I just celebrated my 29th birthday and it seems like birthdays, anniversaries, and new years are natural times to reflect. This episode highlights 29 lessons I have learned in my first 29 years of life. For those of you who love a list, here are the 29 lessons covered in this conversation –
Take a summer vacation, even if it's on a budget
Bodies change over the years
Relationships change too
Positivity is underrated
Trusting God, believing in Jesus, following the Holy Spirit is wild and unexpected
For most of us, our parents did the best they could and still made mistakes – they are humans too
Take risks
When it comes to your dreams and ambitions, do the next right thing (I'm looking at you Bob Goff)
Have people in your life who are a few years or seasons ahead of you
Friends are one of the best parts of life
Counseling is cool
Stay teachable
Health is a journey
Having conversations about Jesus and faith don't have to be rigid or like a formula – ask questions and seek to understand
Don't just read non-fiction, read the fun stuff too (stories, fiction, biographies)
Be careful to not only listen to voices that sound like yours
Animals are the best
Fear, control, and perfectionism are all different faces of the same issue
Cook at home as much as you can
The Church is imperfect at best and has been hurtful at worst. But there's hope and there are still many good churches and pastors in our communities trying to love people well
Be kind to strangers
Know your worth professionally and raise your hand for big projects
Set up your physical space the way you like with purpose
Have the wedding you want
Don't deflect the hard stuff
Try to travel, even if it's the state next door or a new city your friend moved to
When it comes to money, live below your means and invest in the things that matter
Grief is a process and it looks different for everyone in every season
Prayer, faith, and relationships with God are messy and imperfect – and that's normal Nikki Dutton: @nikkdutton
As always, incredible sound editing by Luke Wilson at Veritas Podcasting