25 Things I’ve Learned In 25 Years
Today is my last day as a 25 year old. Goodbye to my joked-about-but-actually-serious quarter-life-crisis age!
For anyone who is older, let me allow you to reminisce on how it was to be a 25 year old…
For anyone who is slowly approaching this age, let me allow you to have some clear insight of what may come about in your near future…
25 is quite an interesting age — an age where things still don’t quite click in your head of; who you really are, what your true passions are and what the heck you’re supposed to do with your life!
This is true for most people, but if you’re that 1% who actually know what you’re doing and created really cool things, then this doesn’t apply to you.
For the other 99% of us who are confused on our direction, I believe it is the tipping age.
It’s the age where you get to really find out who you really are as long as you keep a curious mindset.
You get to find out what you want to tolerate and what you no longer will allow to be part of your life.
You learn to respect yourself immensely.
You learn that you have a voice and that you should use it.
You also learn that you still know nothing at all…
As today is the day I get to say goodbye to this age and say hello to a new chapter of my life, I wanted to share with you guys 25 things I’ve learned along the way.
I have always been someone who questioned life, questioned my purpose, questioned what anything really means. I also had unfortunate events happen, good things happen, had lessons that were hard to learn and events that were out of my control.
Basically, I’ve had life happen to me.
Life throws curve balls at you and you have to be ready.
One thing that always echoes in my head is what my mom has always told me, which is; ‘you have to be tougher than life.’ You can’t be scared of life, it has to be scared of you. With anything that I do, I have always taken action with those words in mind, and have always strive to be stronger, tougher and fearless each day.
Here are 25 Things I’ve Learned In 25 Years:
1. Nobody owes you anything; not your parents, not your siblings, not your friends – you have to fight for what you want and what you believe in and go out there and give it all you got. You never want to look back and regret life due to laziness or because you spent too much time blaming your circumstance on others.
2. Not everyone has your best intentions and that is okay. Be strong enough to walk away from things and people who no longer serve you well without burning any bridges.
3. Be yourself. This is so important. There is only one you and do not ever apologize for being you. When you become your truest self is when you start to enjoy your life.
4. Be accepting of others. Be thoughtful and kind to others’ feelings and words — you don’t know their story and you don’t know what they are dealing with. Being kind will cost you nothing.
5. It is better to give than to receive. Help others without expecting anything in return because our souls naturally thrive on giving. You will see how amazing giving back is and how much more positive you become.
6. Smile. There is so many things and reasons to be happy. Don’t let situations bring you down and always change your perspective because life is truly too short to fret over the little things. Time will pass either way.
7. Be there for people. You may not always have the right words to say but your presence sometimes is enough and all that is needed.
8. Don’t keep your thoughts and ideas to yourself, share it with the world. You never know who is in desperate need of what you have to say and give back to this world.
9. Success is different for everyone. Your path and someone else’s path is completely different. Don’t worry about what age you start something, just start. Enjoy the process and don’t forget to be nice to people who are helping you along the way.
10. Forgive. Don’t hold grudges. It’s not good for your soul and everyone has a different story, don’t judge it too much and move on.
11. To have a friend, you have to be a friend. Make an effort to be there for your friends, which sometimes means doing things you really don’t want to do.
12. Moments, smiles, memories, hugs, laughter, love…. all free and all you really need to feel true happiness.
13. Follow your passion. One thing I’ve learned as a finance major is that the biggest risks reap the biggest results, so take that risk, you never know what awaits at the end of your fear. Just go for it and never look back.
14. Not everyone is going to like you, you can’t please everyone, and you don’t need to. Know who you are and be confident that you are enough.
15. Talk to yourself nicely every day. Self-pep talk is so important to improve your mood. Tell yourself every day that you are a badass and that you can handle anything.
16. Happiness isn’t coming, it’s here now in the present moment. Live each day mindfully and learn to love each moment. Stop looking at your phone and talk to your parents more often, appreciate your siblings and always give your full attention to the person you are talking to. You never know what you miss out on by living in auto mode.
17. You can get addicted to almost anything in life. Things, people, drugs, food, hate, bad habits.
18. Spending time in a different culture changes your perspective about your life, opens your heart and allows you to feel so small in this big planet. Go out there and see how the rest of the world lives and know that any of your problems are so minor.
19. Be grateful – it’s the key of life. Thank the universe every single day for everything it has given you and consistently have a grateful heart for all your gifts.
20. When your 5-year plan doesn’t work, don’t see it as a failure, see it as a path that was not meant for you. Trust that the universe has your back and better things are coming your way.
21. The best way to change the world is to change yourself. Take care of you every single day. Do something to grow your mind and reinvent yourself every day because only when you are at your best self is when you can give back.
22. Don’t be average. Thrive onto what you are meant to do. On your deathbed, you will not remember your failures as they were your learning curves, but you will remember all your contributions to this world.
23. You are the creator of your own life. No one can sing your song, no one can write what you write, and no one can be who you are. No one else can think or feel or experience this life for you so experience it to the fullest. Don’t get stuck in your negative feelings and unleash your inner child.
24. Don’t let others write your story and don’t let society tell you who to be. Define your own version of what this life should be like for your own self.
25. Last and foremost, YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST. Your childhood matters, but learn from it and don’t let it control your adulthood. Things that happened in your past are out of your control and do not define how your future will be. You get a chance to write your own life and experience it exactly how you want to. So, write your story well and let go of the past.
