Self-Improvement

56 Lessons I’ve Learned Before Hitting 30

My 56 Pieces of Personal Development Gold & Truth

I haven’t lived very long yet, but inching closer to decade number 3 is still a respectable amount of time. I’ve learned many lessons and acquired a modest amount of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding along my life journey from personal experiences, but mostly from observing the failures and successes of others.

Here are my 56 pieces of truth that I’m thankful to share with everyone today:

Lesson 1

Invest as early as possible, and never stop.

Lesson 2

If you can’t handle a credit card responsibly, wait until you’re ready to own one; doing this will save you plenty of financial trouble.

Lesson 3

Paying off debt is great, but make sure you invest while you pay off your debt. You can’t get time back.

Lesson 4

Consensual sex is a shared experience. It’s not something one person takes from one another.

Lesson 5

Leave dead-end relationships. Don’t wait around. It’s not productive for anyone.

Lesson 6

College is great, but it’s not necessary. It doesn’t make you more valuable than someone else. It doesn’t make you a better person. It doesn’t necessarily make you a smarter person. It doesn’t always make you more money than the non-college graduate.

Lesson 7

Everyone doesn’t need to accept you. Be extra comfortable with rejection.

Lesson 8

As soon as someone gossips to you about someone else, know they are probably doing the same or will do the same and gossip about you, too. Be careful not to divulge your secrets to gossipers.

Lesson 9

Always be your number one priority because that is who you have to live with daily.

Lesson 10

Holistic health includes emotional well-being, mental well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, sexual well-being, professional well-being, and financial well-being. If you neglect one, it will affect the others.

Lesson 11

Don’t wait to travel the world.

Lesson 12

You get paid according to your self-worth. How much do you currently value yourself?

Lesson 13

You don’t have to say “yes” to every opportunity, every event, every person, and everything else. Boundaries are challenging to implement later in life, but the sooner you implement them, the more profound and easy your life experience will be.

Lesson 14

If you don’t love your life, change it.

Lesson 15

It’s okay to think differently than everyone else. Be an outlier. Be the robot that has a glitch.

Most people follow the follower. However, if you want to be successful, you will increase your chances by doing what most people don’t do.

Lesson 16

Being healthy is a life-long journey. It takes consistent effort, and it’s not always easy.

Lesson 17

Avoid addictions to things, people, circumstances, and substances.

Lesson 18

Your confidence should be independent of your outer appearance, external influences, and other people.

Lesson 19

Learn and implement the art of letting go of your daily life.

Lesson 20

If you don’t understand investing or personal finance, educate yourself now so you won’t regret it later.

Lesson 21

Enjoy time with yourself. If you have a great relationship with yourself, you’ll experience great relationships with others.

Lesson 22

Give more than you receive from others.

Lesson 23

Be independent financially, mentally, and emotionally. There is nothing sweeter than the taste of independence.

Lesson 24

You don’t have to live in the same country, state, city, or home for the rest of your life.

Lesson 25

The new cars, the big houses, the name-brand clothes, and everything else that comes with money is nice but unnecessary, especially if you can’t afford it. Don’t be a fraud. At the end of the day, it’s just you. You don’t need to waste time and energy trying to impress people or live a life you’ve been taught to buy into. Think about what you really want, not what everyone else wants.

Lesson 26

Stretch, walk, eat raw veggies, and drink plenty of water daily.

Lesson 27

Write your goals down, review your goals daily, and consistently work on your goals.

Lesson 28

The best thing to do with a goal you have is to start and never stop. Modify your goals as needed, but keep going, and the magic will find you.

Lesson 29

Be with someone you can fart in front of and laugh with about stupid sh*t.

Lesson 30

Actively get to know yourself, and never stop discovering who you are.

Lesson 31

Read and consistently learn new things.

Lesson 32

Just because you are the same color as someone does not mean you can automatically identify or relate to their experiences.

Lesson 33

Racism exists because of ignorance.

When you witness racism, racial hostility, or hate crimes, remember this verse “[…] forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Though it may seem people are conscious of their actions, they are usually unenlightened; they are encapsulated in a fog of ignorance.

Lesson 34

Your likes will change, and sometimes there is nothing you can do about that except embrace acceptance.

Lesson 35

Find someone you can simultaneously evolve with. Because if only one person evolves in a relationship, it’s most likely not going to last. And if it does last, it will potentially be filled with unhappiness, discontentment, and unfulfillment.

Lesson 36

It feels so much better when you can say, “Yes, I can afford to buy the car I desire with CASH, but I choose not to.” than buying a car, you can’t afford. Be in control of your money and the materials you buy. And be mindful about large purchases on quickly-depreciating assets.

Lesson 37

Never have all of your money in one bank.

Lesson 38

If you didn’t learn about money growing up, this does not grant you an excuse to fail at personal finance in the present day. So take action and learn for yourself how to successfully manage your money and budget.

Lesson 39

You don’t have to get married, and if you do want to get married, it doesn’t have to be at a certain age.

Lesson 40

You don’t have to have or want kids.

Lesson 41

Most people aren’t ready to have kids because they have yet to deal with their own issues. Whatever issues you don’t deal with, your children will deal with. Many people take the responsibility of having kids lightly. It’s respectable for a person to say, “I’m not ready to have children because I’m still working on some internal issues.” than for someone to have children just because they want them or are running out of time on their “biological clock.”

Lesson 42

Learn from others who are more successful, more intelligent, and more distinguished than you. Don’t seek to learn all of your knowledge from your peers.

Lesson 43

There are two kinds of people in life: doers and talkers.

Lesson 44

All it takes to get started on a positive change is to start.

Lesson 45

Celebrities are regular people. Don’t be shocked or judgmental when they demonstrate human behavior.

Lesson 46

Your social media following should never equate to your self-worth.

Lesson 47

If you don’t want to attend a work event outside of working hours, don’t go. And never apologize, feel bad, or care what your colleagues may or may not think about you. Who gives a f*ck.

Lesson 48

If you continue to neglect someone or something pretty soon, it will matter.

Lesson 49

The less you desire, the more powerful you are.

Lesson 50

Relationships can make or break you. Choose your relationships wisely.

Lesson 51

Habits can make or break you. Choose your habits wisely.

Lesson 52

Listen to people’s actions, not their words.

Lesson 53

You attract other people like you. So if you want to attract healthier and more successful people into your life, it all starts with you.

Lesson 54

Codependence is destructive, limiting, and a time-waster.

Lesson 55

Journal, do therapy or have someone or something that can be your objective sounding board for the different seasons of your life.

Lesson 56

Your thoughts can free and elevate you or enslave and limit you. Choose your thoughts wisely.