Candice Tomlinson

My final 10 lessons and reflections from my 50 years around the sun are included below. I have to say that turning 50 has been one of the most pivotal and epic points in my life and I can highly recommend it 😜
So here’s to 50 more!



41. Rejection is redirection.
42. The opposite of addiction is connection.
43. Community is the antidote to loneliness and isolation.
44. What you resist persists and it comes back louder and louder.
45. Better out than in - suppression and repression lead to depression.
46. Instead of questioning “Why is this happening to me?”, ask “Why is this happening for me?”.
47. “This too shall pass” - these four wise words are not trite in my book at all. They are truthful - nothing is permanent nor all pervasive.
48. Say thank you - two little words that are not said nearly enough.
49. Where and when necessary, apologise. Own your part and ditch the ego.
50. Seven of THE most powerful words: “Tell me more, what else, go on”. (Kelly Corrigan).

AND it would be remiss of me to not share this final bonus lesson for all the women out there:
51. Perimenopause and menopause should not be ignored: This sh*t is real and please seek support.

My next 10 lessons are coming your way now and not in any particular order nor any related theme. Enjoy 😊


31. Exercise is the greatest way to alleviate stress - find YOUR activity and do it everyday.
32. Meditation is my leveller and it does not mean the absence of thought. Meditation is about meta cognition - the awareness of thoughts and then re-routing your focus to breath or mantras or something similar. This ability to focus translates to all other areas of your life.
33. Yoga, done with intentionality is rewarding. It feels like my body yells 'thank you' after every yoga practice.
34. Rest is not a luxury and rather a necessary survival tactic.
35. Candles make me happy and lift my mood. Make your environment your happy place and your sanctuary.
36. The older I get the less of a sh*t I give about how others expect me to be.
37. Radical self-acceptance is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
38. “Nothing is good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.” (Shakespeare).
39. I once heard or read these wise words and forget the author sadly: "If you can worry you can wonder, if you can doubt you can dream and if you can spin you can soar."
40. We can train ourselves to rise above thought, not just suspend or escape thought but truly rise above thought and leave suffering behind.

Here are my next 10 lessons and reflections as I am now 50 years old and one week 😊 Of course these are by no means gospel and I hope you are enjoying reading these as much as I am enjoying sharing them.


21. Whether you think you can or you can’t - you are probably right. This is courtesy of Henry Ford.
22. Everything starts with a thought. Thoughts can become action, behaviour and beliefs. Change your thinking, change your life.
23. FAIL - the thing we fear yet I see FAIL as an F’ing Amazing Invaluable Lesson.
24. Curiosity is everything - it is the conversation starter, the shaker of limiting beliefs and the desire to know and learn.
25. The best way to learn is to teach.
26. Applied knowledge is a super power.
27. In order to speed up we need to slow down. Sprinting through our days inevitably leads to mistakes and missed opportunities. Slow down, be present, be fully attentive when you can.
28. Comparison is the thief of joy. There is no other YOU, focus on YOU instead.
29. Maya Angelou says: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Leave people feeling like turbo-charged versions of themselves once they have been with you.
30. Always trust your gut and your intuition - it has served me well for 50 years and is the source of truth for me.

I am now officially the BIG 50 so sharing my next 10 lessons and reflections, following my first post on this last week AND I am no fool to believe that all of these will resonate with all of you 😊 I do however hope that you are reminded of a few things and more importantly that you take some time to appreciate what’s significant for you, in your life right now.

Here they are:

11. Invest energy into what you can control and what you can influence.
12. Focus on what you DO have rather than on what you don’t have - this is the gateway to gratitude.
13. Water the flowers and not the weeds - where focus goes, energy flows.
14. Ditch the need to be right and adopt a more flexible mindset where different perspectives are encouraged.
15. We get to choose our words every day and the words we choose can make or break our interactions with others and in some instances elicit a less than conducive response. Choose carefully.
16. Two of the most powerful words are “let go”. Your frame of reference won’t always meet real world experience which can lead to frustration. Let go, surrender, swim with the current rather than against it.
17. Some of my greatest lessons have been learned from my dogs - the most loving and forgiving creatures on earth. Look to your dogs to learn more about loyalty, unconditional love, rest and fun.
18. Children have the most incredible lens on life - play like a child and try seeing the world through a child’s eyes from time to time.
19. True friendship is a rare gift that we should cherish and nourish.
20. When one door closes, almost always another opens.

