Life @ 33 - Self-reflections and Lessons Learnt

The views expressed in this article are entirely personal and based on my own experiences, observations, and interpretations of life. Like every human being, I acknowledge that I may harbor certain biases and preconceptions that shape my viewpoints. These perspectives have been formed through my unique journey, cultural background, and individual circumstances.

It's important to note that the reflections shared here are not intended to be universal truths or definitive statements about life. Rather, they represent my current understanding and beliefs, which may evolve over time as I continue to learn and grow.

If you have a different perspective - I would be genuinely interested in hearing your story and why you think so. Coffee is on me ??

I am writing is after by 33rd birthday and I will update this article over the next few weeks adding my reflections.

Life

1. Life tends towards randomness, which may remind engineers of the second law of Thermodynamics. I've held this belief for a long time. However, it was only recently that I came across an article by James Clear. Reading it if felt ah! I was not too wrong.
2. The world, society, always seems to want something from you - primarily money. They encourage you to spend, Makes you feel like you “don't have”, And make you believe that happiness can only be bought with materialistic things.
3. Being at peace is more important than being happy. The moment you feel you were happy were actually moments of joy. Dont chase happniess, seek peace.
4. Negative emotions, like sadness, disappointment, and anger, are equally important. Embrace them.
5. You may not realize the privileges you already have. Being able to afford three meals a day,Having supportive parents as kid, Being born healthy, And having healthy children are all blessings in life.
6. Racism is real - you're either experiencing it or contributing to it.
7. People tend to be judgmental. Everyone is constantly judging you, and you are doing the same to others.
8. A slow life is a great life.
9. To succeed in anything, consistently perform small actions over time.
10. Focus and self reflection are super powers

Parents and Children

I wanted to post the next one about the career lessons I learned, but I thought it would be more fun to reflect on lessons I learned as a parent.

As I was talking to a friend who was asking my honest opinion on being a parent, here are my thoughts and reflections

1. Being a parent is a lot of hard work, but it's a very rewarding journey.
2. I have massive respect for parents who have more than one kid and still show up to work. Every day when you leave your child at daycare, your heart will ache.
3. You don't actually need much money to raise kids.
4. Children like routine and discipline but are very adaptable too.
5. You can't teach them anything; you can only show them. They are master imitators and will copy parents—good or bad—very quickly.
6. The two things you need to raise kids are time and energy; money is probably the least important. But as long as you have a fixed budget allocated for nappies, you're sorted.
7. I became a parent when I was 31, but after having one kid, I felt I wouldn’t have minded having kids much earlier.
8. Having kids makes you grounded.
9. As Naval once said, you should plan to double the time you spend with your kids and halve the money you expect to spend on them. No matter how many toys my kids have, they always end up playing with spoons, forks, and utensils.
10. Having children is a form of public service, as you're nurturing the next generation of taxpayers.
11. If you have grandparents, they are the best thing to happen for them. I could not trust anyone with my kid except for both the grandmothers.
12. Children can forget and move on very quickly, They are crying and the next minute they can show immense joy for nothing.
13. Children force the parents to be good team-players