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That is all! As I am getting older, I am starting to realize I am becoming more of who I was as a kid — fearless, “daredevil” (meaning of my name), confident and genuinely, happy because life has many reasons for all of us to be happy, you just have to notice the little things and be grateful for it. 🙂
Until next time,
Ozzy
READ MORE“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
Joshue J. Marine
Life is Short and Unpredictable — Eat the Dessert First!
Not sure about you, but dessert is always my favorite part of my meal. I always look forward to it the most at holiday parties. This could potentially be because of my sweet tooth…
Growing up, we were always taught to eat your meal first, then you can have your dessert.
You know… follow the rules, and do the “right” kind of thing….
This brings to mind the saying; ‘Life’s too short, eat the desert first.’
I want to take a moment to digest (metaphorically 🙂 ) that saying and to fully understand what that could mean for us.
I fully believe some of the most cliché sayings have the most truth to them. When we take a mindful moment to realize that the people who were here before us left their footprint with these quotes, you realize how significant words truly are and what it could mean for our happiness. Because… (here’s another one) life really is too short to be anything but happy.
So, here we go, lets dive deep in, and see what “Life’s Too Short, Eat The Dessert First” means.
To me, the quote means, stop following the rational “rules” of the mind and instead follow your heart.
To be able to do the things you love, you must follow your heart, and most often, the path won’t look perfectly in order, but trust me, it’ll be well worth it.
I say eat the dessert first because life never goes in perfect order, and if you want to do something, then you must stop saying:
Someday, I will travel,
Someday, I will lose the weight and become healthy,
Someday, I will get my life organized,
Someday, I will start that dream business…
If you want anything out of your life, you must go at it full force and stop waiting for the perfect moment.
Always, remind yourself perfection does not exist in this lifetime. I know it’s hard to digest that if you are a perfectionist (as I was in the past) — trust me, I totally get you. It feels good to have things organized and not messy. But, you know what else feels good? In the midst of the mess, looking back and knowing you went for it, grew so much, took risks and lived a life with no regrets.
If you want to go after something you’ve always dreamed of, you have to stop thinking it’ll come to you at a different time in place. You can enjoy what you want most right now, in this moment as long as you go after it.
Here Are the 3 Different Ways You Can ‘Eat the Dessert First’:
1) The Right Moment Doesn’t Exist
There is beauty in the imperfect and chaos of everyday life.
Once you see that, and once you embrace it, the second part of your life begins….
You do not need to wait until the right moment comes around because in reality no one is guaranteed this life. You were gifted this life, but death is our reality, as we know it. Since that is all we know in this age, why wait to start your dream life in a different moment in time, and instead, why not create the reality you most desire?
I say have the courage to bring forth what is within you and share your treasures with the world right in this moment. If you have to take a step forward, know that nothing is holding you back, but yourself. You don’t need the right house, the right degree or body to accomplish whatever you are trying to accomplish. You just need to decide and then double down on your goals and go after it full force like a warrior.
2) Perfection Is Overrated
Trying to achieve perfection is a dead end road.
Perfection, in its definition, is flawless.
In reality, perfection is the only impossible thing as we know it on this planet, that I believe is unachievable.
What is perfect, in my opinion, is this life. Life has so much to give to us, and there is so many beautiful things that surround us every single day. All we have to do is take a moment to notice it and fully appreciate it.
To me, this Earth is imperfectly perfect. There is so much beauty in it without it being perfect. In a billion years, this Earth won’t even be around. If you’re reading this right now, that probably doesn’t mean much to you, but if you think about it, it’s very special we get to experience it right now, whereas, there will be a time when people no longer can enjoy this Earth.
In another point, nothing about this life is normal, everything is extraordinary — so, I stay step up, and create a life that is up to the extraordinary standard, whilst learning to find peace in each moment.
Ozzy Balkanli
There is tremendous amounts of beauty in taking action and taking small steps into your goals. I have learned that it is better to make mistakes and learn then to be too timid to start.
More often than not, chasing perfection puts you at a bad place because it is unachievable. All that is achievable is being a better person than you were yesterday and the only day that is ‘perfect’ to do that is today.
So, live each day as a beautiful mess that it is.
3) Your Journey Is Your Own
One of my favorite songs is “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. I know it’s overplayed and there’s a good chance many people don’t like it after the show, “The Hills”, but, give it another listen, and this time, really listen to the lyrics.
It tells you to live life to the fullest and to live your best life creating it EXACTLY the way you want to.
I love how she says: “Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you.” and “No one else can speak the words on your lips.” Both of those are incredibly meaningful and true. Simple and powerful.
This is your life to live. We are all born as individuals and I realize that that could be part of the big plan of the Universe. It’s to learn that your journey is for you to discover and learn from. Don’t ever apologize for living your life exactly the way that you want to live it.
If you want to have the best part happen now (aka ‘eat the dessert now’), then just GO DO WHATEVER SETS YOUR HEART ON FIRE RIGHT NOW. Go for it! Don’t wait because I would not want you to waste a single moment in our imperfectly, perfect world.
Don’t reach for perfection rather reach for progress and always follow your heart.
I hope your journey is meaningful, loving and I hope it makes the little girl or boy proud. I hope you achieve all of your dreams.
Lastly, I hope you always eat the dessert first because this life is unpredictable and imperfectly your own journey to live out. You get to decide to live the best moments now and most importantly, strive to make each moment memorable.
Your life is a blank book in which you get to create for yourself and like Natasha Beddingfield said – the rest is unwritten.
Now, go write your own story!
Lots of love,
Ozzy