The Wonderful World of Minotaur

25. a quarter of a century. A milestone birthday. I turned 25 last year. I was so excited to turn 25. Unlike a lot of people, I quite like the concept of ageing – I feel like my best years are ahead of me. Of course, I had to bring in 25 in a fabulous way. So I went on a cruise, just like I’d wanted to do since I was 17. It was glorious. I love the water and being in the middle of it, on a floating resort, was a great way to celebrate 25. Even better was docking in Roatan, Honduras and going snorkelling for my first time as a 25 year old (I’d gone for the first time ever just the day before) and then lounging on a catamaran boat drinking bottomless rum punch. I ended the day with dinner on the ship with my sister and cousin. It was an incredible day and an amazing trip.

I had a great 25th year. I experienced a lot of new things, met some cool people and had a ton of fun. And of course, I learnt a lot of things. So I decided to make a list – 25 life lessons I learned at 25.

1. Eat healthy and stay active; your body will thank you for it.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
3. Sometimes all you need in a support system is right at home.
4. When making reckless decisions, exercise some caution.
5. It’s ok to mess up sometimes.
6. An emergency fund can be a life saver.
7. Save as much as you can from every pay check.
8. Step out of your comfort zone more.
9. Don’t place your value in external sources.
10. It’s ok to not have all the answers.
11. In being selfless, still try to put yourself first.
12. Make sure you get some “me time” at least once a week, even if you are locked down in a full house.
13. Acknowledge all feelings, and allow yourself to feel them for a healthy amount of time.
14. Be patient with yourself – you are not perfect and you never will be.
15. Make as many decisions that bring you joy as you can.
16. Channel negative emotions into positive activities.
17. Comparison is the thief of joy.
18. Everyone’s timeline is different.
19. Time is not an indicator of a meaningful friendship.
20. Give yourself room to explore.
21. Cut off anything that eats away at your joy and peace.
22. Dedicate as much time as you can to enjoyment.
23. Healing is not a linear journey.
24. Show love as much as possible.
25. Live life on your own terms.

I’d love to know your thoughts. What lessons do you live by? What have you learnt in the years you’ve been alive?