Reminders to Myself as I Turn 26 Tomorrow
Happy birthday to me!
Here are some reminders I'm writing down for myself, things I want to stick to and the noise I need to tune out.
Time
- Time you waste is gone forever.
- Small actions done consistently compound into something exponential.
- Most stuff that feels urgent really isn't. Only a few things actually matter.
Self-Direction
- Your life is shaped by the choices you make.
- No one's coming to save you or fix things for you.
- Clarity beats motivation every single time.
Identity
- Skills over talent.
- Consistency beats intensity.
- You build self-trust by keeping the promises you make to yourself.
Career
- Focus on skills that scale (writing, design, code, building systems)
- Your learning rate matters more than your credentials.
- Career paths are rarely straight lines.
Money
- Initially, focus on earning more than saving more.
- Lifestyle inflation will kill your freedom if you let it.
- Money is really just stored time and options for your future.
Health
- Energy is everything, it's the foundation.
- Sleep, food, and movement aren't optional.
- Chronic neglect will hurt you in the long run.
Relationships
- Boundaries create respect, not distance.
- Quality over quantity, always.
- Being lonely isn't the same as being alone.
Emotions & Mind
- Anxiety usually means you lack clarity on something.
- Comparison is feedback, not a command to change.
- Discomfort is the price of growth.
Failure
- Treat failure as feedback, not a statement about who you are.
- Doing nothing costs more than doing the wrong thing.
- What matters most is how fast you recover, not how much you avoid failing.
Meaning
- Purpose emerges from taking action.
- Contribute more than you consume.
- Meaning isn't found lying around; you have to build it.
Design your life like a system. Maximize your learning rate, energy, and leverage. Minimize self-deception.