35 Lessons I learned before turning 35
You know when people turn a certain age and they’re like, “30 lessons I learned before 30” 🙄 What, now you have all these life lessons worth sharing?
And yet…
Don’t fear change. Depend on it.
You can be a 19 year old consultant (so long as nobody knows your age).
A truly supportive partner can absolutely elevate your life.
Affecting just one person positively during your time on earth is plenty of impact.
Money is a tool. So is patience, communication, and a helpful reputation.
Your younger self is always listening in on the self talk. Make it good.
If you’re intense, channel it responsibility and respectfully, but be intense.
Treat those with money and those without, those with status and those without, those with power and those without, exactly the same.
You are the best and worst of humanity at all times, but self improvement raises the curve.
Aim for better problems.
Embracing the way you work and finding what fits will save you time in the long run.
You earn the right to do what you love.
Make it a point to learn from everyone you meet. Showing up curious builds connection quickly.
Don’t worry about how long something will take if you want to do it. The time will pass anyway.
Act as if you’re more important than you are. It’s less of a mistake than the opposite.
Leave bad relationships faster. There is no reward for suffering.
Visit the aunts you love. Take pictures of their food. Make a cookbook.
You’ll find your voice the more you use it.
Love/God moves through you. That’s the life force and it moves inside outside in.
When you can’t shake a bad thought, put it in a box and throw it in the ocean to the earth’s core and let is disintegrate with hot lava and transform it into other thoughts. Let your imagination work for you.
Aim higher and be content with less. This ensures you’re never bored and always happy.
You can be tired and happy at the same time. This, generally, is what accomplishment feels like.
Encourage others. People need it more than you think.
Supporting small business is a statement.
Especially at the start of your business, do things that don’t scale.
Generosity is memorable.
Self-care is the best thing you can do for others.
If you’re late to a coffee date, you’re buying. Context doesn’t matter at all.
Don’t resist journaling, working out, gratitude lists — there’s a reason you hear them recommended so damn often.
Go to a new place every year. It’ll give you lots to talk about when you’re older.
If you want an interesting life, do interesting things. (thanks to Jessica Hagy for that one).
Learn to ask for what you want. I wish this was easier but practice makes perfect.
Nobody has the confidence to do something until they’ve already done it.
The belief that you can learn anything rather than do anything will drastically open doors.
Smile at yourself in the mirror. The stranger it feels, the more self-acceptance you need.
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This was originally distributed through my newsletter, Dailyinspire.co and can also be found on medium.
