The Most Important Life Lessons I’m Bringing from My 20’s Into my 30’s
SLOW DOWN.
In my twenties, I was filled with this feeling that I neede to make my life happen now. If I wanted to travel, I better do it now. If I wanted to be an entrepreneur and not be stuck in an office, I better to do it now. If I want to find a home around the world, I have to do it now. That method of living served me well until I was 26 and realized that I can’t control everything. Some seasons of life are brought upon us. They are not of our own making. As I look at how much I’ve changed, grown and learned in the last ten years, I can barely guess where the next ten years will take me. I do know that I don’t want to be rushing through it. I’ve got a LOT of time.
Something tells me I’m going to live a long and creatively productive life, so that means I have six or seven decades in front of me. That is a lot of time for a lot of life to happen. I want to be present for it and awake to it.
2. I am a steward.
Nothing that I have in this life is mine. It’s on loan to me. A gift that I’ve been given to do something with. My innate passion to make videos, write and create content - where does this come from? What about the fact that I was born Canadian, in one of the best countries in the world, and I went to university? Though these attributes seem normal when compared to the average North American, but I’m aware that I am very fortunate and blessed. Billions of people on planet earth may not get the kinds of opportunities I’ve already had by age 29. I live in the recognition that these gifts were not bestowed on me so that I can sit on my heap of first-world gold. These gifts are for me to steward, to use to contribute to a more loving and caring world.
I choose to live in the permanent remembrance that all of my assets, especially the money, belong to God. As another decade opens before me, I know that I don’t want to be someone who is constantly worrying about money. I want to be a generous, cheerful and wise giver. I trust that what is available to me to use at any given time, is the exact amount I’m supposed to have access to. I am confident in God’s infinite supply. My prayer is that God would teach me how to steward the money, the talents and the passion that I’ve been given well.
3. Incremental Progress
Daily, consistent habits make a world of difference in the long term. Who I become in the next decade can be consciously affected by how I live now. Over this new decade, I will keep reading, learning and refining my personal rules and protocols. There are many things I do (and don’t do) which keep me sane, humble, joyous and light-hearted and I will keep building on these good habits. In my 20’s, I wanted success and I wanted it to happen now. I wanted to be a 20-something “success.” Well, that decade has come and gone, and it didn’t happen for me because it wasn’t meant to. (Thank goodness! I probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it right, and I trust that my life and career will evolve and grow in the way it’s meant to.)
Incremental progress is the antidote to the rush of my twenties. I know that some habits I improve incrementally now will not come to fruition for several years, and I am ok with that. I am learning to embrace the process and find fulfilment in the small wins.
For examples, this is why I will continue writing the mornings. Sure, some mornings I feel groggy but something deep inside me and around me tells me it is essential to keep up this habit. It’s a part of something much bigger, so I shall keep writing!
4. Live at The Right Pace
In 2019, I pushed myself hard to get back into the creative flow. I went from writing a handful of blogs and three or four videos in 2018, to writing over 50 vlogs and making 40+ videos in 2019. Plus, this was done in my spare time, on top of my usual jobs.
I’m glad I did it because it showed me what I’m capable of but by the end of last year, I was mentally exhausted. I knew that it wasn’t sustainable. I’ve been meditating on what it means to live at the right pace and build endurance for my whole life, not just my work. In high school, I competed in cross country races. I’m a long-distance runner by nature, so I need to apply those principles to my life. Patience. Endurance. Stamina. Stepping into my 30’s means that I can have the authority and experience to start building massive projects. I’m not a student doing makeshift school projects anymore. I am real. I am an adult. I want to do this right.
But first, I have one last year in my twenties, as I just turned 29. I want this year to be a celebration. A celebration of all that I accomplished and didn’t accomplish. A celebration of who I was and who I am becoming. A celebration of the life I’ve been given and all the blessings in it. This is a year to cultivate contentment. I am grateful for the life I have lived and I look forward to where I am going. My twenties were filled with aspirations. All I could see and dream of was the future. Now I am living in that future and I can mold it, shape it and make it even more beautiful.
