35 life lessons you should start doing right now

Growing up is a part of life but there may be some things you never learned, you didn’t know were a thing or your parents didn’t teach you. Whatever the reason may be. You should start incorporating these 35 life lessons into your everyday life.

I could have broken this up into multiple posts, but I think you should read it all together. It may seem like 35 is a lot but really it’s not when you slowly add a few to your life every few months or year.

Start implementing them into your life so you are not playing the “what if ” game when you are in your thirties. Let’s jump right into discussing the things you should start doing right now. Let’s create new habits.

Stop comparing yourself to others

With the popular social media sites, you can’t help but see all the things influencers are posting they bought, received as a gift, or got because of sponsorship. However, comparing yourself to other people is not a good thing to do. You may be comparing your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 50. You can’t always believe what people post.

I know you have watched those YouTube videos “I faked a trip to Hawaii”. Those videos are perfect examples of why you can’t believe everything you see.

Ditch being materialistic

You do not need things to be a good person. You don’t need the latest gadgets, clothes or cars. Especially if you are just getting them to show off to others. That seems a little shady. Look around I am sure you can see plenty of people going into debt over the latest trends that seem to be the new trend now.

Remove yourself from toxic situations

If something feels off to you, most likely it is. Remove yourself from toxic friendships, jobs, and even families. If the people around you are making you feel less than or stupid for wanting more out of your life. Ditch them. I know it won’t be easy, but for your mental health and sanity do it as fast as you can. Your environment may be affecting your mental health.

Enjoy time by yourself

Find peace and calmness within yourself as you hang out by yourself. No one to answer to, no reason to put a bra on (unless you are leaving the house). You can do things at your own pace, not compromising. You learn a lot about yourself when you spend a little alone with your thoughts.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone

Staying in your comfort zone is going to limit what you can do as a person. You need personal growth and the only way to get that is to do things you have never done. Start small and work your way up to big and better things. You will find who you truly are by taking that first step.

Move your body

Exercise. Move your body somehow. It doesn’t have to be hard, drenched in sweat workouts, but going for a walk exploring your city or local state park. Move your body. Spending too much time being sedentary can lead to osteoporosis. As well as increasing your chances of dementia, depression, and anxiety. 20 minutes outside in nature can  significantly lower your stress hormone levels

Go after your dreams

If you dream of working for yourself, being your own boss with your own company. Start working towards that dream as soon as possible. A dream is just a thought. A thought written down is a goal. When you elaborate on that goal, it becomes a plan. A plan becomes a lifestyle to make it happen.

Even if you don’t start now, just know you can always start later, because it is never too late to start living the life you deserve. Believe in yourself. and don’t take no for an answer when you start going after your dreams!

Keep a journal

Journaling can help you sort through internal things you are going through. When thinking about them doesn’t even help, but somehow putting it pen to paper lets emotions and thoughts you didn’t know you were thinking out. It is a great place to write that plan for your dream.

It’s great to look back at the beginning process of everything you do because you are venting in your journal, you are gloating about your wins. It can really help you from having your soul exhausted.

Do daily brain dumps

Sometimes we just have too much to do and not enough brain power or memory to remember it. Doing a brain dump or a stream of consciousness writing can really help get everything out of your head and onto paper so you can tackle one thing at a time.

Stop beating yourself up

When you have an off day and don’t do anything, be it working out, cleaning the house, or going to work. Don’t feel bad and talk down to yourself for having an off day. Take that day to recharge your soul. You may just be mentally or emotionally exhausted.

Find real friends

Take a look around. Are you the odd man out? The last person to know about plans? The friends you have may not be your real friends. Talk to them about how you are feeling and if it doesn’t change ditch the dead weight and find some real friends. It may be time to find some new friends. Try BumbleBFF.

Start saving money now

Get on a budget. Do right by yourself for the future. It may be nice to have instant gratification, but what is going to happen when you are 35 living paycheck to paycheck? Start researching now the things you were never taught about money. Make a plan for yourself.

Explore personal growth

When you start seeing the things around you just not vibe with you anymore, it’s time to start a self-improvement journey. Growing as a person really lets you focus and hone in on what you want for your life and what kind of person you want to be. Work on everything in your life being harmonious for the most part. It’s life, you get curve balls thrown at you once in a while.

Embrace your weirdness

If you are weird, awkward, and say random things at random times. Embrace it. You are the reason most of us are kept on our toes. Some people may not appreciate you, but as I always say “your vibe attracts your tribe”. Weirdness always finds other weirdness. Embrace it and be you ALWAYS! If you are spending time alone at this moment in your journey. Please make sure you know the difference between lonely and alone.

Be mindful of what you post on social media

It might be fun to post everything on social media, but sometimes it can come and bite you in the ass later on in life. You have seen it before you were doing something fun and someone took an unflattering photo of you or took an inappropriate picture of you. Don’t do it to other people. Popsugar has a good article about this. Check it out if you are interested.

Speak up for yourself

This doesn’t mean defying authority, there is a time and a place to speak up for yourself. If you know you are in the right about something stand up for it. If people are telling you that you are a doormat or you see someone you love taking advantage of you… say something.

Get comfortable saying no

This goes well with the previous life lesson. Speak up for yourself and say no if you do not want to do something. If someone gets mad at you for saying no and then tries to guilt-trip you into doing it. They are selfish people.

This also goes with saying yes. If you got too comfortable and are constantly saying no you may want to change your tune. Sometimes saying yes to certain situations can bring you an abundance of other opportunities.

Learn from your mistakes

It is okay to make mistakes. It’s what you do after that defines you. Learn from your mistakes and make better decisions in the future. Figure out the lesson you need to learn and move on. Your mistakes do not define you.

