With the big Tw0-Five rapidly approaching I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the wisdom I've garnered during my first quarter of a century on this planet.
1. Failure is less scary than stagnancy. Always try to achieve more and be better. If you fail you'll still have learned something about yourself. If you don't even try you'll never know what you are capable of.
2. If you measure wealth only in money you will never be rich.
3. Everything is transient. Both the joy of the relationship and the pain when it ends will pass eventually. And that is ok. Feel every emotion with intensity and experience everything fully while you're in that moment. You might not get a chance again.
4. "I just don't have time for a relationship right now" is a bare-faced lie. They don't want to be with you and are trying to spare your feelings. Do not wait around for them to be ready. They don't want you.
5. Sunscreen is important. Get a non-oily one for your face.
6. Get fit. You are so lucky to have the ability to be active. It is unacceptable not to be the fittest that you can be. Many people less fortunate than you would kill for the opportunity.
7. Eat to nourish your body - not to quieten your mind. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're not hungry any more.
8. Work out what you really need to be happy and remember that everything else is extraneous. I could quite happily get by with a toothbrush, a few bikinis, a good book, a surfboard and a plane ticket. To quote Tyler Durden in Fight Club - "Eventually your possessions start owning you." That is what you want to avoid.
9. Floss your teeth. Or at least the ones that you plan on keeping.
10. Do yoga.
11. Drink a lot of water. Much more than you think you need to.
12. Don't wait for a relationship to become what you want it to be. If you want him to be more thoughtful or more spontaneous then be with someone who is more thoughtful and spontaneous. If you're not happy now but you think you will be in the future then you are wasting everybody's time and setting yourself up for disappointment. Move on.
13. Almost every single human interaction can be broken down into: 1. Trying to look good in front of other people and 2. Trying to avoid looking bad in front of other people.
14. The relationship you have with yourself is the only one that will last for your entire life. Make sure that that's the one you're nurturing. Be your own best friend and stand the fuck up for yourself.
15. Don't confuse kindness for weakness. Don't take advantage of those who are being kind to you.
16. If you want people to want to spend time with you then you need to become the type of person that people want to be around. Smile, be happy and make sure that people who leave your company are happy that they have spent time with you.
17. Before getting stressed and anxious about things ask yourself if it will matter in 5 years. If the answer is no then it probably doesn't really matter now either.
18. Travel. Get on a plane. Meet people. Experience new cultures. See the world. If you find yourself in a situation at home that seems completely overwhelming. Take a step back, book a flight and get some perspective. It's amazing what a change of scenery will do.
19. Unrequited love is going to remain unrequited. Your life is not "One Day". As the song goes, "I can't make you love me if you don't. You can't make your heart feel something that it won't." We're not in charge of our feelings. We can't help who we're attracted to and who we're not. Remember that you deserve to be with someone who wants to be with you.
20. Insecurity is really unattractive. Nobody wants to spend their time constantly reassuring another person. Get some fucking self-respect and fake it til you make it.
21. Never do anything out of obligation. The only person you are obligated to assist is yourself. Don't do something you don't want to do and know you're not going to enjoy because you feel like you should. It's okay to be selfish sometimes.
22. Have sex with whoever you want to have sex with. Have sex with 1,000 people if you want to and it makes you feel good. It is your life. Always have sex like it is the last time you ever will. Some day it will be.
23. Don't have sex with anyone that you don't want to have sex with. Only have sex with people who really want to have sex with you.
24. "The only thing standing between where you are now and where you want to be are the excuses you keep making about why you can't get there." Suck it up, Princess. Get up, put your feet on the floor and fucking try.
25. Take care of the planet. Recycle. Use solar power. Buy reusable bags. Don't litter. Support Greenpeace. Little things make a difference. You can make a big one.
