28 Lessons I Have learnt before turning 28

I wrote the first draft of this for my 27th birthday but I procastinated for the whole year and added another lesson to it😄

But, 28 feels like a lot and it is too. It's like you are still in the middle of a quarter life crisis and nearing your 30's which is definitely being an adult no matter how young at heart you feel within.

So, in no particular order here are few of my learnings I keep coming back to all the time:

1. Start taking extreme accountability towards whatever happens in your life, it doesn't happen to you it happens for you.
2. Meet as many people as possible, get out of your cocoon of introversy. Learn to have a small talk with anyone about anything, most people love taking about themselves, sports, weather, locations, news etc.
3. Working out and moving your body is essential, be it hardcore gym or just a walk, just move
4. Cold showers and hot steam bath just make you more resilient to adversity, try them out and stick if it suits you even if it is for a couple of minutes
5. Internet is the land of opportunities, find your tribe and go deep in what excites you. Stay curious
6. Plan your routine to the hour, schedule fun time, spontaneity and free time too.
7. Stop chasing materialistic things and start chasing experiences instead. Most of our growth is internal through external.
8. Celebrate your small wins, time moves fast, it's mostly about the journey not the destination
9. Befriend nature, take out the time for a walk in the park or just to be around a lake or anything that's isn't artificial, clears up your mind and makes you grounded. (Please-avoid those earphones for once)
10. Be extremely careful around the people you spend your time around, the saying is very true that you are the average of the 5 people you hang around with, they are literally your future
11. Give mind altering substances a try but be mindful to know your limits, there's a reason they are harmful and sometimes illegal, find it for yourself
12. Treat your body and health as your first priority or it will eventually make sure it is.
13. Your mind is the only thing that you can control, you can't control others, you can't control the weather, or any thing external. We suffer more in imagination than reality
14. Try to read and gain knowledge about what are you curious about everyday and write it down to retain it, even better-hit that share button
15. Channel your curiosity about the thing that makes you money, get rich and then become a philosopher
16. Express yourself more, the only regret is not saying what you could've
17. Owing a piece of a business is the only thing that can give you exponential returns, invest in or start one immediately, even a side hustle works just launch anything that cater's to even a single person (airbnb started like that)
18. Put yourself in places you don't belong, everything you learn will eventually help you in someway- learn that language, that instrument, that sport or that skill because somewhere down the line it will help(my bet)
19. Don't take yourself so seriously, forgive and forget.
    life is too short to not have fun, you are going to die!
20. Use the power of asking, ask for a 10% discount, complimentary fries etc. worst they can say is no.
21. Be comfortable getting rejections, it will open you up. Set a rejection goal rather than a success goal
22. The best way to learn is to teach, this you have to try this one to understand completely
23. Failure is the best teacher but most of it is only psychological unless you die. Embrace it as it eventually would be a story to tell
24. Start creating and limit consuming, putting yourself out there is one of the hardest problem everyone faces which has exponential returns(trying to crack this one right now)
25. Copying from one is stealing but copying from many is creating something original, nothing is original, steal like an artist
26. Start using AI to get efficient in your field, like it or not it is here to stay and will take up most of the jobs as advocated.
27. Before investing in the market, Invest in yourself as much as possible, plus build that habit to invest with as little as you can
28. Execute fast, the coming age is for the idea person who knows how to connect the dots and bring a idea to life, i.e the person who is curious about the random-est things (yes you are at the right place)
29. BONUS: Write the book you want to read, play the music you want to listen, build the product you want to use, draw the art you want to see.

So, Tell me which learning resonated the most with you and subscribe if you haven't

Arnav "still young" MJ