I turn 30 next month so here’s what I learned in my 20s:
—don’t work for startups, they’re always one ‘innovative idea’ away adding ‘sell your kidneys on the black market’ to your job description.
—keeping a collection of basic OTC medicine on you will save your life one day. I recommend Advil, Imodium, and TUMS.
—those little single-use glasses cleaning wipes are 1000% worth the money
—overly self-depreciating jokes just make people uncomfortable, wean yourself off of them
—you can buy dehydrated mini marshmallows in bulk online and they’re a godsend for hot cocoa
—people don’t care if you have fidget toys on your desk they just want to play with them
—try to go to bed BEFORE the existential ennui kicks in
Also drink water and eat a plant
This is all GREAT. I turned 40 last week, so permit me to add what I learned in my 30s:
- keep on not working for startups
- sometimes there comes a point where the thing (fandom, hobby, friendship, romantic relationship) you loved no longer brings you joy. And that’s okay. Try to mourn the loss, take joy in the memories, and don’t burn any bridges in case ten years go by and you find yourself back in that fandom/hobby/relationship again
- it turns out that (ugh) moderate regular exercise is (spit) good for you. The sooner you make it part of your life, the easier it’ll be
- related: if you throw yourself into a new exercise regime too hard and too fast, without stopping to rest or consider whether a particular move is good for you … well, shoulder injuries are painful and consults with orthopedic surgeons are expensive
- knees are bastards too
- don’t even get me started on ankles
- there may come a time when your digestive system is too fragile for ibuprofin. I’m sorry
- one day you’re gonna wake up and realise you no longer give any fucks about some things that used to bother you
- on the other hand, you might be alarmed to realise what you still give a fuck about
- never get down on the floor without an exit strategy for getting back up
I turn 50 this year. what I have learned in my 40s:
- “loving yourself” is less of a feeling and more of an action. you can start doing it any time and it will make your life better and better as you go on
- this will happen incrementally - be patient
- along those lines, if you haven’t started making an active effort to quit shit-talking yourself, suck it up and do it
- no, shut up. do it. “but it’s haaaaard!” don’t care. do it.
- whether you like it or not, you are mortal and you need to go to the doctor for an annual checkup
- stretch regularly - your future self will thank you
- at some point you will encounter people much younger than you arguing passionately and incorrectly about history you personally remember and experienced
- this will be infuriating and annoying
- otoh, most other things just… will not matter to you as much
- at some point you will shift from wanting to go out to being like “eh” and deciding to stay in. this is okay.
- you will have absolutely no idea what The Youth are talking about and you will not care
- but if you keep your mind open to new ideas you’ll never be irrelevant
- your company still doesn’t love you - don’t give them more than they pay you for
- get a fucking hobby, especially a hobby that involves physically creating/handling something and/or moving your body in physical space. it will do you more good than you can imagine
(via verticaltangent)