32 Things
I’m 32 years old. I am not a billionaire, or a millionaire. I am not famous, I am not an influencer. I have not overcome disease or poverty. I am not a nationally aspirational figure.
Still, I’m doing okay. More than okay, even. In 32 years I have carved out a little space for myself in a particular corner of the world, and I’m happy to be there. Along the way, I’ve learned lessons and come to certain conclusions. Part of getting older is that you start to know what you don’t know, and there is a lot I don’t know, but here’s 32 things I do.
Commitments fall on an X axis of duration, and a Y axis of importance. Factor that into how long you spend considering one.
Honor your commitments, even the ones you lowkey regret. No one likes a flake.
“Because I want to” and “Because I don’t want to” are good enough reasons for most everyday decisions. (Unless you’re regularly contemplating murder.)
If you want to have meaningful relationships with other people, you must be prepared to be inconvenienced occasionally.
Forming friendships with different people in different contexts adds so much richness to your life. Diversify your social circle.
Be intentional about your physical space. Once you start actively improving and designing your home, you’ll feel the mental health impact.
If you don’t vibe with your doctor or your dentist or your therapist, see someone else.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a kale salad or three slices of Casey’s breakfast pizza (IYKYK): It’s always a safe choice not to comment on other peoples’ food choices.
You need a physical movement routine.
You need a sleep routine.
The window of time during which you can enjoy more than small amounts of alcohol and not suffer the consequences is depressingly small. Recognize when your time is up.
Vaping makes you look like an unbearable douche.
There is no good justification for going to any Starbucks that isn’t inside an airport.
You have too much crap. Buying things can be very fun, but capitalism is not going to fill the hole in your soul.
You are allowed to stop spending your money on peoples’ weddings and babies, especially if you don’t plan on having a wedding or a baby.
You don’t need to have a wedding or a baby.
Work for money or work for meaning, or both if you can swing it. If your job is giving you neither, move on.
Create an identity for yourself that isn’t centered on what you do to make money. Find hobbies.
Basic politeness and responsiveness will put you ahead of 75% of the population in terms of having a successful career.
Life begins once you stop obsessing about being hot.
We are all simply meat sacks trying to glean whatever pleasure we can from our brief time on this earth. I beg you, ask yourself if taping your mouth and filling your lips and slugging is really worth your energy.
It’s okay to like weird, niche stuff.
It’s okay to like mainstream things. (It’s popular for a reason.)
Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings remains the greatest film trilogy of all-time.
Having privilege doesn’t make you a bad person. Refusing to acknowledge it does.
It’s unlikely that anyone is upset with you.
It’s unlikely that anyone is actively trying to undermine or sabotage you.
You get to be high maintenance about two or three things at any given time. Choose wisely.
Sometimes shit just doesn’t go your way, and it’s not alway worth fighting it. Learn to take the L.
If your jobs, friendships, romantic partnerships, creative projects, whatever, have a pattern of not working out, you might have to accept that you are the common denominator.
Challenge your self-perception whenever and however you can.
Figuring out what will ultimately make you happy is the hard part. Doing those things is easy in comparison.