Dr. Rich's 40 for 40 Inspiration Series: 40 Life Lessons

Date: September 13, 2025

Time: 1:37 pm

Song: Grown Woman by Beyonce

Hi Friends!

It’s Dr. Rich. 

Welcome to my 40 for 40 Inspiration series!

I want to share with you 40 lessons God has taught me in 40 years. 

Biblically, the number 40 is often associated with periods of testing and times of preparation. It usually leads to new beginnings and the next phase of God’s plan for your life. 

There were 40 days of rain with Noah and the great flood. And afterward, there was a new beginning for the earth (Genesis 7:4). 

Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tempted by satan before he started his earthly ministry (Matthew 4:2). 

The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness, a period of testing that preceded their entry into the Promised Land.

Isaac and Esau were both married for the first time at the age of 40 (Genesis 25:20, Genesis 26:34).

And a woman is usually pregnant with a child/children for 40 weeks.

I will post a series of 12 videos on social media for a visual representation of some of the lessons. Biblically, the number 12 symbolizes completeness and perfection. 

For example, there were 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles, among other notable examples. 

I hope you enjoy the inspirational lessons and that they bring blessings to your life! 💕

Dr. Rich's 40 Life Lessons:

1. Write letters and prayers to God. Give God the first part of your day. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to do for the day. Journal and write down your prayers. Ask Him for guidance and direction and wisdom and help and strength. Ask God to lead you and order your steps.

2. Take care of yourself. Workout and eat healthy. Do things that feed your soul—practice self-care. 

3. Don’t ever give up. There are no shortcuts. You have to go through it and grow through it. Delay doesn’t mean no. Keep going even if it’s hard. Learn from your mistakes and keep going. When you are delayed, lean into God more. Don’t run from Him or distance yourself. Press into God more. Seek God more. Pray more. Ask Him to help you, strengthen you, and show you the way. Ask Him to give you wisdom and knowledge and discernment. Fast more. Read, study, and meditate on His word more. It will make you better and strengthen you. And then the wait won’t be so bad. 

4. Prioritize God in your life. Make Him #1 in your life: He is the only One you can truly trust and the One who truly loves you. He is the only One who will never leave or forsake you. So, cherish, honor, and obey Him as your healer, provider, and protector. God is your reward. He is your husband. So, give God your complete yes. He will never fail you. Everyone else and everything else can fail you, but God can’t. 

5. Be your authentic self. Be who God created you to be. Pray and ask God who you are. Ask Him to show you who you are and who He created you to be. And when He shows you, always be that person. When you are your authentic self, people feel more comfortable being around you and connect with you more deeply. Ask God to recalibrate your mind and to show you who He intended you to be when He first created you. Remember: your life is for the glory of God, not yourself. He has a special plan for you. He knew who He wanted you to be before He formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).

6. Let God heal you and refine your character. Allow God to reveal your emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental wounds and heal them, so that you can become whole as a person. We all have wounds and experiences in our lives that have caused us pain, trauma, and rejection. Sometimes we don’t know why certain things or people trigger us, but we must go to God and ask Him to reveal those things to us so that we can uncover the root of the problem and be healed from it. Allow God to help you discover the root of the matter and bring healing. Let God refine you and change your character; let God be a part of every aspect of your life and who you are. Allow Him into the secret parts of yourself and let Him change and transform you. Allow Him to reveal your faults and correct you, so that you can become a better person. Allow Him to improve your character and make you more like Christ. Let Him mold you and grow you into the best version of yourself. 

7. Have confidence in yourself. Know your worth. Know that you are valuable and that you are special, unique, and worthy of every good thing in this world. You are amazing and set apart because that’s who God created you to be.

8. Embrace Solitude: Being lonely can be scary at first and feel boring, but it’s necessary for your personal growth. In solitude, God speaks to you and refines you. Solitude has become one of my favorite things because in it, I have developed a deeper and more intimate relationship with God and found peace. In solitude, I have come to understand myself and who God created me to be. Solitude is sacred and amazing once you embrace it. It eliminates all the noise and distractions in your life. 

9.It’s okay to break down and cry. It’s okay to process your emotions. Allow God to guide you through them, and if you need to seek therapy, do so as well. 

10. Work as unto the Lord. I haven’t always done this, and it’s something I had to learn and grow in. I regret the mistakes I’ve made in my past, but I’m grateful that God has given me many opportunities to get it right. God has taught me the importance of working with an excellent spirit and how your gifts will make room for you when you develop them. You want to give your best in all you do. The Bible says work as if you’re working for God, so always work with an excellent spirit. When you excel at what you do, you will serve those in high places. So constantly give your best. 

11. Choose the right friends in your life: ask God to bring the right people into your life. Ask God to remove the wrong people. The Bible says Iron sharpens Iron, and some friends stick closer than a brother. The right people will help you be a better person. Let go of those who don’t. 

12. Educate yourself. Education is so important. You don’t always need to attend college or graduate school to get an education. But you want to learn and grow as a person. Read books that feed your mind and soul and make you better. Listen to informative podcasts and YouTube videos that build your mind, body, soul, and spirit. Find a mentor who can teach you the essential skills and knowledge you need for your career or business. 

13. Don’t be selfish: Be selfless. Die to yourself daily. As the Bible says, we have been crucified with Christ. We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. I used to be so selfish and self-centered, but God showed me a better way. I’m still a work in progress, but I am learning to set aside my selfish desires, ambitions, and comfort in life and prioritize God’s will for me, looking out for the needs of others. 

