30 Important lessons I learnt before turning 30

I remember turning 21 and worrying about getting older. Was I actually scared of being 30 or was it just the societal norm telling me I should cling on to my youth? I don’t know.

As I ventured through my twenties, though, I started to really enjoy ‘growing up’ and learning more about life and myself. Life is just a really difficult video game full of endless possibilities, missions, and levels (but with a weird twist because the first levels are the hardest), what’s not to like?

At some point I decided to start noting down some of the lessons I learnt that helped me progress through the different levels…

30 Things I learnt before turning 30

1. Stop obsessing about what other people think, no one cares — they’re too busy thinking about their own stuff.
2. It’s not about being the best, being the best is easy. It’s about being the most consistent, that shit is hard.
3. Start looking after your skin as early as you can, and wear sunscreen on your face — you won’t regret it.
4. Drinking more water solves most trivial health problems.
5. Make quick decisions and learn from them instead of spending ages trying to make the perfect decision.
6. Follow through even if it feels like it will take years, the time will pass anyway.
7. Don’t drink coffee before an important meeting or presentation, drink chamomile tea instead.
8. Making friends as an adult is hard. You need to show vulnerability to build relationships, and as we get older we get better at hiding it.
9. Exercise, a balanced diet, and learning how to breathe properly will prevent/ ease most physical and mental health problems.
10. You can be both a good listener and also come across authoritative and have a presence in the room.
11. The people around you are a huge factor to your success, actively try and change who you hang out with if you want to change. Secret tip: reading books and biographies of people counts too.
12. Become an expert at managing your own money as young as possible —focus on building wealth, not getting rich.
13. Get into a habit of writing things down: ideas, thoughts, realisations. Our brain is doing so much interesting work all the time, if you don’t pause and take it in, it forgets a lot of the good stuff.
14. Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. Walk everywhere.
15. Don’t save problems for future you, washing up... saving money.. future you will always have bigger problems to deal with.
16. Think twice before you buy clothes/stuff and have a plan for old stuff i.e sell, give away. Otherwise, it all just piles up. Create a one in — one out system.
17. You want to be more intelligent? First be open to unlearning everything you ever thought was the truth.
18. Reading is underrated. Reading can instantly put you in front of the most intelligent minds in the world. Make reading your most time-consuming habit.
19. ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’.
20. Overwhelm is a choice.
    Overwhelm is a choice.
    Overwhelm is a choice.
21. Life is extremely and unimaginably fragile. And when you realise this, you will be freer than ever.
22. If something makes you angry or fearful the best thing you can do in response is to learn and understand. Nothing has made me more comfortable about living in this world than learning about it. And there is an unlimited amount to learn.
23. When in doubt - plan it out.
24. Everyone should have a mentor/ therapist/ coach. In business, in life — or both. Why is it still taboo to talk to someone? Talking about something is one of the best ways to understand a situation or solve a problem, it externalises it. Writing about it is the second.
25. Most things are never as urgent or as binary as they seem. There is always another option.
26. New behaviours, habits, skills, and even ideas come from putting in consistent work, not one glorious life-changing event. The quicker you realise this and learn patience the quicker you will get to where you want to be.
27. Maintaining calm and composure in any situation is one of the most useful leadership traits.
28. If you’re ever consumed with too many feelings and you don’t know what to do, just focus on the next one thing... just stand up, just get in the shower, just make some tea.
29. Everyone sees the same world through a different lens. If you want someone to understand your view, you first need to understand theirs.
30. Things that are never a waste of money: experiences, books/ learning, and investing in your health.