Don’t Die at 25!

Summary

The article encourages readers to avoid a monotonous life by embracing novelty, overcoming fears, traveling, and pursuing hobbies to truly live rather than merely exist.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses a belief that many individuals metaphorically "die" at age 25 by succumbing to the routine of the "rat race," delaying gratification to the point of forgetting the reasons for their initial pursuits. To counteract this, the author suggests actively seeking new experiences, such as facing fears like public speaking through organizations like Toastmasters International, embracing the value of travel to discover new cultures as exemplified by the TOMS shoe company's origin story, and engaging in hobbies like learning a new language or playing sports, which can also serve as networking opportunities. The article emphasizes the importance of creating memories and experiences while young, as these "memory dividends" enrich life and provide stories for the future.

Opinions

The author criticizes the mindset of delaying life's pleasures until retirement, advocating for a balance between planning for the future and enjoying the present.
Overcoming fears, such as public speaking and rejection, is seen as crucial for personal growth and success in interviews and daily interactions.
Travel is highlighted as a powerful means to experience novelty, suggesting that even domestic travel can lead to surprising cultural discoveries.
The author recommends learning a new language, even at a conversational level, to enhance travel experiences and communication, referencing a YouTube prank as an example of a missed opportunity due to language barriers.
Picking up a sport is encouraged not only for health benefits but also for the potential to meet new people and expand one's professional network.
The concept of "memory dividends" is introduced, implying that creating a wealth of experiences while young can provide lasting memories and stories to share in the future.

I am a firm believer that most people die at 25, and they are buried at 80. The zest for life ends once we join the so called ‘rat race’.

We get so caught up in our routine that we forget why we started working to begin with. We delay gratification to the point of no return. I hear it everyday at work – I can’t wait to retire in 20 years, so I can do X,Y, and Z – and this is a mindset I hate with a passion. I’m not asking you to begin spending recklessly with no thought of the future. Instead, I’m asking you to chase novelty in your life. After much thought, here are a few ways you can do that.

DO MORE, EXPERIENCE LIFE — Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

Overcoming Fears

We all have fears. My biggest fear for most of my life was public speaking. I still remember giving a speech my sophomore year of college and completely bombing it. The speech was so bad that I actually didn’t get a word out, and my teammate had to step in and say my part.

Following graduation, I knew had to make a change if I wanted to impress at interviews and land a job, so I joined this organization called Toastmasters International. Through this platform, I speak more confidently and coherently in not only my public presentations but also in my daily conversations.

Another fear that is worth overcoming is a fear of rejection. Rejection is a part of everyday life. Think about your journey on medium. You probably started with crickets, and then slowly but surely, you started to gain traction after having iterated on your approach.

This idea of failure and rejection comes up a lot in a field I’m very interested in, and that is investing. The best investors have had their accounts blow up on more than one occasion — the financial markets have a way of humbling you even after much due diligence — and yet they kept coming back.

Let your motto be “FAIL! FAIL! FAIL! FAIL! SUCCEED!”

Overcome your fears one story at a time! — Photo by Tim Trad on Unsplash

Travel

One of the optimal ways to experience novelty in your life is by traveling. And just so you know, you do not have to go abroad. This could be as simple as visiting a town you have never been to in your current state or country. I recently read about a Welsh community in Argentina, and that blew my mind. How cool is that? A completely foreign culture in a South American Country. You might very well be surprised by what you discover around your own corner. Time to explore!

But… If you do have the fortune of going abroad, I highly recommend you do so. The history, the sights, the foods, and the activities can only truly be experienced by visiting the country. I promise the experience will open your eyes and see that life has more to offer than you think. Want something more concrete? I’ll give you an example. Most of us, in some capacity, have heard of the company TOMS; It is a shoe company founded by Blake Mycoskie in May 2006 after he made a visit to Argentina. While he was there, Blake was sad to see two brothers having to share a pair of shoes just to attend school (shoes were a requirement) and decided to make a change. His business model was simple — create a more fashionable version of the alpargata, an Argentinian canvas shoe, and for every pair of shoes sold, the company would donate a pair to a family in need. Crazy to think how this whole business came about because of TRAVEL!

Some of the best things in life occur when you explore the unknown — Photo by Timo Stern on Unsplash

Hobbies

If traveling is something not within your reach right now, there are multiple other ways you can add novelty to your life. For instance, to prepare for eventual travel to a foreign land, you could learn a language. And you do not need to shoot for fluency. If you can speak at a conversational level, you are golden. Here is an example of what I am talking about. I recently watched a prank on Steven Schapiro’s YouTube Channel. Steven was essentially asking food delivery drivers to help him with a phone call he had to make, and for doing so, Steven would surprise the driver with $500. Well… everything was dandy till Steven encountered a Hispanic driver that barely spoke a word of English. The driver managed to scramble some words together and helped Steven with the call, but as soon as Steven offered the driver the $500, the driver left without saying another word — probably thought Steven was involved in Racketeering. Some conversational Spanish would have gone a long way in this case.

I also highly recommend picking up a sport. I personally picked up tennis because I had always wanted to play it after having watched the sport for years on end. Aside from getting a nice workout in, I was surprised by the people I met. They were all at the peak of their careers, so if anything, consider joining a sport for the networking opportunities. I also joined a kickball group to meet other people my age. Again, it is never comfortable meeting strangers, but I was fortunate to meet people I still talk to currently. One thing is guaranteed. No matter the outcome, stepping outside your comfort zone will do you a whole lot of good.

With Language Learning, Communication is priority 1, Fluency is priority 2 — Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

To conclude, I’ll leave you with this powerful concept called Memory Dividends. It is this idea of reliving experiences we have had through our memories, and given that our capacity to remember is stronger the younger we are, it makes sense to experience as much as we can sooner rather than later. I was contemplating this concept the other day, and I realized every story my grandmother tells me happened to her between the ages of 20 and 40 — that might very well be a coincidence, but I have a feeling it is not. Anyway… I hope you enjoyed reading and let me know if there is anything else you would add to the list!