Last Monday was my birthday. I turned 34! I am no longer in my early thirties nor am I in my late thirties. I am just 34 years old, I love reading, writing, travelling, eating, meeting with friends, cooking, exercising (that’s new), laughing, people with a sense of humour, people who don’t take themselves seriously (what’s the point?) and I cannot live without keeping my notebook of wisdom alive every day! To celebrate my birthday, I decided to write down 34 life-changing lessons I learned for 34 years!
34 life-changing lessons I learned for 34 years
1.Life is too short and time flies! This is not something I invented, but it’s so true! Don’t dwell on every stupid thing that happens to you, choose your battles carefully, don’t take yourself too seriously, laugh more often, eat delicious food, drink good coffee, explore the big world, enjoy every single moment of your life, because everything is temporary and never forget to say ”thank you” to everyone you meet in your life and to everything that happens to you!
2.Trust your gut feeling and listen to your intuition. That’s the kind of radar that indicates if you are on the right or on the wrong path. This is what a lot of people call ” a click” between two people. I always trusted my intuition and always made a room to listen to it. And it never disappointed me!
3.Be patient! Everything comes at the right moment.
4.Respect people! Don’t gossip! Don’t play political games at work or in your personal life! The ass you kick today, it’s very likely that you will have to kiss it tomorrow!
5.Exercise on a regular basis. This is the best investment of your time you can do. Exercising is good for your health, your body and your mind as well and it pays in the long run.
6.Read as much as you can! Don’t scroll your social media feed all the time. Go offline, embark on a reading challenge and immerse yourself in the magical world of books!
7.Learn to drive! It took me ages to learn to drive and still I have to learn and practice a lot! But this skill is essential nowadays and it can be crucial to find a job, to choose the place where you would live, even to help your family and friends if needed.
8.Always follow your dreams and don’t be influenced by what other people think about it. A lot of my friends and relatives don’t understand my urge to travel and explore the world and express loudly what they think, but I live my life for myself, not for others and don’t tell them what dreams to follow and what not to. So, keep calm and be DILLIGAF (an abbreviation of Do I look like I give a f****)
9.Education is the key to success! No matter what people say and what examples they give you, get that degree and continue educating yourself because well- educated people will always rule the fools.
10. If you get involved in a verbal conflict, don’t shout back the person who started first, neither continue the discussion. Sometimes people get emotional and say things they regret later on. Leave them to deal with themselves in peace!
11.Always take responsibility for what you say, what you do, what you screw up!
12.Everything comes at a price: you want to have a bikini body – be ready to sweat hard in the gym; you want to build up a career – be prepared to work overtime and have no personal life; you want to start a business – forget about stable income on a regular basis. It’s not about what you want to achieve, it’s all about the efforts you want to sacrifice in something.
13.Everybody is replaceable: friends can let you down, the company you care so much can get rid of you from one day to another. Just let it go and don’t take it personally!
14.Life is a boomerang: you get what you deserve!
15.You get what you ask for: you want to earn more money? Just ask for a pay raise!
16. Be generous and help people in need without expecting anything in return.
17.Anything and everything is possible: be prepared for the best and the worst!
18.One has to be able to do everything and to deal with all kind of situations: to cook, to drive a car, to put your finances in order, to fill in the tax declaration, to take care of somebody in need, to do shitty jobs, to travel alone, to do things on your own and so on and so on. Rely only on yourself!
19. Even the strongest person can collapse! Modern society puts so much pressure on us like staying young, being successful, getting rich, building up a tremendous career, the list is endless! But all these expectations could be a great source of frustration and exhaustion as well! So, do more of what makes you happy and don’t try to fit in people’s/ society’s/financial times’ expectations!
20.Not everybody will remain your friend forever! Learn to let people go! Even if that hearts like a hell!
21.Nobody belongs to you! If somebody wants to leave you, let him or her free!
22. Money can solve a lot of everyday issues, but cannot buy you peace of mind!
23.Peace of mind is the most important thing in the world!
24.Commitment is everything: commit to one person in your life, commit to your dream, commit to what’s important to you!
25. A bucket list can make your dreams come true faster!
26.Nobody can’t remain rude in front of a smiling face!
27.No matter what you undertake, make your research first! Good preparation is a key to success!
28. Having a sense of humour is a life-changing tool!
29. Stay true to yourself!
30.Believe in yourself! You are your biggest asset!
31. Everything becomes possible once you overcome your fears!
32. Don’t judge anybody. You never know what they endure at that moment! As says the Bible: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged”
33. Work is important, but you also have a life to live (you can quote me if you want):
34.Learn how to fail and still be OK with that! And last but not least, remember that you did not fail, you acquired valuable experience.