Today is the start of my birthday week and it's a BIG one. I will be 50 fairly soon and there's nothing like turning half a century to make you take stock, reflect, think about lessons learned and consider how you would like the next 50 years to look.

In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing some of the most valuable lessons and reflections from my almost 50 years on earth. These will be in no particular order or priority. Some of these are lessons from others, some are epiphanies of my own, some are from pure raw past experiences and in some instances, trauma. Some are work related and some are for life in general. I am certain that not all of these will resonate with all of you, however my hope is that there will be one or two that come your way at just the right time to help you in this marathon of life.

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Here are the first 10 lessons and reflections I would like to share:

1. Be yourself - don't try to be what you think others expect you to be. Be unapologetically authentic.
2. Time truly does heal. Pain eases over time and of course you have to do some work along the way.
3. Really pay attention to your body. Tune in. Our bodies give us clues every day.
4. Compromise is actually not that big of an ask. Make small compromises daily - a little give and take goes a long way.
5. Greet people - it requires very little effort and energy on your part yet can make our world a better place, where connection is not lost.
6. A smile can really make someone's day - SMILE - Seeing Miracles In Life Everyday.
7. Be forgiving - you may never truly know what somebody is going through.
8. Show compassion and be kind - you could change the trajectory of someone's life.
9. On the other side of fear is courage AND courage is the control of fear and not the absence of fear.
10. A LIE is a limiting idea entertained (courtesy of Jim Kwik). The lies we tell ourselves are incredibly limiting. Let's start losing these.

I have been a little quiet of late on social media as these past few months have marked a number of transitions for me. As I navigate my way through these transitions I recognise that self-care becomes even more paramount. Sometimes self-care requires a shift in focus and a re-prioritisation of energy expenditure.

I'm sharing some of my key tips that have helped me work through a multitude of changes and I hope these can help you too.

Steptember 2024 challenge is done and dusted and I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all my donors 🙏 Your contribution to this very worthy cause makes a massive difference and I am beyond grateful for each and every generous and kind donation. Thank you!!

Hello friends and thank you so much to those of you have donated to my Steptember 2024 challenge!
To date I have completed 271, 818 steps. I am well on my way to completing my 300K steps for Cerebral Palsy.
There are only a few days left of this challenge and I would be so grateful for absolutely any amount donated in the final 5 days of Steptember 🙏 🚶‍♀️

https://lnkd.in/ghu4TsXZ

Hello friends,

I am about 3 weeks in to Steptember and to date I have completed 157, 526K steps 👟 🚶‍♀️ If you are still keen to donate to this worthy cause, there is still time and I would so appreciate any support 🤲
https://www.steptember.org.au/fundraisers/candicetomlinson/au-24

Hi friends,

As you know this month I'm participating in STEPtember 🚶✨💙 moving 10k steps a day to raise money for people with cerebral palsy - a cause that's close to my heart 💝

I'd love it if you could support me:
https://tapth.at/RJm06r90

So far, I have done 84, 860 steps 👊

Thank you so much!

This STEPtember, I've STEPped up for cerebral palsy. Please sponsor me this STEPtember as I move 10,000 steps per day, while fundraising to support babies, children and adults with cerebral palsy.

Hello September and Steptember!

I am raising money for people with cerebral palsy by committing to doing 10 000 steps, every day, for the entire month of September. 10 000+ steps have been completed already for 1 September 🚶‍♀️ My aim is to raise $500 by the end of this month.I would be so grateful for any donation to this very worthy cause and to help me achieve my fundraising goal.

Sending much love always 💞

This STEPtember, I've STEPped up for cerebral palsy. Please sponsor me this STEPtember as I move 10,000 steps per day, while fundraising to support babies, children and adults with cerebral palsy.