I am turning 21 today and am not as excited as it might seem. All I am excited and concerned is of what next I will be learning and experiencing in life and for that what I have to do today. I spent the last 21 years of my life doing almost nothing. But I had the opportunity to learn great things which most people learn later after their active lives (18-50).
I couldn’t be happier to recall what I have learned and how it will help me shape me my future. So today I am sharing 21 lessons I have learned in the past 2 decades.
- Age is merely an excuse not to start anything.
In the past 3 and half years while studying in Sharda University, I saw people ranging from age 24-60 procrastinating about starting/doing things they always wanted to do. The reply was more or less the same and was like this : “Oh! I am too old for this”. I hope this doesn’t happen with me or you. Start slow, but start.βDo not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.β ~Napoleon Hill
- Don’t judge people. It’s a waste of my own time.
People grew up in a different environment than mine and have their own reason. I wrongly judged many people many times and found later that they were just the opposite I thought they would be. I guess I can’t control everyone and everything. Can I? So it’s better to move on and let few things be as they are. I know it will save a lot of time.“Learning to ignore things is one of the greatest paths to inner peace” ~Robert J. Sawyer
- Practice mind control.
In 2013, I read Robin Sharma’s The monk who sold his ferarri. The book was great and had a lot of positive insights. But out of all, one I remember in particular, i.e. the art of mind control. It suggests that those who can control their mind can control anything. Also, I recently bought a book (suggested by many elite performers around the world) : Getting things done by David Allen. I only finished reading the first chapter of the book and the result so far by applying the first few suggestions are great. Allen has advised to dump everything we need to do from buying eggs for home to finishing the work project into a piece of paper, note or a dairy. The essence of this routine is to clear your mind first and then to focus only on what’s important.“Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” ~Bruce lee
- Atleast stay fit.
Since childhood I was quite active in sports. Played cricket mostly till high-school. Started playing football since I joined university. I see people craving for gym, healthy tips from experts and every other words of wisdom they believe can bring them the hot figure they desire. But the truth I realized is you don’t need a great figure to stay healthy. You just need to be fit enough. For that, one can exercise (yoga, running or gym) or play a sport. (I need to work on my skinny body though)“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn
- Treat work as every other general activity in life.
I have noticed that when playing football, watching movies or doing anything interesting but in a limited amount of time, I don’t get bored or I don’t get stressed. Treating work in the same way as a general activity with a short timeline can really bring results for my work and my life too.”By working only when you’re most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It’s the perfect example of having the cake and eating it too.” ~4HWW“By working only when you’re most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It’s the perfect example of having the cake and eating it too.” ~4HWW
- Don’t sit in front of the computer without an agenda.
Woke up at 8:00 AM, brushed my teeth, had breakfast, started using the computer while thinking to just check my email/facebook for few minutes and will quickly return to the project at hand, but it turns out 2:00 PM on the clock. This is what happens with me most of the time when I use my computer without any agenda. Internet is a great tool to push human race forward, but it’s also a tool to suck up time. Define first what you want to do with the tools then use it.“A goal without a timeline is just a dream” ~Robert Herjavec
- Spend some time alone.
Here’s a quote from best seller book : The 4 hour workweek “After years of repetitive work, you will often need to dig hard to find your passions, redefine your dreams, and revive hobbies that you let atrophy to near extinction. The goal must be to pursue and experience the best in the world.” The quote pretty much sums up why spending some time alone is very important. I have experienced that a several minutes of meeting with silence can bring a lot of positive thoughts and the right direction for life. It frees your mind and enables you to think clearly again.βI think itβs very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.β ~Olivia Wilde
- Dress well.
I am not talking about Armani Jeans or Van Huesen all the time, but there are a lot of clothing in the market that costs you 1/4th a pair of Armani and yet is drop dead gorgeous in appearance. One must spend some money on their clothing and I know, nobody has ever regret it. But don’t get carried away in the name of fashion. Keep it classic.“Clothing is the first step to building a character.” ~Sylvester Stallone
- Have a minimal wardrobe.
I used to have 5 t-shirts, 5 shirts, 4-5 jeans/trousers and several sweatshirts/jackets. And what I found while traveling is that they restrict my freedom. It occupies a space in mind and tightens me up. From 2013 I have started donating clothes which got short or wore off. Once I gave more than half of my clothing which I didn’t wanted to have, I bought new ones only with a sense of minimalism. Now I only have 12 clothes including summer and winter wear. I feel lighter in mind and with my wardrobe.βBe Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.β – Lao Tzu
- Have multiple interests and source of income
Most of the time I spend my days working on design projects or playing football. But there are days when I don’t like doing any of those activities. That’s why I have started cultivating other hobbies/interests like reading informative books, sketching and will be starting playing guitar again. The same goes with source of income. Most people rely on only 1 source of income i.e. their permanent job. In recent years, there never have been the worst time to rely on one and only job for paying bills. Jobs have become more and more insecure than ever and it will stay this way or worsen in the future.“Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music – the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.” ~Henry Miller
Part 2 here : [Link]
Keep smiling and DO MORE π
40 replies on “Spending time alone, having a minimal wardrobe, staying fit and much more….21 life lessons learned – 21st birthday – Part 1”
An inilletgent answer – no BS – which makes a pleasant change
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If you want to get read, this is how you should write.
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eher zu ignorieren und sich primΓΒ€r mit der Intention des Autors zu befassen. So zu beobachten bei Volker, der das Spiel zum Anlass nahm, seinen eigenen Ex-Alkoholkonsum noch einmal zu reflektieren oder
It’s great to read something that’s both enjoyable and provides pragmatisdc solutions.
