Today's my birthday, and every year around this time I update a list on lessons I've learned – some while growing up and reinforced as time goes on, and some new. We all have stories and lessons learned from personal experience and I feel very strongly that we should not take them for granted and forget. So, as a weekend bonus post, here are 55 lessons I've learned, in no particular order:

1. "It's okay to be average" is one of the most poisonous and destructive lies you can choose to believe. You have untapped potential and the only person who can use it is you. What an endless, amazing gift.

2. There's always a deeper story. Ask better questions.

3. It's okay to question everything: your faith, your career path, your political views, your choice of friends. In fact, it's dangerous if you don't.

4. Erase the phrase "Oh, they would never do that" from your vocabulary. People will surprise you – for better and for worse.

5. Bad things happen to good people. It's not always because of some moral failing or attracting it into your life because of emitting negative energy into the universe. Believing that you can control everything that happens to you is a philosophy of bondage, not freedom.

6. If people are really concerned about you, they will pick up the phone to call. The ones who don't call aren't really concerned.

7. Your mental health is important. We all have issues, some that we don't even know exist. See a licensed therapist if necessary.

8. Life is not so much about being fearless, it's about moving forward despite our fears.

9. Good shoes make a huge difference and the money spent on quality is an investment, not a splurge.

10. You can't be responsible for other people's demons.

11. When making purchases, support the original artists whenever possible.

12. Asking, "why me?" is the same as asking, "why not someone else?"

13. Rocking the boat is not the same as throwing someone under the bus.

14. Jaded is not a healthy lifestyle.

15. Learning how to take a compliment and accept forgiveness are just as important as giving both generously.

16. Comparing everything in your life to your "glory days" or a previous season will get you nowhere.

17. If you've "arrived," you've settled. There's always more to learn, more to explore.

18. Being "too busy" is a myth. We make time for the people and things that are important to us.

19. Trials make you bitter or better. How you respond is up to you.

20. Being authentic doesn't mean laying all your cards face up on the table.

21. The healthiest people have more boundaries, not less.

22. True humility doesn't hide its gifts.

23. Choose the option with the story.

24. Your children and grandchildren will care more about your jewelry than you do. Buy less, choose well.

25. If you can't give up something for 30 days, you're addicted.

26. The right words at the wrong time are the wrong words.

27. The books you read as a child can spark lifelong passions. Encourage the children in your life to read.

28. People have a right to live fully, not just merely.

29. Don't expect people to fight fair. More importantly, don't allow that to make you cynical.

30. The quickest way to turn a good habit into legalism is to insist that everyone else do it as well.

31. Consistent acts of kindness trump random acts of kindness. Habits always win.

32. "Buy all this stuff to simplify your life!" is the new face of materialism.

33. Being a critical thinker and having a critical spirit are two different things. The first requires an open mind, the second refuses one.

34. Your values aren't really your values until they impact your wallet and your time.

35. When in doubt, give people the opportunity to save face. When not in doubt, give people the opportunity to save face. Dignity transforms.

36. Expecting people to be perfect is an exhausting way to live. The people you love and respect will disappoint you. Love them anyway.

37. Blind spots are called that for a reason: YOU can't see them.

38. Social media doesn't make a person better or worse, it amplifies who they already are.

39. If design didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, snowflakes would be ugly.

40. Fresh flowers bring a room to life and are worth including in your weekly budget.

41. Surrounding yourself with passionate people means having to work harder on your relationships. This requires less assuming and deeper listening. It is worth it.

42. People are not projects.

43. Mondays represent a clean slate and fresh start. Going through life hating them is a waste. TGIM.

44. God doesn't need a consultant.

45. Looking for the good doesn't erase the bad. Looking for the good simply allows the bad to be viewed in the appropriate context: as a part, not the whole, and often as something that can be restored or given a second chance.

46. Generous people change the world, not because of what or how much they give, but because they are doers and see possibility where others don't.

47. It is impossible to have an open mind and a closed fist.

48. If your dreams do not add good to the lives of others, you are dreaming too small.

49. There is power in creating something of your own, even if no one else ever sees it.

50. If you catch yourself randomly thinking something nice about someone you haven't spoken to in a while, send a quick note to tell them so. It will make both of you feel good.

51. Love without hope is sentimental, powerless mush. Transformation can only truly occur when hope is present and encouraged.

52. Gifts celebrate a spirit of generosity. The very nature of giving a gift requires thinking of other people before ourselves.

53. Happiness and joy are not the same thing. Happiness is circumstantial. Joy can sustain you through every curveball life throws your way.

54. The true legacy of books is in the ideas they nurture and spread, not in the packaging.

55. Optimism is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

The original version of this post was published October 2009