The one where I'm 25

In the days leading up to my birthday which has now been nick-named "The Quarter", I've experienced degrees of motivation, excitement, utter fear, & even gratitude. Out of all of that, I present what I have extracted: The 25 things I've learned before turning 25

• You can be happy, you can be successful -- life is what YOU make it!
• We all have the ability to make people smile
• You choose how to allocate your time -- & with whom
• Family IS worth making time for -- it's not a given that they'll always be there
• There is nothing more worthwhile nor which brings more joy than laughter
• It doesn't matter what you believe in -- so long as you find something to believe in
• You'll never know the true impact you have upon another person
• You must be careful not to be too harsh, yet likewise to not be too soft -- this is a difficult balance which i have not yet mastered
• Love is worth the effort & the risk
• A façade is never the full story -- this is true both in architecture & people "Everything we hear is opinion not fact, everything we see is perspective not truth" Marcus Aurelius
• Age dictates neither wisdom nor maturity
• Make healthy lifestyle choices
• Invest in quality wardrobe pieces
• Never apologize for something which brings you sincere delight
• Take time to be disconnected -- to breath in fresh cut grass, crisp picked apples, the sea breeze, & rain in the air
• You cannot be part of a coherent couple if you cannot be healthy & content as yourself
• The little things are not as important as you think they are
• Impossible is only a word
• Never stop learning
• Make time to kiss passionately & hug slowly
• Don't rush through life, it will go by too fast as it is
• Submerse yourself in a culture entirely apart from your own -- it will remind you that although some people may seem strange to you, you seem strange to some people
• You're not alone, even when you think you are
• Exercise & take care of your body
• Gratitude is the greatest lesson I have learnt to date