30 Lessons at 30
Are you reviewing your life at least once a year?
Not everyone deserves your kindness, but be kind regardless, so you don’t give up on your kindness.
Working hard doesn’t always pay off, but 0 effort guarantees 0 chance of success.
Trust your gut.
Reducing sugar and salt intake allows you to savor and appreciate food’s natural, original flavors more.
Most people only enjoy the declaration of their dreams, not the actual pursuit/process.
Stay consistent. Even learning 30 minutes per day will become 10950 minutes after a year.
Compound interests - apply both to financials and your learnings.
Exercise - focus on heart rate zones.
Procrastination stems from either of the 2 roots: 1) You don’t care enough. 2) You know you have the ability to finish it on time.
Being busy is a choice. If someone is “way too busy”, they probably suffer from 1) bad at prioritization, 2) bad at saying no, or 3) the ego that enjoys a busy, chaotic schedule because it gives them a sense of importance.
Ego is always the enemy. Humility is the way.
The more I learn, the more I don’t know.
Focus on what truly matters. Hours wasted on negative news are wasted forever. Those time and energy will not return.
Find your values, and then treat them as your north stars. It helps you to quickly navigate through the noises and downs (Appreciate Dare to Lead’s thorough guidance on finding them).
Burnout is a real deal.
A job is not your identity.
No one and nothing is ever irreplaceable.
Love at first sight can be real. But all relationships require effort and maintenance from all parties. Some people are meant to be. Some just aren’t.
Don’t overlook red flags.
Make it a constant effort/habit of not taking things personally. It’s a lifesaver.
Be yourself. But don’t be full of yourself. Think of how big the earth is, how even bigger the universe is, we become the tiniest dust within.
You can firmly believe in something and still be skeptical of it. Contradictory feelings are normal and okay, there’s no need to beat yourself up for not “choosing a side.” Since I was a kid, I constantly felt both happy and sad, angry and delighted, sorrowful and grateful, etc., contradicting emotions at the same time, and I hated myself for feeling both. As I grew older, I started to make peace with it and stopped treating emotion discretely. It’s a spectrum, and it’s normal to feel more than one thing at a time.
Build a system. Having goals and habits might work but having a system will provide a sustainable, long-term engine that makes your life easier and more efficient.
Don’t try to beat your inner demons (e.g., depression, anxiety). Make friends with them, care for them, co-live with them, and eventually outlive them.
Seek help. There’s no shame in it. It’s a strength.
Ambition shouldn’t be used to measure people. Wanting to be the president of the USA is ambitious. Wanting to be a stay-at-home father is ambitious. Everyone has it, and at the same time, no one really has it.
It’s totally okay if your priority, passion, identity, opinion, etc, change. You’re always changing, and you don’t actually know what your future self wants.
Get out of your comfort zone. It’s fking awesome.
It’s never too late to start something - learn a new skill, switch careers, etc. It’s also never too late to - leave a toxic relationship, stop the routine that no longer works, etc.
❤️