32 Lessons from 32 Years of My Life

When we wish our grandfather on his birthday, he always says “It is nothing to be happy about, I am 1 year closer to my death”. And I always say” You are also 1 year wiser Nana Ji.” (not sure if he hears me with his hearing problem). A year is not just bringing us closer to death, it is so much more. It gave you time to know yourself, make mistakes, grow out of them, know your “why”, and contribute to others’ lives, as well as learn from their lives. I am turning 32 this year and wanted to write down some of the lessons I learned in my short life span. Some of them are copied or read somewhere or heard from someone, just a full disclosure that I did not write all of them on my own. I will try to cite if I find the source.

People

1. The world is full of kind people. It takes one to find one.
2. You don’t know what is going on in someone’s life. Do not judge them from one bad experience.
3. It is always a good idea to compliment their food when someone cooks it for you, and you earn brownie points by helping them clean the table (applies to both men and women)
4. No one knows what they are doing either. I read it somewhere and it sort of clicked. Just start from somewhere!

Work

1. Great boss + great colleagues = great workplace, Toxic boss + Great co-workers manageable(plus you make great friends in this situation), toxic boss + toxic co-workers = change your job ASAP.
2. Negotiate your salary, if there is a room. Although, I believe that money is not everything. Work-life balance, job flexibility, and benefits are important too. That being said, money can be motivation in many cases.
3. “Do not burn your bridges- Life changes, jobs change but the connections you make can last a lifetime.” My old Manager

Friendship & Love

1. Friendship needs effort, like every other relationship in your life. Friends need to be told that they are important to us. Friends need to be told that they are loved!
2. Germs provide immunity to our body, heartbreaks provide immunity to our soul.
3. Do not mix money and friendship.
4. You know you are friends for life if you do not feel the need to clean up the mess before inviting them over.

Marriage

1. Aim for the best, especially when choosing a life partner.
2. “Remember the 3 G,s in sex: Good, Giving and Game.”- Neil Pasricha
3. Avoid dragging your family into arguments with your partner. Similarly, don’t intervene when a couple fights in front of you. In fact, this is one of the most valuable lessons.
4. To avoid taking out frustrations on your partner, do 1 activity that you both enjoy, every week. Be it long walks, playing a sport, board games, or cooking (No, binge-watching a show is not included here). Credits- personal experience.

Mental Health

1. Not everything you see on social media is real.
2. Negativity is contagious. A negative person, negative idea, negative thoughts- all of them can ruin your peace.
3. Do not underestimate the power of a long walk on a sunny day.
4. “I don’t care what anyone thinks of me” does not work for everyone. We are social animals. We need society. Also, it is not wise to do everything to please others. Find your balance.

Family

1. “Un-learning” is as valuable as “learning”. Some of the things we learned growing up are not set in stone. It’s in our hands to forget the old ways and adopt new ways to do certain things. For example; Someone coming from a family of hoarders learning to de-clutter.
2. Our parents did their best to raise us, with whatever they had, they did everything they could. If you ever doubt their decisions, just keep this in mind.
3. You cannot control what others do, or how they react, not even your family members. What you can control is how you react to situations.

Life in general!

1. Motivation wears off, and discipline stays.
2. Life is so much easier with a knife sharpener in your kitchen.
3. Don’t be afraid to say no – it’s your power, not your problem!
4. Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems.
5. Always give your best, even when you think you have nothing to give.
6. “The only constant in life is change.”- Heraclitus. Your situation is temporary. Look at the last 5 years of your life and see how changes have helped you to grow.
7. “You can’t work three hours a week and make $100,000. Get rich quick doesn’t work. Crockpot mentality always defeats microwave.”- Dave Ramsey. There is no get-rich-quick formula. None that I have come across in my life. There is always a price, you either lose your time, your mental peace or your money.
8. Do not always rely on Google reviews. I have often found that reality is completely opposite from them.

Let me know which one of the above lessons did you find most valuable?

I would love to know about your life lessons too!