Thirty Things I Learned Before 30

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deacon hiking inside grand canyon

Tomorrow I turn 30 and as I reflect back, I realize that there is so much that I have learned. If I would have known what I know now when I was 20, I probably would have made drastically different choices. But I will say, everything that I have done has lead me to where I am today. For that reason, I wouldn’t change how I got here. That being said, here are thirty things I learned before 30:

1. You have to pay credit cards back.

2. Don’t be afraid of failure, learn from failure.

3. Be on time or call if you’re running late.

4. Keep change in the car for homeless people and for parking meters.

5. Have written goals and post them where you can see them.

6. Listen more and talk less.

7. Don’t say yes to everything, you have to set up boundaries.

8. A happy wife equals a happy life.

9. Do what you say, no matter the cost.

10. Sometimes you have to say “no” to the good things in life so that you can say “yes” to the great things in life.

11. Whether you say you can or can’t do something, either way, you are right.

12. You can’t help someone unwilling to help themselves.

13. Don’t speed in Paradise Valley, AZ. They always have photo radar somewhere.

14. Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.

15. You can’t please everybody.

16. Find out what you are wired to do and do it. 

17. Be persistent but not annoying.

18. Others will care what you have to say when they know that you care.

19. Buy a good bed, you’ll spend 1/3 of your life in it.

20. Learn from successful people who have gone before you.

21. Motivation follows action. Act first, then be motivated.

22. You can afford something if you have the CASH to pay for it.

23. Put the interests of others ahead of your own.

24. Rest at least one day a week otherwise you will burn out.

25. Avoid the use of debt by finding alternative ways to pay for things.

26. It is more of a blessing to give than to receive.

27. Character is best seen in how we act when no one is looking.

28. Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you will be successful.

29. The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you.

30. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

What is something you learned before you turned 30?