We’re finally on the third floor, birthdays are so weird for me, especially because I don’t celebrate them or have never known how to, I did once… on my 25th. Invited 25 of my friends, made them wear all black, and paid for expensive champagne and dinner… you’d swear it was some kind of cult gathering more than anything.

Turning 30 is interesting, everything feels different and the same all at once, however, I’m grateful to my body for carrying me this far and for this, I’d like to share 30 things I’ve learned and understand better now from the last three decades.

1. Eventually, you’ll get to a point in life where you’re immediately exhausted from chasing people or constantly trying to fix things. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve stopped trying or that things no longer matter to you. It’s just realising that life can be drama-free and you should only focus on the things that matter.

2. Effort is attractive, if someone wants to be in your life or a part of your journey it’s their responsibility to make the effort to stay. The same goes for you.

3. If you want to change, you must let go of the things that make you unhappy or keep you where you want to move from. You can’t hold onto old things and expect to have room for the new.

4. Failing before you try is stupid… what I mean is, that doing something and getting it wrong is much more productive than not doing it all.

5. When you get to know people from all around the world, with different backgrounds, financial brackets, and lifestyles, you learn that we all just want the same things: love, validation, fulfillment, and a Joēhuman hat.. the way we go about achieving these things is what makes us different.

6. The more things you own, the more things own you. Less is simpler. Less is more freedom.

7. Anyone who has ever told you you’re perfect should be arrested.

8. Surrounding yourself with people who are content with who you are and aiding your growth makes up a big part of your success.

9. Relationships are a choice, it’s better to be alone than to be in bad company, don’t rush or force connections, everything happens in its own time, with the right person, for the right reasons.

10. You only need one true friend.

11. People are going to make mistakes, create room for them to grow, and hold space to forgive. If you can’t forgive others, don’t expect others to forgive you.  To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.

12. It’s genuinely okay to not be okay for a while, the whole idea of always keeping up a great look does more damage than it sounds. Give time to sit and just feel… our emotions are always communicating, we’re just never always listening.

13. The love of your life is Pedi.

14. Re-invent yourself as many times as possible, and never be afraid to start over, be it from your purpose, a relationship, business, or friendship.

15. Never make decisions when your emotions are heightened… so much pain and heartache can be avoided if you learn to control your emotions.

16. The older you get the less you care about certain things, like what’s flashy, trending, societal validation, and always being seen. You start caring more about privacy, comfort, the people that pour into you as you do them, your craft, and how you wish to be remembered.

17. People rarely do things because of you, they do them because of them.

18. Feelings change, and so do people. Holding onto past mistakes takes away the ability to create happiness.

19. Never compete on price. always compete on value.

20. Love has no time frame, my partner and I got engaged 3 months after we met.

21. Do the things you want now while you can, some things can only be experienced at a certain time and a certain place, because you’ll end up regretting the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.

22. When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.

23. Embrace little steps, they lead up to big ones.

24. Success is group work, the whole idea of being self-made is a sham.

25. Everything in life is a lesson, the results of our choices, the people we meet, the challenges, and wins, are all part of our bigger purpose. Never overlook the lessons especially when things don’t go your way.

26. A job will give you a salary, while your dreams, fulfilling your purpose, or sharing your craft will give you an income.

27. Strive to die empty… leave all your feelings, ideas, and dreams here. We’ve all got a timestamp while we pass through this journey of life, live it to your fullest.

28. Never attach success to age, you don’t need that kind of pressure, pace yourself. If you drive in your lane you won’t find traffic.

29. Be kind to people, so many of the rooms I’ve been in, work I’ve gotten, and things I’ve experienced are because I was kind.

30. I still need money for Porsche.