20 Things Before 20

I’m turning 20 next month, so inspired by several blogs of a similar nature, here’s 20 things I learned before 20 in no particular order.

1. Travel far and often. Visit international friends in their home countries. Live in big cities. This is how you create luck.
2. Capture, find a creative outlet. And stick to it, it’s a muscle.
3. Keep a hobby that keeps you in shape and lets you lean into your competitiveness.
4. You will make mistakes and wrong people. And sometimes the damage is irreparable. Don’t dwell and try to get everyone to like you.
5. Date passionately. Such intimate relationships teach you not only a lot about what you’re looking for in a lifelong partner but also about yourself. If you’re being true to yourself and your feelings, you will grow from each relationship.
6. Find role models but, instead of idolizing or putting them on a pedestal, scrutinize them and hold them to the highest standard. No one really knows what they’re doing. Some are just better at hiding the bad parts and showing the good parts.
7. Go to live music events and concerts. Find what type of music puts you in specific moods and use that to your advantage.
8. Trust people more than you think you should; be spontaneous.
9. Invest in your appearance and find your style.
10. Low maintenance friendships are the ones that will last.
11. Learn a different language and embrace its culture. Better yet, travel to and live in the country for a period of time.
12. Visit home as often as possible - spend time with your grandparents. Ask them questions about when they were your age.
13. Money buys happiness if you know how to spend it well.
14. You are what you eat so invest in high quality foods. But you are also what you read, hear, and watch. Develop your own system of consuming social media and stick to it. It’s important to keep up to date with trends so that you’re fun to be around but be sure not to fall victim to doomscrolling too much.
15. Learn how to do good deep work. This will set you up to be a lifelong learner.
16. Choose a career path not based on what the best days will feel like but based on if you can still enjoy the worst days.
17. Work a customer facing job at least once.
18. Host people, be proactive, and ask people that you care about to spend time together. Share your interests with them. Relationships are a two-way street and people love to feel valued.
19. Sleep can only be put off for so long until it catches up to you. Your energy and attention are limited - be intentional about how you spend it.
20. Give, don’t take.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk :)