I Turned 21, Here's What I Learned
Updated: Jan 18, 2022
You're probably thinking, why is this boy talking about life advice at 21.
It's probably true, I'm still clueless, but If I weren't in the personal development environment for the past 2 years, I'd probably talk about how to live off noodles with 13 different recipes.
1. Explore Some Shit
The first and most important thing is to explore some shit. Never settle for what you have now, especially if you're young.
Of course, be grateful for what you have, but always try to reach for something greater.
We as humans are designed to grow and explore new stuff. But many of us, including me, sometimes get complacent and begin to like the current situation - we get comfortable and we lose the hunger we used to have.
And once you get in that "cozy" situation, maaan, belive me, it's fucking hard to get back on track and regain that hunger.
To avoid that, plan in advance to daily explore stuff - it doesn't matter what, just explore.
Here are some examples:
Contact a totally new person from college / work
Try learning more about graphic design or photography
Take a different route to college / work
Pick up a new book
Draw some shit, idk
Listen to a random podcast
The point I'm trying to make is to introduce some (healthy) chaos into you're Life and experience so-called eustress (a good type of stress that keeps pushing you for more).
2. Don't Lie Pinocchio
I was a big liar once. And that shit ruined my relationships and even worse, made me lose belief and confidence in myself.
Don't fucking life. Tell the truth, or at least don't lie. Even small lies are not okay, as they will accumulate slowly, and before you know it, it becomes a big lie.
If you don't want to talk to your friend, tell them that. Be honest about it. Include a reason. If you're feeling unwell tell them that.
Don't do this, we all know that ain't true
3. Be Grateful
This year I realised that Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows - half of the time its suffering, depression, death, sadness, and so on.
That's why we have to:
Explore new stuff 👉 to grow and find meaning, that dominates over the suffering of your life
Be honest 👉 to strengthen relationships and gain self-trust
Be grateful 👉 to acknowledge nothing is granted and appreciate every second we experience
Take 30s every day and think of 3 things and 3 people you're grateful for today.
Example:
I'm grateful for having food in my fridge, a roof above my head and my hearing, my ears. I'm also grateful for every and each one of you reading this blog.
4. Don't Be A Lazy Bitch
Mentality is everything.
It is hard to be disciplined, but there's no easy path. Nobody was born disciplined, not even David Goggins. We gain discipline by putting ourselves daily into uncomfortable situations, such as workouts or cold showers.
We will fail many times but also learn from our failures.
I heard a saying somewhere that kept me going and still keeps me going whenever I let myself down and fall off my schedule, tasks & not accomplish goals. It goes something like this:
Get up, brush the dust off your knees, recalibrate, reengage and go into the war once again.
You made a tactical retreat.
You lost the battle, but not the war.
Look, the mental side of you is everything. It determines your present and your future. It affects your career and relationships.
Nobody is perfect. We all have problems. Look at me for example - for the last three days, I didn't do shit for college assignments, work, personal development, etc. These things happen to everyone.
But we need to learn from them and find new solutions, take new approaches and by that, improve our mentality.
5. Be A Lazy Bitch (sometimes)
Contrary to the previous point, sometimes it's okay to be lazy.
It's okay to drink 1 or 2 beers here and there (more like 5, but okay), it's okay to party, smoke weed, play video games, watch Netflix, eat chicin micnuggets,...
But only after you've put hard fucking work in.
I love when people think I just work 24/7. That I have no Life. I mean.. they're not far from wrong lmao, but I still find the time to rest & recover on my own and with my friends / family.
Every Sunday I turn off my phone, go on a walk and just chill with myself.
I have a cheat meal every Friday with friends.
Every now and there I do shots and play videogames & watch movies.
But before I do all that, I work my fucking ass off.
Learn how to balance hard work and rest by asking yourself and honestly answering where you're at.
Did you accomplish this week's goals? Or at least 80% of them? Well, fuck, get some rest and recuperate. But don't get complacent. Get ready to get after it again.
Hopefully, you learned something from this blog and found the tips useful. I am posting a blog every 2 weeks - if you have any requests about what I should write next, don't hesitate to contact me on my socials :)
LinkedIn: Edis Babahmetovic
Facebook: Edis Babahmetovic