30 Things About Life, Love, And Letting Go I Hope You Learn By 30
- Life is beautiful — even with all of the messy bits.
- There are plenty of things in life that you cannot control — but there are also plenty of things that you can, too. Focus on what you can control.
- Even when life hurls things your way that you have no control over, you still are in control of how you respond to those things.
- You cannot control other people — please don’t try to go down that road.
- There is always a lesson to be learned — sometimes it’s staring you right in the face, and sometimes it’s subtle — but it is still there.
- Everyone can teach you something — even if it’s what not to do.
- Kindness is not a character flaw — it doesn’t make you naive, or innocent, or some other negative adjective that others will drum up to pull you down. Ignore the voices who tell you otherwise.
- Vulnerability is a strength and a superpower.
- Ask questions before you make assumptions.
- Ask questions, always.
- Remember, there is no mold, no checkbox, no singular word for all that is you.
- Remember, you are not your job — what you do is merely a piece of the mosaic that is you.
- Trying to save money doesn’t make you “cheap”; it makes you wise. It makes you someone who plans.
- Resist the urge to put a timeline on your journey. Any phrase that starts with, “by this age, I should have done [fill in the blank] is inherently problematic.
- Take inventory of your life periodically. Who are you surrounding yourself with? What are you doing with your free time? What media, and art, and nourishment are you consuming? The answers to these questions can often dictate your days and the feelings in your heart.
- Create a space for people to say, “I don’t know” with ease.
- Be the person who says, “I don’t know,” with ease.
- You don’t have to bury the negative emotions that arise within you to have a positive outlook.
- You can hold space for sadness and joy within your being, and anger, and happiness, and love, and so much more. Emotions are not an either/or situation. They can coexist.
- You can make all of the plans that you want, but sometimes, they will fall through, and change, and take you elsewhere.
- Changing plans is ok. Changing your dreams is ok. Changing your opinion is ok — wouldn’t it be sad if you spent your entire life never changing?
- It’s ok to let go of the people who do not love you back.
- You deserve to be loved back.
- You are worthy of love, too.
- Just because your best friend is getting married doesn’t mean that you should be, too.
- Just because your best friend has a child doesn’t mean that you should be a parent.
- You have to move in a way that is best for you.
- Love is a precious gift — treat it as such.
- Lasting relationships, the kind of marriages and partnerships that we write about, and make movies about, and write songs about, are real. But they take work, too. They always have — it’s just that you want to put in the work when you find your forever human. It’s work that is worth doing.
- Lead with love.
Previously published by Thought Catalog at https://thoughtcatalog.com
