35 Things I’ve Learned in 35 Years
Life is what we make of it and how we see it…
Yeahh! It’s my birthday. It’s been 35 years of life with experiences that can be described using different adjectives. To you, the number 35 may be very old or quite young. Which ever side you belong, let’s look at 35 things I have learned in my 35 years of living in this beautiful planet with other humans.
Family & Friendship
- Family is your backbone: The family we are born into is one of life choices we cannot make. Your family is the only people that will remain when you get in trouble or when sh** hits the fan. When everyone leaves, family stays by you at your lowest point. Many have been stung by their biological family but finding a family (non-biological) to fall back to is worth having.
- Walk away if you are being hurt. As much as family and friendship is beautiful, don’t let anyone make you feel worthless.
- Know your real friends. Real friends are those who cared for you when you had nothing to offer. No matter how far away you are, keep in touch with friends that respect you. Give back to them whenever you can.
- If you have kids, lead by example. It’s not enough to dish out rules at home. Leading the type of life you want for your children will build the character of your next generation. If you are a SEAL dad or mom, your children will learn and apply a life of discipline. See this wonderful piece by Sean Kernan here https://medium.com/mind-cafe/four-habits-of-discipline-my-seal-dad-taught-me-7ed9b13987df
- Appreciate your better half. Love everyday like today is the last day you would see your loved ones. Find a kind soul as a spouse and live the rest of your time with him or her in peace.
Kindness
6. Show kindness like you are spreading confetti. Never expect anything in return.
7. When giving away your time and resources, put no boundaries to who receives it. Kindness will always come back to you when you least expect it.
8. You can never please everyone. No matter how good you are to people, some will find a way to call you a devil. If you lay down on the floor for them to step on, some will still complain that you are not properly laid. Do the much you can and develop a deaf ear to the ungrateful ones.
9. Be careful how you treat people on your way up because you may meet them on your way down or when the ladder is broken.
10. Not everyone is going to like you. That’s fine. But do not treat others with the same unkindness you have received.
Mindset
11. Be careful what you feed your mind. Your mind feeds through your eyes and ears. The data that flows through these two channels will control your mind.
12. Speaking softly to oneself, makes one lazy and fuels procrastination.
13. In Nigerian pidgin, “I get am before no be property” meaning what is gone is gone. Start today to rebuild and spend less time wishing. Wishing does not bring back what is lost.
14. Do your best today to build the future you want. If you’ve lost your job or finances, there are thousand-and-one different other career paths under the face of the sun.
15. Age is just a number. Never think you are too young to build up your great idea or too old to start over again and build a great future. Death knows not if we are young nor old. Being alive today is our best gift to try again.
Career
16. Find a good mentor to guide you through your career. Going through your career journey alone leads to unnecessary rollercoasters and missed opportunities.
17. The first day you start your new job is the day you start preparing for your next role or job. Keep up with new technologies in the world or your field and find ways to apply them in your business or career. Sharpen your skills and be better than you were yesterday. This way, you will never be caught unawares.
18. The job or business you do today should not define the way you treat people. You may be a boss today and become an employee to your today’s intern in the next few years.
19. Whatever you do, never rely on one source of income.
20. Do not lose your mind and soul in a blood-sucking job. You always have another option if you look beyond the present situation.
Education
21. Learning is a life-long art. We are never too old or young to learn. Never stop learning.
22. Education is much more than certificates and titles. Becoming a well rounded person with a trained mind is the goal. Don’t be too busy to read or listen to books, you travel to much more places and get into the mind of great people through books.
23. Having a PhD in one area of life doesn’t make me a master in another area of life. Always reinvent yourself. Don’t be a dinosaur. Learn to sale.
24. Knowing and agreeing that I don’t know everything keeps my mind young and willing to keep learning.
25. Continuous learning is a way to keep the brain healthy and sharp. Try to learn from everyone that crosses your path. Either learn to pick up the good from them or learn to avoid the evil in them.
Time, Health and Money
26. Better to have $100 in a $10 bag than to have $10 in a $100 bag.
27. In your quest to make money, don’t lose yourself and don’t neglect your health. Only a healthy mind and body enjoys wealth. Losing oneself is worse than death.
28. Set out a special month every year to live on only raw fruit and vegetable juices for straight 30 days. You will be shocked at how great your body will rejuvenate.
29. The future is now. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. As much as possible, don’t spend your tomorrow’s income today. Learn to invest.
30. Don’t let your present financial condition ruin your mind. Wealth has wings. If your storage is full today, tomorrow it may become empty.
People and Happiness
31. People are inherently good, their environment tend to change them to be evil or good.
32. While working so hard to take care of people around you, take the time to care for yourself. Get a massage. Treat and celebrate yourself more often if you can.
33. Never put the keys to your happiness in anyone’s pocket. Happiness is personal. Only you has the power to be or not be happy.
34. Expect little from people, that way you will not be disappointed at any point (my secret to be being contented).
35. Accept people for who they are. Be color and religious blind. This makes you see everyone first as human before anything else.
If you are patient to have read to number 35, I wish you happiness and fulfilment in life.
If you’ve found yourself in the deep trenches of life, please take the time to appreciate the breathe in your lungs and fight to be happy again.
If you’ve lost your job pre or during covid19, don’t lose hope. Look inwards, you will find that spark in you that you can leverage to bring in some income. Here’s my 10-part series for becoming a freelancer <https://www.mindsetnuggets.com/series/>. You may find one that works for you.
If you’ve lost a loved one, find space and time to thoroughly mourn them. Cry and clear your head and then move on. Definitely seek for mental health help if the burden is too heavy to bear.
Thanks so much for reading and being part of my 35th birthday!!
Let me know the major lessons life has taught you in the comment below.
Leave some claps to help tweak the algorithm and reach more people. Let’s celebrate. You can find me on here on Twitter and LinkedIn.