Read more books

I know damn well you are not reading as many books as you want. Make time for it. Even if it is just a chapter a day. That’s more than you are doing now. Nobody ever got in trouble by curling up on the couch in some comfy jammies and a blankie reading a book. Get lost in a really good book and just relax.

Halfway through our 35 life lessons

Accept criticism with openness and grace

Not everyone will agree with how you do things personally and professionally. It is great to learn how to listen to someone critique you and not take it personally. Jumping off the rail does not good for you or the other person. Really listen to what they are saying and think of how it could benefit you if you tweak what they are saying.

Become more adventurous

Live a little. Take a mini adventure around your city. It doesn’t mean draining your bank account and traveling the world. If you can do it, by all means, do what you want. Not all “adventures” have to be expensive or out of your state/country. Again it is all about getting out of your comfort zone start small. If you are from the Tampa Bay Area or Pasco County specifically check out these fun, cheap, or free things you can do.

Talk positively about yourself

We all end up talking badly about ourselves because we never think we are good enough. That is simply not the case. We deserve the best in life, but it’s up to us to make that happen. Boost your self-esteem to start thinking highly of yourself. Daily affirmations to boost your confidence.

Create daily routines for the morning/ evening

This is a must to streamline your days. You wake up in the morning and have a routine down. The same with nightly routines. Having that routine down could save you many mornings or evenings running late. But they also help you relax since you will be doing the same things every day. I have my Sunday Reset Routine and I have been incorporating a Monthly Reset! All this does is prepare you for the art of getting shit done.

Get a skincare routine

Not taking care of your skin is going to make you look older than you really are. You don’t have to create a 12-step skincare routine but take preventive measures. Make sure you hydrate and moisturize.

Know your worth

Do not let anyone, I mean anyone make you feel like you are not worthy. Anyone who makes you feel less than is just projecting what they feel onto you and misery loves company. I have said plenty of times you are worth a lot and deserve a life you love.

Declutter your house every 6 months or so

We are all guilty of being impulse buyers. Buying products we think we are going to use. In reality, we used it once and never touch it again. Get rid of the stuff you are not using and haven’t touched in 6 months or longer. A clean house means a clean mind. Having a cluttered house never makes you want Clean when you don’t feel like it.

Try new foods

Your taste buds change every 5 to 7 years. It can take up to 6 months for them to change. You may find that you end up liking foods you didn’t like before and vis-a-versa. Go back and try some vegetables you didn’t like. I know I know nobody WANTS to eat vegetables, but they add so much flavor to any dish you make. You can eat them raw, cooked, or grilled.

Example- I grew up loving bananas. I loved everything about them. Plain, on peanut butter sandwiches, banana splits. Didn’t matter I ate them. About 3 years ago I noticed I started hating the taste of bananas. I can’t stand the texture, the flavor, nothing about them. All because my taste buds changed.

Learn something new whenever you can

Always learn new things to expand upon what you know. Learning new trades could bring new job opportunities. If you don’t want to learn in a professional way… learn new things that could result in being your new hobby. You can improve yourself daily for free. Learn for yourself because you are interested. The internet is an amazing place with a lot of free information. You could teach yourself a lot of new skills.

Know your personal values & morals

Know the difference between right and wrong. Don’t compromise yourself and your beliefs for others. If you know clearly what you do and what you wouldn’t do. You will know when people are trying to manipulate you and change who you are. Don’t be afraid of people not liking you because you live your life by how you value people and situations. Let your morals lead you to what is right and what is wrong.

Last 5 life lessons

Be grateful for what you do have

As I said previously not to be materialistic. Learn how to be grateful for the things you have versus what you don’t. If you are constantly comparing yourself to others for what they have you will live a life of jealousy which could potentially lead you down a path of compromising your values and morals. Living that life of jealousy and constant comparison will be the reason why you think less of yourself.

Be present when with others

When you find your tribe, please respect them and their time. Be present when in a group setting. Put your phone away and soak up all the memories you are making with them. Years from now you will not remember what the latest meme on Twitter was or what the popular TikTok sound was, but you will remember the amazing time you had with the people right in front of your face.

Question everything

This goes along with learning something new. Always ask questions, and learn how the world works, and what makes people tick. Anything you have a question about… ask it. It is never a stupid question. The only stupid question is the one that was never asked. Never stop being curious.

Cook healthier options of your favorite foods

We know the world is full of processed foods and a lot of them are not good for you. Learn how to make healthier versions of your favorite foods. So you can still enjoy them, but not be worried about what all those additives are doing to the inside of your body.

One thing that could help you with this is starting your own Family Recipe Book. I just started putting it together because I want to be able to pass this down to my kids.

Get on a sleep schedule

Not getting enough sleep for long periods of time can affect your brain function. You make feel “fine” but your response time is lowered. Slowing down your response reflects may cause serious injury. Get enough sleep at night. Go to bed at roughly the same time every night and get up 8 hours later. If that means you miss out on some “fun nights” you may have to give them up. Not getting enough sleep can affect your mental health. Take care of yourself.

Find hobbies that you love

Last, but not least. this is number 35 on our list. Find hobbies that you love. Something that can just get your mind off of everyday shit. Go see what you can find at the thrift store for a DIY project. Be creative and just have fun with whatever makes you happy. Let your inner Picasso or Van Gogh shine!

35 life lessons

You don’t have to do any of these, but I think if you started incorporating some of them in your life. You may start to think differently about yourself. A little boost of confidence in yourself doesn’t sound so bad. Does it?

These are just a suggestion to take them however you want to. Whatever you ultimately decide to do is up to you, All I hope for is for you to strive to be a better person than you were yesterday.

Do you have anything you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments below what would be on your list.