10 Things I've Learned In My First 30 Years

Well, the big 3-0 is approaching and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I haven't aged that much. Here's a close up of my eye.
See, it's not that bad. Nothing a little lotion can't take care of. I feel I'm aging wonderfully.

Here is a list of some of the things I've learned in my first thirty years on this planet. I have not amassed riches or land nor have I invented the next cure for the next communicable disease. I'm really only an authority on my life and the things that have and have not worked for me.

1. Do not be afraid to try (and retry) new things. I've learned that, especially with food, sometimes something just doesn't taste right at that moment. I used to hate sauer kraut. Now, it's something I love, especially on a reuben. Trying new things not only helps you open your eyes to a whole new world, but could potentially change the way you see yourself.

2. Don't drink the water...That means don't use the ice and don't brush your teeth and anything else associated with tap water in another country. Trust me when I say, it's not worth running to the bathroom every 10 minutes because you wanted to enjoy an ice cold beverage and forgot to ask for "no ice" Plus, diarrhea has a way of ruining anybody's trip abroad.

3. Wipe good. Trust me, it'll come back to haunt you in the end. (ha ha, see what I did there with the pun...uhh...nevermind)

4. Excessive sarcasm can really be harmful to relationships. I've learned to tone it down over the years, but for a while, even amongst my closest friends, I was known as the "asshole". It's funny sometimes, but there is always a time and place for joking. Some people can't handle sarcasm. I should know, I've made people cry because of it.

5. Save money. It doesn't matter how much. $5 bucks a week, whatever. Just save it. You never know when you'll need it. There have been far too many times in my past where my car's broke down and I've had to borrow money to fix it. Had I put away just a little at a time, I wouldn't be in the mess I find myself in now.

6. Take care of your body. It's the only one you get. I wake up almost every morning feeling like I'm falling apart. I'm not even that bad off. I wish I would have started at an earlier age taking care of myself. I'm not saying be a gym rat or anything like that, but do you really need that last bowl of ice cream or bag of potato chips.

7. Anything worth having is gonna take work. This has taken me many years to learn, and I'm still learning it. Things may periodically fall magically out of the sky and into your laps, but seriously, how often does that really happen? Bust your butt to make your dreams come true. It helps to have something like faith to lean on for strength, but it's gonna take your own work to make it happen.

8. Don't mess up your credit. Pay your bills and pay them on time. And don't take on more than you can handle. I've had to learn this one the hard way. I'm constantly struggling to fix mistakes I've made financially as well as break some bad habits I have concerning my finances. Live within your means.

9. Be courteous. As I stated above, I wasn't always the nicest person. And it doesn't take a nice person to have manners. You'd be surprised how far a "thank you" and a "please" will go.

10. Don't hold grudges. I know it's tough. You want to hate that person that wronged you, but the more you dwell on it, the more power you're giving to that person. Power through it. This way, you can move on with your life. I'm not telling you to forget, just forgive. Get to a point where whatever wrong was done to you will now empower you to help someone else who may have had the same happen to them.

These are just some suggestions. As I wrote this, I started to think that this is probably the advice I would have given myself if I could have talked to an 18 year old me. Weird huh? One last thing... Each of us has a purpose, whether we know it or not. Once you have that figured out, run with it. It'll make life so much more fulfilling.