23 years wiser

Today’s my birthday and I’ma cry if I want to I’m turning the big 2-3! Fortunately I haven’t yet reached an age where each subsequent birthday fills me with dread about growing older. The way I see it is that I’m another year wiser, I get to eat cake, spend time with good friends/family, and feel like the most loved person in the world- not a bad deal eh :)!  So before I continue with the birthday shenanigans, I thought I’d leave you with 23 lessons that I’ve learnt over the years:

1. Maintaining and developing relationships is an active process!  There’s no such thing as taking a backseat.  Stop waiting for a call or email–>do it. If you want to meet new people, get out and initiate conversation.
2. Perfect is subjective
3. Save a fraction of your moolah…you never know when it’ll come handy
4. When it comes to haircuts, paying more is worth it!
5. Buy what you’re comfortable in, not what’s in fashion.
6. Cooking is something everyone should learn: it saves you money, helps you maintain your weight and impresses others 😉
7. If you’re going to gossip, refrain from doing so in public places
8. A life with a few amazing friends is far more fulfilling than a life with several acquaintances
9. If you don’t love yourself, don’t expect others to either.
10. Express gratitude…always!
11. It’s not vain to graciously accept a compliment.
12. You have one body so treat it right: Eat healthily, exercise regularly, drink water, indulge moderately, rest adequately.
13. The thought of getting out of your comfort zone is often scarier than the actual doing part.
14. Keep your brain active: do new things, learn new things, and explore new ideas to avoid falling into a mental rut. 
15. Age is nothing but a number…and if it was, I’d probably be left with very few friends.
16. Random acts of kindness are far more special than just doing them on birthdays/special occasions
17. Embrace change: situations change, people change, life changes.  Accepting it will make the transition that much easier.
18. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but instead the mature and sensible thing to do.
19. Google has the answer to everything.
20. Besides sleep & travel, very few things happen overnight.
21. No matter how something turns out, it always ends up as it should. You either succeed or learn something: win-win.
22. Not everyone is going to agree with you.  All that matters is that you’re convinced.
23. If you go for a run in an unfamiliar city, it’s always wise to carry an emergency phone number!

And one for good luck:

24. Back up, back up back up (Technology-related instruments that is 😉 )!!

What’s one thing piece of advice which you have picked up over the years?