Note 050
50 notes.
I can’t believe I’m saying that.
When I started Overthinkers Notes, I knew I had a lot of thoughts in my head.
I just didn’t know there were this many.
I’ve always been someone who notices things.
A sentence someone says.
A conversation with my husband.
Something one of my kids says.
Something I hear on YouTube.
A moment that makes me rethink something I’ve always believed.
A random observation while I’m walking.
A lesson I learned the hard way.
And because I am, in fact, the Resident Overthinker, I tend to take those little moments and sit with them.
Sometimes they turn into a full blog post.
Sometimes they become a sentence I can’t stop thinking about.
And sometimes they’re simply a little reminder I wish somebody had given me sooner.
So for my 50th note, I wanted to do something a little different.
Instead of one big lesson, I wanted to give you 50 little ones.
Think of these as mental sticky notes.
The kind you might stick on your bathroom mirror.
Put beside your computer.
Save in your phone.
Write in your journal.
Or screenshot because you needed that particular reminder on that particular day.
Some are things I’ve learned.
Some are things I’m still learning.
Some are reminders I need just as much as anybody else.
And some are simply things I believe we don’t say enough.
So here they are.
50 Mental Sticky Notes for Life
Happiness & Perspective
1. Your happiness is yours. Don’t hand someone else the remote control.
2. Happiness isn’t a destination; it’s something you can experience along the way.
3. You are allowed to enjoy your life while you’re still working on it.
4. Give yourself permission to have fun.
5. Laugh more. Seriously.
6. Smile because you want to, not because everything is perfect.
7. Don’t postpone every good moment until everything is finished.
8. Comparison will have you overlooking everything that’s beautiful about your own life.
9. You don’t have to live someone else’s version of a good life.
10. There is still light on the other side of this moment. Keep going.
Self-Care & Rest
11. Self-care isn’t selfish.
12. Self-care isn’t something you earn after taking care of everyone else.
13. Self-care is a lifestyle, not a once-a-month appointment.
14. Give yourself permission to rest without turning rest into a guilt trip.
15. Give yourself permission to sleep in sometimes.
16. Give yourself permission to eat the cake.
17. Give yourself permission to eat the burger.
18. Buy the shoes. Buy the clothes. Enjoy some of the things you’ve worked for.
19. You don’t have to turn every hobby into a side hustle.
20. Sometimes taking care of yourself means doing absolutely nothing productive.
Growth & Goals
21. Focus on systems, not just goals.
22. If you make a big goal, give yourself small milestones to celebrate along the way.
23. Don’t wait until you reach the finish line to acknowledge your progress.
24. Celebrate yourself and your wins—even the small ones.
25. You don’t have to be good at something before you’re allowed to start.
26. Being a beginner is not a character flaw.
27. Progress can be slow and still be progress.
28. Stop confusing planning with doing.
29. Sometimes the next step is much smaller than you think. Take it anyway.
30. You have done hard things before. Don’t forget that.
Relationships & Friendship
31. We all need friends. Your spouse cannot be your entire social world.
32. You can love people and still need boundaries with them.
33. Not everyone deserves unlimited access to you.
34. You don’t have to explain every decision you make.
35. Pay attention to how people consistently make you feel—not just what they say.
36. You can care about someone without taking responsibility for their emotions.
37. Learn the difference between helping someone and carrying them.
38. Sometimes people aren’t asking for your advice. They’re asking to be heard.
39. You don’t have to match someone’s negative energy to prove you aren’t weak.
40. Leave the conversation when continuing it will only cost you your peace.
Peace, Boundaries & Emotional Awareness
41. Focus on what you can control.
42. You cannot control how someone feels about you. You can control how you show up.
43. Not every comment deserves a reaction.
44. Not every misunderstanding needs to be corrected.
45. Your anxiety can make a situation feel bigger than it actually is. Pause before believing every thought.
46. You don’t have to solve tomorrow’s problem today.
47. Sometimes protecting your peace means changing your expectations.
48. You can walk away from an interaction and still feel good about how you handled yourself.
49. You don’t have to win every argument to know you’re right about what you experienced.
50. You are allowed to become a different version of yourself without apologizing for outgrowing the old one.
And There It Is… 50 Notes.
Fifty.
Honestly, when I started writing Overthinkers Notes, I didn’t know what this would become.
I just knew I had a lot of thoughts.
A lot of observations.
A lot of conversations that stayed with me.
And apparently…
a lot of notes.
But looking back at these 50 notes, I realize something.
Maybe Overthinkers Notes was never really about having all the answers.
It’s been about paying attention.
Paying attention to the little things.
The things we say.
The things we experience.
The things we learn about ourselves.
The things we wish we’d understood sooner.
And sometimes, the things we simply need to be reminded of.
Because maybe you don’t need another person telling you how to completely transform your life.
Maybe you just need a little mental sticky note that says:
Rest.
Start.
Laugh.
Set the boundary.
Eat the cake.
Call your friend.
Buy the shoes.
Take the trip.
Celebrate yourself.
Stop comparing.
Let it go.
Try again.
Enjoy this moment.
And maybe most importantly…
Live your life while you’re living it.
Because none of us are ever going to have everything completely figured out.
There will always be another goal.
Another bill.
Another problem.
Another decision.
Another thing to clean.
Another thing to worry about.
Another version of ourselves we’re working toward.
So while you’re doing all of that…
don’t forget to live.
Thank you for reading my first 50 notes.
Here’s to the next one.
Until the next note,
Your Resident Overthinker 🤎