1) This is an excellent season of my life when I can look at my physical and emotional scars and own who I am.

2) I can now compartmentalize my life:

The first years of my life were the age of innocence

The following years of my life were the age of enlightenment

The next years of my life were the age of darkness

I am in the present phase. How will I choose to acknowledge those years?

3) Do not be upset with how far you went in your career without consideration of the time and work you committed to your success.

4) Memories of our loved ones are eternal. My mother died several years ago; to this day, I still pick up the phone to talk to her when she was not ill. My favorite used to be when she was talking and I said something to her with my dark sense of humor, she was well into her following paragraph when she realized what an inappropriate thing I just said, and she would laugh a side-splitting laugh while I heard her thoughts of “my son is just not right.

5) My most recent epiphany: Relationships with friends, coworkers, bosses, family, and spouses are not created to drain you emotionally, although I take into account the day-to-day struggles of all of the above, authentic functional relationships are more about deriving mutual strength and support

6) Corporate culture is fascinating. They express mission statements and policies for sexual harassment, inclusion, diversity, and retaliation. These principles come in the form of repeated narratives that, when spoken enough times, can institutionalize and radicalize an employee to believe they are true. Yet the very leadership that wrote them frequently violated them.

7) Quitting a job is OK

Moving on is OK

Struggling is OK

Leaving a Toxic relationship or job is OK

Staying in any situation, work or personal, where you are not valued or appreciated?-No Bueno!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8) Someone’s behavior towards me is irrelevant to me, I now understand that my presence can provoke their own internal struggles that have nothing to do with me.

9) We say wonderful things about friends, family and loved ones at funerals. Why is the human condition so programmed to not say these comments at our birthdays? There is so much we want to speak to them, but are reluctant.

10) With my college education, I learned how to learn and realized I knew little. Through life experiences, I learned how to apply knowledge and gained wisdom.