Listen to music when you are happy. Listen to music when you are sad. Listen to music when you are angry. Listen to music when you are grateful.

Always say I love you when you mean it. Never say it when you don’t.

Spend money on experiences rather than things. Memories last forever.

Sleep with the windows open whenever possible.

Get a Sonicare and go to the dentist every 6 months. You only get one set of permanent teeth. Take care of them.

Always bring a jacket on a plane and to the movie theater.

Fight off energy vampires. They will drain you of your creativity and zest for life.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.

Treat the CEO and the person who cleans her office the same, because they are.

Sometimes a road trip is better than an elaborate vacation.

Nothing tastes better than ice cream on a hot day.

Be kind whenever possible and forgive yourself when you forget this one.

Get a dog. They are a lot of work. Get one anyway.

Keep a gratitude journal and look back at it to be reminded of all of your blessings.

Eat a lot of strawberries when they are in season.

Buy a quality mattress and pillow. You spend one third of your life in bed. It’s worth it.

Live in a city that makes you feel alive.

There is no such thing as “Guilty Pleasure” music. Love what you love. No guilt needed.

Never stop reading.

The goal isn’t always to get the answer. Sometimes the goal is just to ask great questions.

Laugh. About big things and small things. Laughter is often the answer.

Treat yourself as well as you would treat your best friend. Be kind to yourself.

Roll the windows down. Turn the music up.

Dance…publicly and privately.

Don’t judge others. You don’t know their story, even if you think you do.

The best prayer is “thank you.”

It takes a strong person to say, “I need help.”

Eat dark chocolate.

Visit London.

Wear sunscreen on your face every day.

Do something with your photos. Don’t just leave them in your phone.

Write thank you notes.

Be true to that one piece of perfect that lives inside of you. Let your gift shine.

Image by zeitfaenger.at

The post 33 Simple Ways to Live an Extraordinary Life appeared first on Advice for My Daughter.

I’ll never know you as an old woman.

My job as a mother is not to teach you to be an amazing kid, but to teach you to be an extraordinary adult. I want to guide you so that when you are an old woman, you will look back on your life and feel that it was well lived.

These are the things I wish for you when you become an old woman:

When your hair turns silver and your skin turns a bit sallow, I hope that your eyes shine as brightly as they do today.(tweet this)

I hope your happy memories outweigh your worries.

I hope you dance…even if it’s slowly.

I hope the world is good and that kind people surround you.

I hope you have a companion, be it a partner, a child or a friend.

I hope the mistakes you’ve made in life have been long forgotten and the bright spots sparkle.

I hope you found a unicorn.

I hope you celebrated every birthday with those that you love.

I hope you travelled and laughed and sang at the top of your lungs.

I hope you did work that you loved, that you helped people and that you prayed daily.

I hope you aren’t in too much pain.

I hope you let your kids stay up late so that you could snuggle under the covers and tell each other secrets. I hope you have grandchildren and that they talk…constantly.

As the years pass, my greatest wish is that I taught you well. That you were able to fight when you needed to and give in when you wanted to. That you helped others and were kind to yourself.

I hope you shine.

I know you’ll shine.

And I hope. I really, really hope….that I taught you well.

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Image by Tim Hamilton

The post A Letter To My Daughter As An Old Woman appeared first on Advice for My Daughter.