30 Things I’ve Learned in 30 Years

Yesterday I celebrated my 30th Birthday and while it was not the original Thailand celebration we had planned, Lake Como was not too shabby.   As mentioned last week I will be spending the next two weeks in Italy to celebrate both my birthday and Mark’s.  The last few days have given me a chance to think and reflect about what I have learned in the last three decades.  And as much as I love material things the things I am most proud of the relationships I built, the hard decisions I have made, and  how I carry myself,. And none of those can be properly captured in a picture so you get a photo of me above, being genuinely happy. 

I shared a bit of my birthday musings on Instagram but I wanted to share a bit more here.  And while I originally started writing this post defining each of the 30 items below I decided to erase them as they are quite self explanatory.  In my mind, pack more punch that way and if any of them don’t make sense, feel free to sound off in the comments and I’ll be happy to add more color! Without further ado, the 30 things: 

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1. There is no perfect timeline in life.
2. If you dress up, it is more likely you’ll feel good.
3. Board games are fun no matter how old you are.
4. Age does not matter, you can be a boss at any age you want.
5. Let your success be your noise.
6. Traveling should be required for all humans.
7. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
8. Spending quality time with family and friends is the best use of your time.
9. It is okay to change your plans.
10. If it feels morally wrong, it probably is.
11. Do not take anything less than you deserve.
12. Go ahead and ask for more, the worst that can happen is someone says no. 
13. Experiences matter more than things.
14. It is okay to agree to disagree. 
15. Always follow up.
16. There is more than one right way to do most things.
17. Do whatever you want, but do it well.
18. Always write back, call back, or text back.
19. Punctual hand written thank you notes will get your far.
20. Read everything.
21. Find loopholes in the system.
22. Be nice to everyone.
23. Take photos but do not forget to actually experience the moment. 
24. Sometimes things do taste better than being skinny feels.
25. You can learn a lot more about someone by watching what they do rather than listening to what they say.
26. Work as hard as you can at the job that you have.
27. Sometimes a glass of wine, a good  cry, and a bubble bath can fix the problem.
28. Keep in touch with people.
29. Complement strangers.
30. Give back in whatever way you can; time, money, or skills. 

And at the end of the day – fundamentally  we are all the same. Everyone is trying to make money and find love and be happy. And I’m looking forward to starting this new decade building on the last and finding ways to improve just a little bit every day.