It's my 30th birthday today and on this occasion I've written down sixteen pieces of advice - general or career related, original or borrowed - that I've learnt over the last 3 decades. Enjoy.
1.
Don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about
how you live your life. You’ve only got one, so just do what the hell you want.
2.
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you it can’t be
done. Because I’ve already proved them all wrong again and again.
3.
Cut down on sugars and caffeine and eat meat and
dairy and you’ll never need to diet a day of your life and you’ll be less
moodier and become an entirely different person.
4.
Only a fool thinks they know everything. The
wise are always keenly aware of how much they still need to learn and they
never stop searching for more answers.
5.
Those who don’t look after their skin and health
wilt quickly like a rose. Those who do mature like a fine wine; better and
better with age.
6.
Exfoliate and moisturise your skin with oil to
have fresher happier skin.
7.
Never ever take anyone’s love for granted. All
relationships are like gardens that need daily love and nurturing to survive.
Your friends and family are precious and you need to value them and respect
them.
8.
Selfishness will only get you so far in life.
Corruption or no-corruption, the world revolves around relationships and
networks; so make yourself a trustworthy and reliable friend to your colleagues
and connections.
9.
There is absolutely nothing good that can come
about from having spiteful jealous people in your life. You can’t help them and
they can’t help you. Get a thousand miles away if you want to live a happy
life.
10. Go
easy on yourself. Roll life’s ups and downs. Let yourself cry. Learn from your
mistakes. And watch how beautifully you grow stronger and more compassionate
with every hurdle that you tackle in life.
11. Live
moderately and frugally. But reward yourself with naughtiness occasionally –
chocolate and desserts I mean!
12. Be
disciplined or you will never achieve anything in life.
13. Don’t
take no for an answer. Don’t get what you want at other people’s expense. But
if you really want something then it’ll eventually happen if you keep dreaming
and believing, but never as soon as you’d hoped. (Our gymnastics motto was:
Dream, Believe, Create, Succeed.)
14. The
greatest gift you can give yourself is to learn to be grateful for what you
have and live graciously. It doesn’t mean you can’t have goals, but it helps
you to enjoy the present fully.
15. You
can never ever be too security conscious. Anyone that says your just being
obsessive-compulsive obviously doesn’t know what a pain in the arse it is to
have something stolen.
16. Don’t
fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. The only battle to be
fought is against yourself.
