34 Lessons at 34: A Year of Love, Change, and Surrender
- Ness
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Today I celebrate my 34th birthday, and as I reflect on the past year, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. Looking back at my 33rd birthday, I can hardly believe how much has shifted. At that time, I had just returned from my final “digital nomad” adventure, ready to plant roots, find a true home, and answer the deeper call of my soul. For years, my greatest teacher was surrender and while surrender still speaks to me, it no longer feels like the whole lesson.
This past year was bumpy, full of endings and beginnings. The start of the year shook me, but now I see how everything had to crumble so something more aligned could rise in its place. The first months were about faith, trust, and letting go. But the last few months have revealed something far more simple and profound: love.
Love is the whole point.
I’ve learned this in so many ways—through the new community I’ve found here, the deepening love I hold for myself, the unconditional love given and received in relationships, the love of those who’ve supported me, the love of God, the love woven through every part of existence. Love is everywhere, and it is the reason we are here.
I step into 34 with the intention to live fully, love fully, and embody authenticity, integrity, and joy. As I do every year, I want to share the lessons life has gifted me—this time, 34 lessons for 34 years.
34 Lessons at 34
Grief is a sacred portal to the next version of yourself, and through it comes love, gratitude, and change.
Prayers for ease and grace in hard times are answered. They truly work.
Whenever I feel confused, I ask for a miracle—a shift in perspective, a new way of seeing. This teaching from A Course in Miracles has changed my life.
Love is the whole point. Love is all there is.
God’s plan > my plan.
When we think with love, we are co-creating with God (A Return to Love).
The most important question you can ask: What would love do now?
Life can transform in a year, in six months, even in three months.
I may know what’s good for me but God always knows better.
Change is both inevitable and absolutely necessary.
The more we resist something, the louder it gets.
The moment you decide, everything begins to shift in your favor.
If something is meant for you, it will never miss you.
Divine order = human chaos.
Divine timing is everything.
Surrender… and then surrender even deeper.
Endings are simply space being made for new beginnings.
Nothing in life is purely black and white.
Learn to recognize when something is complete.
“The Warrior of Light does not always have faith.” — Paulo Coelho
Your new life will always cost you your old one.
Rejection is redirection and Divine protection.
Every new level begins at the very place within yourself that you resist.
The way others treat you is a reflection of the self-love you hold.
Acceptance means: for now, this is what this moment requires of me, so I do it willingly. — A New Earth
It doesn’t have to make sense.
Every season has its purpose. The invitation is to enjoy this one just a little more.
Sensitivity and compassion are true superpowers.
Vulnerability is not weakness, it is strength.
Health is the greatest form of wealth.
Expanding the capacity of your nervous system allows you to receive more with ease and trust.
Be crystal clear about what you desire, then release the “how.” That is surrender.
What a blessing it is to feel the full spectrum of emotions.
When you feel triggered, pause and remind yourself: What a pleasure to grow through this.
As I enter this new year of life, I feel grateful for the crumbling, for the surrender, and for the love that has risen in its place. Love is the whole point—and the more I lean into it, the more alive I feel.
May these lessons offer you comfort, inspiration, or even just one reminder you needed today. Wherever you are in your journey, may you remember: you are here to love, to live, and to shine in full authenticity.
Sending love to your nervous system, always. 💛
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