Champagne with breakfast while I'm yawning, you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning
Today's the day! I turn 30 on the 30th of March, so I figured it was the best time to reflect on the past three decades of life and list out what I would turn around and tell my younger self. Or, if any of you are so inclined, what you can learn from my years of experiences, mistakes, and victories. So, here is the 30 things I've learn in 30 years.
30. Become obsessed with your goals.
Dream them, write them down, tell others about them, ferociously go after them, because (one of my favourite quotes) if you don't achieve them, someone else will hire you to make their goals a reality.
29. You can never be too organized.
I once used to be embarrassed of my list-making and to-do-ing, but I now wear this with a badge of pride, because in countless stressful situations, my organization has saved my life!
28. Stop caring what other’s think.
When I used to care about others' opinions of me, I created an over-the-top online persona (who are the OG blog readers who remember this?!). Now, I'm just an Endoxist, going against your expectations of me.
27. Drink. Lots. Of. Water.
I used to roll my eyes at this type of advice, but the benefits of being hydrated are so immense and so vital to existence, I can't believe how few of us actually regularly drink water.
26. Never underestimate the power of the internet.
The internet gave us YouTube for entertainment, gave us Twitter for the news, gave us Facebook to connect with each other, gave us Instagram to show off (lol), gave us Google to answer all our questions, and it also gave me a job.
25. Respect others’ differences.
Not agreeing with someone's differing point of view doesn't mean what they're saying is accurate or that you agree with it. It simply means you don't, and respecting that will ensure you tons of stressless days.
24. Speak with caution, especially when angry.
My dad once told me that the words we speak are like toothpaste. Very easy to squeeze out, and almost impossible to put back. So be careful what you say, even more so when speaking from an emotional place.
23. Don’t be so picky about what job you have.
When I graduated university with my Communications degree, I took a temporary job in Finance, which then took me to Business Immigration, which then landed me Oil & Gas. Lesson? Your current job doesn't define your future.
22. Your passion doesn't have to be your job.
If you don't feed your passion, you will go crazy! But chasing your passion doesn't mean you have to be paid for it or make it a job. It should be something you do regardless of the monetary goals. And if you're lucky to be paid for something you're passionate about, hold on to that like no tomorrow!
21. Your childhood matters, but don’t let it control your adulthood.
Hold onto your beautiful memories, work through the painful ones, and let go of the hurt. Do not define your adult life based on what happened decades ago, and don't let it dictate your actions.
20. Be nice to your siblings and love your family.
Above anyone else, your siblings will always be that; your siblings. You didn't pick them and they didn't pick you - you were randomly selected to be joined together so love them unconditionally.
19. Parents are humans, too.
As a teenager, I often wondered why my parents sometimes were hypocritical or didn't make sense to me. Now I realize that it's also because they're humans, they also were only parents once, and they're just figuring life out like everyone else.
18. Be happy with nothing.
Money is great, but its a manmade construct of power and wealth, and no matter how hard it is to come, it can go quickly. Learn to find happiness in having nothing, and money won't control your life.
17. Be on time.
My German girlfriend instilled this in me on one of our first dates - her sour mood ensured that I would never be late again. The importance of being respectful to others' time should never be taken lightly.
16. Be present.
As much as I love photography, filmography, writing, blogging, and sharing thing on social media, I don't take lightly the importance of being present in important moments and connecting with others outside of the digital space.
15. Don’t underestimate your health.
All the money and success in the world don't mean sh*t if you're sick and don't take proper care of yourself. Start young! See earlier point on drinking water! Get rest! Exercise.
14. Never underestimate the important of second chances.
Especially when it comes to your siblings (see earlier point), don't even forget that sometimes, you probably are requesting a second chance from someone. So be generous with giving them to others.
13. Don't overestimate your expectations of others.
Similarly, don't expect others to have the same motives, motivations, or empathy as you. Give those second chances, offer help and compliments, and don't expect anything in return. This will also give you lots of stressless days.
12. There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish.
Don't feel like doing something? Don't do it. Be a little selfish sometimes - its good for your psychology. We too often shame ourselves for doing something just for us, but its necessary once in a while.
11. Invest In yourself.
Take care of yourself! Your body, your mind, your soul. Learn a new skill, invest in your happiness, take a deep interest in your psyche. Go rock-climbing, take a photography class, go speed-dating. This is all an investment into yourself.
10. Celebrate your achievements.
Back to the earlier point of being selfish, we never want to come across as boastful or conceited by celebrating our own personal victories, but be an Endoxist and go on with your damn self! You got a degree? Celebrate! Your survived till Friday? Celebrate!
9. Never stop making others feel loved.
One of my personal favourites; I think its so vital to make sure the people you love know that you love them. That doesn't mean with gifts or gestures, just tell them! Tell them often, show them when you can.
8. Forgive others.
Further to my point about the importance of second changes, this one is pretty simple. Holding a grudge only bears a weight on you - let it go, forgive others, and move the f on.
7. Forgive yourself.
We are our own biggest critic! We beat ourselves up about how we look, how we act, what we did or didn't do (or, at least I do), and sometimes we actually make mistakes. Learn from it and forgive yourself.
6. Splurge on yourself and buy Gucci.
I might have done this a bit too much in my early 20s, but going now into my 30s, I am a proponent of splurging once in a while, and why Gucci? Who would have thought the Gucci had I bought when I was 2007 would be so poppin' now?
5. Stop and listen. To others, and to yourself.
I'm a very chatty person, and over the years, I've forced myself to stop and listen to others and to myself. Its so wonderful what one can learn from just listening and understanding.
4. Make plans, and then take action.
I just wrote a post about this, (check it here), but this is an important one: take time to plan stuff, and then make sure you have time to take the action. Both are necessary for success, neither is more important then the other.
3. No one is thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are.
Reality check: people are very self obsessed and don't really care about that one thing you said that one time. Stop stressing about and thinking about how others are perceiving you and just life your life.
2. Don’t let your inability at something stop you being successful.
Not good at math? Hire an accountant. Don't know how to paint? Take a class. Want to travel? Save money. Don't let anything be an excuse, because seriously anything is possible in today's world.
1. Life is nothing without having someone to share it with.
My number one biggest lesson that I learnt in my life so far is that all of this would be nothing if I didn't have Monika to talk, dream, plan, cry, laugh and celebrate with. Go and find your person! They make life complete.
So I'm off to celebrate my day with my friends and family and I hope you enjoyed all of my life lessons. Do you have any you can share with me? I would love to hear them!
