30 things I’ve learned in 30 years.

I turned 30 last month. Not only that, but I’m now a father to two children meaning that, at some point, I’ll need to pass on what some might call ‘wisdom’. Here’s 30 things I’ll be telling them based on my experience:

1. Don’t be the first person to leave a gathering. Don’t be the last.
2. Try not to burn your bridges, you never know when you might need to return to them. But if you do decide it’s necessary, make it spectacular with proper fireworks.
3. In the long run, people will always spot substance over style.
4. Alternate alcoholic drinks and soft drinks for an enjoyable night and productive morning after. Do the same when drinking coffee to avoid dehydration.
5. Find what you like, including brands. Narrowing down your options in any given situation saves time and frustration.
6. Ask. People can only say no, and are usually polite about it.
7. Focus on routines and rituals. Nail these and you’re sorted.
8. Women really do like all of that romantic stuff.
9. Practice eloquence. People like listening to those who can put difficult concepts in layman’s terms.
10. At the end of it all, the only person who stops you doing something is yourself. Confidence is a preference.
11. Most people care less than you think about almost everything that you deem important. Avoid echo chambers.
12. Don’t let your school years define you.
13. Nobody knows what goes on inside your head until you say it or write it down.
14. 90% of ‘success’ (as other people define it) is being in the right place at the right time, the other 10% is extremely hard work.
15. Just as your tastebuds are renewed every 7 years, so you are not the same person throughout your lifetime. Don’t be beholden to people who would tell you otherwise. Be ruthless in separating friends from acquaintances.
16. Exercise more than you think you need to. When you’re young you think your body will be in peak condition forever. It won’t be.
17. Make your first experience or attempt at something the best it can be. It will usually affect how you conceptualise that thing or person from then on.
18. Don’t believe what someone tells you because of their personality or good looks.
19. Never trust people who smoke or gamble regularly.
20. Endeavour to be the least knowledgeable person in the room at any given time.
21. Learn another language (including music). It’s not only a means of expression but a different way of thinking.
22. Find somewhere that is completely quiet and you can be undisturbed. Visit it often.
23. Defer to authority, but only if it doesn’t mean compromising your principles.
24. Develop a firm handshake and look people in the eye when you meet them.
25. Seek out liminal spaces. Although sometimes times of turmoil (moving jobs, waiting for confirmation of results, etc.) they encourage both reflection and future planning.
26. Try and explain complex things to very old and/or very young people as often as you can. It’s a valuable process for both parties.
27. Money is important but only in the way that it flows (both in society, and at family/individual level).
28. You are a collection of interactions and experiences. Ensure that the collection is the best it can be.
29. Let other people boast about you and big you up (but don’t believe everything you see/read/hear)
30. Read inspirational things often, especially quotations and proverbs. Dwell upon them.

Image CC BY-NC 96dpi