20 Things I Learnt By 20

I've done a lot of learning. I’ve learned to love, I’ve learned anger, I've learned to be creative, to be adventurous... I've learned about science and history, I’ve learned about my own culture, as well as others, and most importantly I’ve learned that life is about learning. 

So here are twenty things I've learned along the way.

1. Be your own best mate

No matter if you're new in town, travelling the world, don't have a lot of mates or everyone's just busy, here's your push to just be your own best mate.

I happily go to gigs, concerts, the movies, dinner, coffee, shopping, travel and the beach alone. But I ain't lonely because you can’t be lonely if you like the person you are alone with. 😉

2. Believe that you can achieve

If you believe it, you'll achieve it. You'll be in the right place at the right time, you'll dedicate yourself to it, and you'll take the right steps toward achieving whatever your goal is. 

But if you don't believe... well, you're creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where you don't put your whole heart into it, you don't really bother, you can't seem to meet the right connections and you don't succeed.

Believe believe believe.

3. It's about the journey, not a destination

Say you wanna win an Oscar. If I gave you one tomorrow, you'd probably be pretty underwhelmed. Hang on, that was easy...?

But if you hustle for years, working on film sets, making connections, climbing the Hollywood ladder to eventually fund a screenplay and then you win an Oscar, now that's a payoff! Enjoy the process and trust it! 

4. Kindness goes a long way

Never underestimate the sheer power of kindness.

Think of your kindness as a candle - If you go out into the world and light up someone else’s candle through your kindness, and they go out and do the same, eventually everyone will have a candle that is lit.

5. Work hard, play harder

Don't let the pendulum swing too far in one direction. We obviously need work to achieve goals and put our skills and talents to good use, but we need play because damn, life is meant to be enjoyed! 

6. Step out of your comfort zone

Go to places you wouldn’t normally go. Do things you wouldn’t normally do. 

Who knows, you might stumble across something you froth or meet someone funky. Don't fall into limbo. Spice life up as much as you can! ✨

7. Nice guys 'n gals finish first

The other night, I complimented the bartender on being stunning (because she was). She gave me a free drink.

Encouraging people, lifting them up and lending a helping hand will only bring good vibes straight back to you. Pretty sure that's karma. 

8. Confidence is hot

If someone's looking miserable with low self-esteem, all hunched over, trying to take up as little space as possible....they usually don’t appear very attractive and it really doesn’t have so much to do with the shape of your nose... 

No matter what you look like, confidence radiates from you like a light beam. You walk better, you talk better and generally, you look better when you’re confident. People notice too.

Take up space. Back yourself. Stand tall. 

9. Always be yourself

If you fake who you are, you're always going to attract the wrong people. But when you're just yourself, you'll attract people who love who you are; and the rest, well they don’t matter. In the words of Dr. Seuss “Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”.

10. Who dares, wins

If you never buy lotto tickets, you can't expect to win...! Send it! Get out there, meet people, try and fail and try again, and buy that lotto ticket.

11. Go with your gut

Fun fact, scientists call the stomach the “second brain”. There are 100 million neurons lining your entire digestive tract... Your intuition in your gut is legit so listen to it. 

Sometimes you may not have any rational or logical reasoning as to why your gut's telling you something but follow it. Weirdly enough, it's normally proven right.

12. Forgive but don't forget

If you knock on a door and someone answers it, then slaps you in the face, how many times are you gonna keep knocking? 

Holding onto anger is only hurting you so always try to forgive and let go. But in the least bitter way possible, don't forget. Learn. You don't wanna be slapped again. 

13. I’ve never met anyone I couldn’t learn something from

Everyone has a wild story. Everyone has a lesson to teach. Open your ears and heart and listen.

14. Be empathetic 

You never know what someone has been through, maybe that day, that week, or in their life in total. Be empathetic. Be kind. Be openminded. 

15. The more you get, the more you want

If you're unhappy with yourself, you'll always be trying to accumulate more and more to fill that void. No amount of money, success, friends, or cats (lol) will bring you happiness because it will never be enough.

You have to be happy with who you are now. 

16. Look on the bright side of life

Take a look around. Everything is a reflection of your thoughts. If you think the world is out to get you, it'll be out to get you. If you think the world has your side, it'll have your side. 

Your thoughts run your world. So change them. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

17. Never, ever give up

You're about to walk up a set of stairs but you trip over the first one. “That’s it I’m not walking up these anymore”. You turn back around.

If you just kept going, you would have gotten to the top. Sure, you may have tripped a few more times, or gotten distracted. People may have gotten in your way. But every failure doesn’t mean it’s the end; it’s just a step up the staircase. 

18. Change is good

If nothing ever changes, life becomes limbo. Change can be frazzling and challenging. It can also be so bloody exciting. Embrace the rollercoaster that is life.

19. Set goals

Whatever you want to achieve, set little goals towards achieving it. So, you wanna write that Oscar-winning screenplay? You could set goals like:

• Write for thirty minutes a day
• Watch/listen to a screenwriting tutorial twice a week
• Read through a script once a week 
• Watch and analyse a new movie each week

Your goals will always grow and change which is exciting!

20. Live in the present

As soon as I turned 20, I had a hard time believing that my teenage years were over, where did the time go?

As Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". 

Slow down, breathe, take in the moment. Don't get riled up over the past or anxious about the future. Happiness is found in the now.