25 things I learned at 25

ALSO: Who needs a purpose anyway?

In honor of turning 26 this past Sunday, I wanted to share a roundup of some valuable knowledge and insights I’ve learned over the past year of being 25. It's a bit scary to realize I'm now closer to 30 than 20, but I'm excited to keep growing and learning every step of the way. So without further ado…

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Here are the 25 things I learned at 25:

1. The best time to get a high yield savings account was yesterday.

2. The key to maintaining a clean house is having less stuff. (via The Minimal Mom)

3. Success is equal parts what you’re doing and what you’re not doing.

4. Nothing is more powerful than self-responsibility. Use everything around you as a reflection of what lessons can this teach me, what is there for me to gain, what is this showing me.

5. Life isn’t about finding the right answers, but instead asking the right questions.

6. Make accomplishing things as easy as possible. People often over-complicate things and get frustrated when they fail. Try not to. (via)

7. If you have countless ideas and don’t know where to start, explore all of them. Or as Jay Shetty said: "Open every door.” The wrong ones will naturally close, while the right ones will remain open.

8. The “good old days” are happening right now. You’re literally living in them.

9. Regret is mindless. Just because things could’ve been different doesn’t mean they would’ve been better.

10. “A lot of us are crazy critical of the way our parents raised us, perhaps we should be more critical of the way we raise ourselves.” (via Mel Robbins)

11. Wherever I’m at is a beautiful place to be.

12. Nobody thinks about you as much as you think about yourself.

13. “The person you marry is the person you fight with. The house you buy is the house you repair. The dream job you take is the job you stress over. Everything comes with an inherent sacrifice. Whatever makes us feel good will inevitably make us feel bad.” (via Mark Manson)

14. Talking openly about finances with your significant other is a game changer for your relationship.

15. “Read what you love until you love to read.” (via Naval Ravikant)

16. Wearing bright colors makes me happy.

17. You can’t attract a set of values that you yourself aren’t embracing.

18. Clean up while you cook. A simple hack is keeping a dedicated plastic bag for trash. Toss things into the bag as soon as you need to dispose of them, instead of leaving them lying around. When you’re done, simply tie up the bag and throw it away.

19. You are not responsible for how your parents choose to react to your decisions.

20. Always go to bed with an empty sink.

21. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” (via Michael Altshuler)

22. Self-care is not selfish. You need to fill your own cup before pouring into others.

23. Audiobooks count as reading; it’s just a different way to experience a book. How else do you think blind people enjoy literature?

24. Write from the heart. Your audience will come.

25. Who cares about finding a purpose? Do things that YOU love, find something that excites you to wake up to each day, try out new hobbies, do your best every day, cherish your loved ones, and HAVE FUN! Life is not that serious. You’re here to experience, rather than to accomplish. The world is full of joy—find it and keep chasing it.

Which lesson resonated with you the most?

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P.S. —

• Doing my best on the big ball.

• Here’s my go-to method for exploring other newsletters.

• And lastly, in case nobody tells you today — I’m proud of you ◡̈