ticket to a life of sadness, depression and boredom. Do not recommend.
Not working so hard. HA. I mean this is just too good. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s not working. So many people kill themselves over jobs they hate, spending the majority of their time—the majority of their lives—working themselves to the bone with little to show for it. Choose a career that lights you up and keep your priorities in check.
Not staying in touch with their friends. This one honestly surprised me. Why are we not staying in touch with our friends? Did we have a fallout that we think is too far gone? Did we let moving cities become a permanent friendship divider? Sir Google states that neglecting relationships, especially friendships, can create a sense of isolation and regret at the end of life. Now that definitely does not surprise me. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Great friends are the pinnacle of the good life. Now excuse me while I go call all of my out-of-state friends. Lauren, are you reading this?! California is basically another country. It’s TOO FAR!
Not letting yourself be happy. This one actually makes me quite sad. And on the other hand, what the f*ck?! Why are we going through life making other people happy and not ourselves? You know the saying, “No one is happy unless Mom is happy?” Take that to heart and carry that out throughout your day. Do what makes you happy, and don’t ever apologize for it. Doing so gives others permission to do what makes them happy, and she snowballs.
Not expressing our feelings. Woof. Kind of a hard one to swallow because feelings are generally hard for adults to express. Mostly men, but they can be hard for a lot of us based on a variety of factors. From my experience, expressing one’s feelings is a practice. Kind of like meditation. It doesn’t always feel great in the moment but after the fact, you are a new woman. The more consistent you are at showing love, anger, frustration, passion, etc., the easier it gets. And the more likely it is that others understand where you’re coming from which is important. According to Sir Google again: “Suppressing emotions to maintain peace with others often leads to a feeling of settling for a mediocre existence.” Ew. No thanks.
That’s all I have today. Celebrate yourself and enjoy your life. You’re welcome.
Thank you for reading. Now go enjoy thyself.
Keep being you. A happier you.
Xo, Ash
