On my 21st anniversary of my 21st birthday, I wanted to share my list of things I have learned.
Disclaimer- This list is based upon my life experiences and if you agree or disagree, feel free to comment below.
1. At 21, you do not know sh*t about the world, I don’t care what you say or what school you attended. The fact remains that at age 21 you think you know it all, but you don’t know jack.
2. Getting married young and having our son at age 28 was the best thing we have done in our lives. I have nothing against you folks that have opted to have kids in your late 30′s and early 40′s, but honestly I would not have the patience to deal with a baby or toddler at my age.
3. Job Jumping is great. Moving from company to company and various locations around the US has provided great insights on people.
4. Living in the moment is the only way to live. Some people spend their lives worrying about what happens next. Who cares? If it happens great, if not, all that worry was simply a waste of emotional energy and paid you no dividends.
5. College education does NOT equal social interaction skills. I have met people from every Ivy League college and some with high school educations and the difference is not where you went to school, but how you can connect and communicate with people. If you can’t connect and keep relationships- you fail.
6. Family and Friends matter- Staying in touch with friends takes time and effort- invest the time, it will pay off in karmic dividends.
7. Get a dog or cat- People who have never had a pet are missing out on some serious unconditional love.
8. Deliver on your commitments- If you sign up for something, do it. If you can’t do it, don’t sign up for it. People hate flakes regardless of the excuse.
9. It is never about the destination, it is all about the journey there.
10. Catching up with old friends via Social Media is great.
11. Rabbits are great pets.
12. Every company is f*cked up. The biggest question you have to ask yourself is “What level of f*cked up can I deal with?”
13. Stay involved in your kids lives, regardless of how uncool they think you are.
14. Parenting is not a spectator sport. If you just drop your kids off at school and expect the school system to raise them, be prepared for a child that is not prepared for life.
15. Toxic relationships should be ended.
16. Negative people suck.
17. The game you thought you were playing, not only has it changed but so have the players. Get over it and move forward
18. Some things are truly better left unsaid. I don’t know at which point everyone adopted this “I can say what I want when I want” attitude, but frankly it’s not true. Use your filter when you speak and value other people’s opinions and experiences.
19. Banks suck- I know this from 20 years of experience working inside of them- Trust me, they are just as evil as they appear to be.
20. Donating to charity should not be done for the accolades or recognition- EVER
21. People love lists
