13 Things for 31 Years.

It’s my Birthday. I’ve somehow made it 31 times around the sun and sedated myself with sugar in order to get this birthday chaos photographed. As I attempted to metabolize my poor diet choices, I got a little self-reflective on the past and the things I’ve learned or been reminded of as I moved through the start of my third decade.

13 Things Learned in 31 Years

Learning how to recognize and acknowledge what you accomplish due to your talents and skills and what you accomplish due to luck and privilege is one of the most beneficial things you can do. A little humility goes a long way, but don’t sell yourself short.

Nostalgia is just the polished turds of the past being repackaged and sold as brain candy. Your middle school years weren’t that great and there’s probably a reason you don’t wear those things anymore.

Sometimes there are no good choices in a situation and you have to make the “best” one. Sometimes that “best” choice still fucking sucks. 

Try to not judge others based on your own unattainable standards and harsh experiences. Failing that, Acknowledge your petty bullshit and own your words if it comes back to bite you.

Labels are just that. Embrace them if they empower you to live your best life, but don’t force them on yourself or others. 

Embrace the cringe. It’s not high art, but Jump 5 is really fun to car dance to.

Don’t confuse “advice” and “anecdotes”. It ties back to #1, sometimes it’s just luck and can’t be replicated. 

There’s a lot of power behind “I Don’t Know” IF you can follow it up with how you’re going to find out.

You’ll never have it as good as Baby Cat.