Lesson 1 : Life isn't fair, but it's still good -- Lesson 2 : When in doubt, just take the next right step -- Lesson 3 : Life is too short to waste time hating anyone -- Lesson 4 : Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does -- Lesson 5 : Pay off your credit cards every month -- Lesson 6 : You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree -- Lesson 7 : Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone -- Lesson 8 : It's okay to get angry with God. He can take it -- Lesson 9 : The most important sex organ is the brain -- Lesson 10 : God never gives us more than we were designed to carry -- Lesson 11 : Make peace with your past so it doesn't screw up the present -- Lesson 12 : It's okay to let your children see you cry -- Lesson 13 : Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about -- Lesson 14 : If a relationship has to be kept secret, you shouldn't be in it -- Lesson 15 : Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks -- Lesson 16 : Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying -- Lesson 17 : You can get through anything life hands you if you stay put in the day you are in and don't jump ahead -- Lesson 18 : A writer is someone who writes. If you want to be a writer, write -- Lesson 19 : It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else -- Lesson 20 : When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer -- Lesson 21 : Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save anything for a special occasion. Today is special enough -- Lesson 22 : Overprepare, then go with the flow -- Lesson 23 : Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple -- Lesson 24 : Start saving 10 percent for retirement as soon as you get your first paycheck -- Lesson 25 : No one else is in charge of your happiness. You are the CEO of your joy -- Lesson 26 : Frame every so-called disaster with these words : "In five years, will this matter?" -- Lesson 27 : Always choose life -- Lesson 28 : Forgive everyone everything -- Lesson 29 : What other people think of you is none of your business -- Lesson 30 : The passage of time heals almost everything. Give time time -- Lesson 31 : No matter how good or how bad a situation is, it will change -- Lesson 32 : Your job won't take care of you when you are sick, but your friends will. Stay in touch with them -- Lesson 33 : Believe in miracles -- Lesson 34 : God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do -- Lesson 35 : Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger -- Lesson 36 : Growing old beats the alternative. Dying young looks good only in movies -- Lesson 37 : Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable -- Lesson 38 : Read the Psalms. No matter what your faith, they cover every human emotion -- Lesson 39 : Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting for you to discover -- Lesson 40 : If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else's, we'd fight to get back our own -- Lesson 41 : Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of now -- Lesson 42 : Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful -- Lesson 43 : All that truly matters in the end is that you loved -- Lesson 44 : Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you truly need -- Lesson 45 : The best is yet to come -- Lesson 46 : No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up for life -- Lesson 47 : Breathe. It calms the mind -- Lesson 48 : If you don't ask, you don't get -- Lesson 49 : Yield -- Lesson 50 : Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

"When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her... Brett now takes the 50 lessons and expounds on them in essays that are deeply personal."--From publisher description.