14. Be grateful. Have a heart of Thanksgiving. You want to constantly praise God even when it hurts because He is always good. He’s always working things out for our good, even when it doesn’t look like it or feel like it. So, have a praise party in your car, in your house, in your room, or wherever you are. Always give God total praise. 

15. Be humble. The Bible says humility comes before honor, and pride comes before a fall. Always be humble. When you take the low road and do the right thing even when it hurts, God will always work things out for you and fight on your behalf. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.  Be humble, meek, and teachable.

16. Respect everyone, even people you don’t like. Treat everyone how you want to be treated. Be kind to people. The Bible says, ‘Love everyone, even your enemies.’ This is not easy. But it’s something God commands us to do. I have found that when I love everyone, meaning that I treat them with kindness and respect, it brings more peace and love into my life. To love someone doesn’t mean you have to have a relationship with them. You can be cordial and kind and keep it moving. 

17. Listen more than you speak: The Bible says be slow to speak and quick to hear. As the young people say, ‘Say less.’ Sometimes we talk too soon or when we shouldn’t, and this can cause problems that we don’t need. I’ve found that it’s best to say less. 

18. Don’t be a people pleaser: People will hail you one day and nail you the next. The Bible says trusting in men will prove to be a snare, so focus on pleasing God. Pleasing God is all that matters.  

19. Always look good and smell good. When you dress nicely and smell good, you feel more confident and interact with people more effectively. I am more confident. It’s always nice to make a good impression when you first meet people and represent yourself well. 

20. Be a good steward of the things God blesses you with, whether that is money, people, opportunities, etc. Ask God to help you be a faithful steward of the things He has given you. Ask God for wisdom and discernment on how to steward these things well. This includes money. Be financially literate and ask God to show you how to multiply what’s in your hands and how to make money with what He’s given you. 

21. Keep the right people and friends around you. Spend time with people who are good for your soul and who uplift you. Enjoy the people in your life. It’s a blessing to have your family, friends, coworkers, and church members. 

22. Trust God even when you don’t understand. He is the only one who will never fail you. He will always be there for you and come through for you. Have faith and trust God even when it doesn’t make sense. He will never let you down. 

23. Pray without ceasing. Talk to God often. Vent to Him. Tell Him how you feel and give Him all your emotions. He is the only One who will never tell your secrets and what you share with Him. He is the only one who can truly give you a solution, too. Pray often: pray about every little thing. Ask God about everything, even down to what to wear and where to go for the day. 

24. There are no losses—just lessons learned. Everything you go through, learn from it. If it doesn’t go your way, ask God what He wants you to learn from it so that you won’t make the same mistake again. 

25. Pray and fast often. I have found that praying and fasting are the keys to a great Christian life. It teaches you to die to your flesh and deny yourself, and that in turn builds self-control and discipline in you. Having self-control and discipline is so important in life. Fasting and praying also allow God the opportunity to give you more insight and revelations about aspects of your life.

26. Set boundaries with people. Ask God to show you how to set the proper boundaries with people in your life. Ask Him to help you know when to say yes and when to say no. 

27. Read the Bible every day. The Bible has every answer to problems in your life. Spend time in it. Meditate on it. It is literally the best. 

28. Volunteer: go out and help someone else. Help the widows, orphans, and those in need. Build up treasure in heaven and not just on earth. Be generous: the Bible says that the generous will be blessed with abundance. It’s honestly better to give than receive. Have an abundant mindset and dedicate your time, money, and energy to the right people and things. Pray and ask God who to give to.

29. Be the first to apologize, even when you’re not wrong. I’m still learning this. But Learn to be the first to apologize. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. Make it right with everyone you need to make it right with. Life is too short to hold offenses and grudges. Once again, pray and ask God for help, strength, and courage. Ask God to reveal to you who you need to apologize to and who you need to forgive, and ask Him to give you the strength and courage to make it right. 

30. Show others grace. Be slow to judge others. You don’t know their whole story. You don’t know what they’ve been through or why they are the way they are, so show them grace and love.  

31. Always be kind. Don’t be rude: Love everyone because you don’t know what they are going through or what they’re healing from. Be kind and patient with people. 

32. Forgive yourself: We all make mistakes and do wrong. So, forgive yourself, repent if necessary, and apologize if needed, then move forward. 

33. Have faith, no matter what it looks like: Believe in the impossible. Trust God in all circumstances, even when it doesn’t make sense.

34. Have joy every day. Enjoy life. The Bible says rejoice in every day, for this is God’s will for your life.

35. Wake up early. I live by this. You accomplish more in a day and have quiet time with God, uninterrupted. 

36. Sacrifice now, party later. I’m big on doing the hard things first. Don’t procrastinate. Go ahead and get it over with. Then you will feel better, and you can enjoy life later because you made the sacrifice first. 

37. Set goals and achieve them. Become the best version of yourself.

38. Be wise. Ask God for wisdom. Ask God for wisdom and understanding. Ask Him for discernment.

39. Love your haters. Do good to those who persecute you. Love your enemies. Let God fight your battles for you. 

40. Speak the truth in love. Have effective communication with others. Speak with eloquence and grace. You don’t have to be mean or argue with people to get your point across. Ask God to help you communicate effectively and to know when to speak and when to be quiet.

Well, that’s all I have for now.

Until next time, happy reading!

XO,

Dr. Rich. 💋