27 Life Lessons I have learnt by my 27th Birthday

On Money

1.?????Always spend after setting aside money for investment.

As a rule of thumb, set aside at least 20%. If you have less responsibilities, try to take it up to 50%

2.?????Don’t treat Money as evil. Instead, treat it as a servant. Something you can utilize to attain financial freedom and free yourself from the vicious cycle of working for money. Money may not be the most important thing in life but it impacts all the important things in life.

On Love

3.?????Don’t be afraid to give love. There is nothing we can gain by keeping our hearts dry when you know you have so much to give. This applies not just to your love life but extends to all relationships – Family, friends, neighbors, strangers and all living beings.

4.?????Loving yourself will possibly be the most important person to love in your life.

Having been hard on myself my entire life, I was almost fighting with myself and hence living a life full of internal war. Understanding my shortcomings and being Ok with it as long as I was ready to work on it made the entire difference in the world \

On Work

5.?????Working on oneself > Working on your job

Our work is going to take a major portion of our lives and hence working on something that we are passionate about and care deeply about is more important than anything – Our social status, the next launched car or trending international vacation. ?

On investing in self

6.?????Banks give ~4% AR (Annual Return), FDs give ~ 7%, Gold give ~9%, MFs/Stock market give ~15% whereas investing in self has Infinite returns

Growing yourself a percent, a day can make you 37 times better in a year alone.

On circle of control

7.?????Don’t fret over things you have no control over. Instead, focus on areas where you can do something and change things.

Your thoughts, your behaviour, your actions and your words are things you have control over whereas other people’s happiness, their actions, their feelings and their words are not in your control. Focus on areas under your circle of control.

On Self Discipline

8.?????No one but ourself will monitor ourselves in the long run. Teachers, parents or friends can only check on us temporarily. In the real world of life, we are answerable to ourselves and hence it is our duty to keep our actions in check and in alignment with our goals.

On Fear

9.?????Fearing new things is normal however not being ready to try new things is not. We are afraid to learn new things as that would be going outside our comfort zone and becoming uncomfortable for some time. This discomfort is important as it where our growth is hidden.

On Solitude –

10.??The world outside may be interesting but it is within myself that I have a world unexplored. Spending time with oneself on a daily basis has been the most rejuvenating element of my life. I reflect, learn and grow the most when I am in my own company. It is one company that we have to be comfortable staying with.

On Family

11.??Treasure and nurture the relationships in your life. Selfless love can create magic by nurturing your soul and body. Your parents, your siblings, your friends and colleagues are a treasure. Value them

On living today

12.??Cherishing the current moment and living completely in the NOW can redefine our lives. It is what our future self will look back with fond memories and your today with a smile and bouncy feet.

?Dance without a reason

13. Laugh, sing and dance today without a reason. Whenever your heart feels like it, give it a go without inhibitions. Laugh often. Sing often. Dance often.

On handling kids ?

14.??Be a kid when you’re with Kids. Don’t impose your thoughts on them. Tell NO as less frequently as you can to them. Let their uniqueness and inquisitiveness teach your more often than you can teach them about life.

Don’t judge people.

15.??Judging people is a sign of insecurity and immaturity. When you judge someone, you do it based a set of pre-conceived notion. Not everyone has had environment to grow as you did or mentors to groom them.

On Gratitude?

16.??Want in on a sure shot secret to ever lasting happiness? Be grateful. Whatever stage you are in life, whatever possessions you have, whatever your relationship status. Be grateful for all you have because the life you shun is the life millions dream to live.

On marriage

17.??Marriage is probably going to be our most important decision in life. Therefore, Marry when you’re ready and with whom your values align. Someone who inspires you and you’d love to grow together both as people and age.

On Reading

18.??To all youth, mandatorily coming from financial weaker backgrounds.

Read! Read! Read! ?

Read great minds. Read Motivational scripts. Read on 10X dreams. Read on philosophy and wealth.

With lack of access to personal mentors, books can be your best life steerer.

On Journalling

19.??Journaling need not be on a daily basis but a regular basis also works. Journaling acts a reference point where you started and how much you have grown. It soothes the mind and allows you to organize the thoughts in our monkey brains. Just quick little highlights of the day also works. ?

On Working out

20.??Sitting is the new drug. With technologies adept, humans have made their lives easier by automating almost everything presumably possible. We can have groceries in 10 mins and Pizza in 30. But, unfortunately, the ambulance still takes an hour. So walk.jog. Do yoga or work out but move the butt enough. ???

On Eating right

21.??Feed yourself as you’d feed a young kid – Thoughfully, Periodically and Simple foods. When we are young we tend to slide so easily in life eating anything and still being able to maintain ourselves without any immediate effects.But like any honeymoon, the sooner we realise that this body is a temple and the way we treat it by eating less processed food and more whole foods would give us the energy in the long haul.

On Make genuine relationships

22.??In the world of Facebook friends and Instagram Followers, the genuine human touch has somehow reduced as contrary to ideology on which these social networking platforms were build on. Keeping the circle small but with quality people and who genuinely uplift you is much better than having 1000 facebook friends.

On Comparison

23.????“Sharma ji ka beta” has killed more Indian dreams than personal failures have. Our constant need to compare our current story with someone else’s leads to unnecessary pressure and insecurity in our heads. The only person we’re supposed to compare ourselves with is Ourselves.

On Consistency

24.????Often we overestimate what we can achieve in a year but Underestimate what we can achieve in a decade.

Our motivation fades away quick when we don’t see results in a few weeks whereas anyone successful in any field will affirm that there is no overnight success, only fruits of years and years of labor.

On Law of Averages

25.????Surround yourself with smart people. Smart books. Smart ideas. We’re not just the average of 5 people we hangout with but more broadly, we’re the average of 5 ideas that we spend our time discussing. Make sure you’re discussing ideas and not people.

“I wish I could be the person I wanted but never tried being” – Listening this on your death bed can be a heartbreaker. ?

On Happiness

26.??Happiness is a choice – Happy people have often experienced as much adversity as those that are unhappy

The difference is due to the way they manage their memories to enrich their lives.

On Kindness

27.??People often forget the value words have. They speak before they Think.

I have seen words crush people spirits and therefore use words in a way that inspires people to be the best. Its anyway tough outside. Why accentuate it with your words.

In a world where you can be anything. Be Kind

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