This is a “Catch 22″ situation. While we must reduce all giveaway programs if we are to survive, I sense allowing them to stay in their home will keep them off other more expensive programs.
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Marie at White House Black Shutters is a clever, clever mommy (and a good friend!). She has figured out a way to turn her kids loose
Catterson was, is, and always will be a tool.Yes. Yes, he is. I pitched some stories to him when he was running American Roadracing in the early 90′s. He wrote me a few days after our meeting that he couldn’t hire me to write for them, but would I mind giving him the prep work I’d done on one piece so he could do it.
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This reminds me of home – Philippines. Anything with coconut resonates tropical fruits and the beach and sun sand sky sea! We also have similar dishes and desserts and I wonder if some of them are the same thing just with different names! Ahhh I'm being nostalgic now…
Tanto per capire… mi suona curioso come un parco a tema creazionista parli di dinosauri…Secondo loro, visto che il mondo ΓΒ¨ stato creato 6000 anni fa e nel 2400 a.C. ci fu il Diluvio… i dinosauri dove li collocano??? Come li spiegano?E' una semplice curiositΓΒ , senza intenti ironici (del resto mi sembrerebbe di sparare sulla croce rossa… :P)
De trein is een heerlijke plaats om wat te doen als je de ruimte hebt. Maar is het voor jou wel de moeite op dat kleine stukje?Fijne avond!
Hats off to whoever wrote this up and posted it.
I am all about using seasonal produce…and this bread looks just amazing! I wish I had a slice with me now. I love the thought of using butternut squash. It sounds just delightful. Thank you for sharing.
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Oh yeah, have you ever eaten dog food is horrible, and having a sharp nose like theres, no wonder they go crazy when we eat. . I give mine egg yokes, good for the skin there, and the chicken dry food there, the better for them, the sauce has a lot of fat,
Is 3.5 all that bad? Last year most of the top rbs were around 4.5. Chris Johnson finished at 4.0. I’m not saying 3.5 is great but I don’t think that would necessarily make him a backup.
bem que ele almoΓΒ§ou lΓΒ‘ na falha de S.Paulo,sΓΒ³ que teve um treco quando o Frias Filho perguntou porque ele nΓΒ£o estudou se teve e tem tempo para estudar,o ΓΒ΄mi ficou ofendido com a pergunta nΓΒ£o disse nada e foi embora…
I don’t know who you wrote this for but you helped a brother out.
IsΓΒ±nma sorunlarΓΒ± var mΓΒ± acaba? Hp dizΓΒΌstΓΒΌleri zaten dizayn olarak hep beΓΕΈenmiΓ ΕΈimdir. 4-5 yΓΒ±llΓΒ±k olanlarΓΒ±n bile kasalarΓΒ± bile gΓΒΆrΓΒΌnΓΒΌm bakΓΒ±mΓΒ±ndan gΓΒΌncelliΓΕΈini kaybetmemiΓ ΕΈ ancak ΓΒ§evremdem gΓΒΆrdΓΒΌΓΕΈΓΒΌm kadarΓΒ±yla bir ΓΒ±sΓΒ±nma sorunu var. Yeni serilerinde dΓΒΌzelltiler mi merek ediyorum.
This is what we need – an insight to make everyone think
It’s always a pleasure to hear from someone with expertise.
It’s much easier to understand when you put it that way!
“but where is the line which you have given as the headingΓ’β¬Β¦.i canΓ’β¬β’t find it anywhereΓ’β¬Β¦..”Follow the link…. Timesofindia has published this article with the same title of “I canΓ’β¬β’t leave Salman for SRK: Karan Johar “
Wow. Just wow. Hazell goes 5-for-20 with 2 assists last night and now in Gonzo’s eyes he’s Jason Kidd, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rolled into one? Yeesh.
Il existe aussi, par chez moi, des journalistes qui essaient de comprendre, en allant un peu plus loin que la simple reprise des articles du NYT ou des avis de Hans KΓΖΓΒΌng. Ils sont allΓΖΓΒ©s interroger des gens dont le job est de s’occuper des prΓΖΓΒͺtres qui ont des problΓΖΓΒ¨mes. .
MUMBAI INDIANS WILL WIN THE IPL 2013 BECAUSE IN MUMBAI INDIANS THERE ARE MANY GOOD PLAYERS LIKE SACHIN,ROHIT,POLLARD,AMBATI,LASITH MALINGA AND MANY MORE………..I THINK THAT MUMBAI INDIANS IS THE BEST TEAM IN IPL.
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on Where exactly is this one? I'm from Arizona, have been to the Christopher Creek gorge that you guys did, and have also been to Woods Canyon Lake. But I can't picture a stream/river/creek named Woods Canyon at all, let alone with drops like you showed.
Wow! Those flowers really pop. What a nice job, and the subtle use of the ribbon ties the whole thing together – in more than one way! Thanks for joining us at Crazy Challenge – good luck!
Madre mΓΒa!!!Que pedazo de helado!!! Las fotos son de impresiΓΒ³n, pero si te quedaron a tamaΓΒ±o real!!! Que mala ideaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Estoy salibando!!!! Me muero por una copina, ahora mismo me la zampo!!! Besinos.
Moved to Perth, Australia. Not much chance of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, nukes, hurricanes, blizzards or tornadoes.Damn boring place too. But I thought everything in Australia can and will kill you just for giggles? And with poison? Nice beaches, though.