What is your happy place?  Mine is going on a long walk while I listen to one of the many incredible podcasts I enjoy.  I am so thankful for technology and for the many talented podcasters who have so much useful information to share (for free!).

Here are 21 life lessons I’ve learned in 2021, summarized in quotes from my favorite podcasts (and one audiobook).

  1. “The better you get at being uncomfortable, the better you get at everything.” – Brooke Castillo, The Life Coach School
  2. “You can’t outrun yourself.  You can’t outrun your feelings.  You can’t outrun the world.” – Natalie Bacon, Design Your Dream Life
  3. Scarcity of time will cost you money, and scarcity of money will cost you time.” – Jody Moore, Better Than Happy
  4. “Comparative suffering is rooted in the myth that empathy is finite.” – Brene Brown, Unlocking Us
  5. “We can care without carrying.” – Gem Fadling, Unhurried Living
  6. “God loves the people you hate.” – The pastor at my church
  7. You are not your thoughts or your emotions.  You are the consciousness watching them.” – Natalie Bacon, Design Your Dream Life
  8. “Emotional maturity doesn’t mean you never feel bad.  It means you stop attributing your feelings to things outside of you.” – Jody Moore, Better Than Happy
  9. “What is small to us is big to God.  What is big to us is small to God.” – Pastor Steven Furtick, Elevation Church
  10. “Detachment is not owning nothing.  It’s nothing owning you.” – Jay Shetty, Think Like a Monk
  11. “A minimalist asks, ‘What am I holding onto?’  A soul minimalist asks, ‘What is holding onto me?’ “ – Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing
  12. “The world is always getting better AND it’s always getting worse.” – Jody Moore, Better Than Happy
  13. “What you believe will determine your life.  Your current thinking determines your future success.” – Brooke Castillo, The Life Coach School
  14. “Seeing is not believing.  Believing is seeing.” – Natalie Bacon, Design Your Dream Life
  15. “We can care without carrying.” – Gem Fadling, Unhurried Living
  16. Everyone has a story that will break your heart, and most people have a story that will bring you to your knees.” – Brene Brown, Unlocking Us
  17. “The easiest way to get out of judgment is to shift to curiosity.” – Jody Moore, Better Than Happy
  18. “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” – Alan and Gem Fadling (quoting the US Navy Seals), Unhurried Living
  19. “[Anxiety and hurry are not necessary for productivity.] Anything that can be done in anxiety can be done even better in peace.” – Alan Fadling, quoting Dallas Willard
  20. “If you have something to prove, you are still a prisoner.” Dr. Edith Eger (a holocaust survivor and guest on Brene Brown’s podcast, Unlocking Us)
  21. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” – Admiral Stockdale (The Stockdale Paradox)

What life lessons have you learned in 2021?