26 life lessons from my 26th Birthday
1. Persistence is one of the key to success in life
2. Focus on building experiences and not just accumulating materialistic things
3. “4000 weeks” is what an average human being has. Thus, we have limited days and weeks. Let’s make the most of it!
4. Recharging, relaxing, and taking time off is very important
5. Accumulating money and power is what matters to people. While they are important to a certain extent, but how much will it matter for your happiness in the long term?
6. Devote your life to giving back to society in some way as that’s where true happiness lies
7. Continous Learning is very important for growth
8. Have relationships in life for different things. Don’t expect everything or most of the things from a single or few relationships
9. Believe in yourself - your values, ambitions, and who you stand for
10. Gratitude for what you have in life
11. Health health health! Health is very critical in life. Remember you are running a marathon and not a sprint
12. Find some causes you believe in and devote your time and energy to solving that cause and making a difference
13. Hard times are there to make you stronger in life
14. It’s not about the circumstances in life. It’s about how you look at those circumstances
15. Consistency is another key to success in life
16. Have a niche for yourself while maintaining some generalist skills as well
17. Be empathetic and understanding in every conversation. You don’t know what the other person is going through
18. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes but learn from them
19. If you’re not taking risks you’ll have regrets
20. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone
21. Life is more than just work. It’s about relationships, passions, health, hobbies and so many other things
22. Don’t forget to be happy and satisfied with the small things in life
23. If you can be anything, be kind to people :)
24. Incremental and small steps compounded over time makes a huge difference in life
25. If you don’t manage your time, someone else will manage it. Time is one of your biggest assets in life
26. We are always a work in progress :)
Lastly, If things don’t go your way, cut yourself some slack. Understand the importance of self compassion :).
-Rijul Arora
