30 Lessons That Changed My Life

Welcome to Letters of Wonder — a space to explore the truths behind clarity, creation, and what it means to live a truly wonderful life.

At 24 years old, I found myself wondering for the first time about the end of my life.

I know, I still have a lot of time, but I wondered, what can a 20-something year old do to live a beautiful life?

And so I wanted to share a few truths I came across and have actually worked well for me.

And it really doesn't matter how old you are. These truths apply for everyone.

So here are 30 lessons/reminders to live by for a beautiful life:

1. Taking long walks outside with no phone or music

Ah, nothing better than walking outside in nature without anything.

I like to schedule these throughout my day.

And it leaves me more refreshed than ever.

2. Check in with your inner world

Life is busy. There's travel, friends, family, work, hobbies and all the rest.

This leaves little time to spend on your inner world.

Journaling and meditation are great ways to spend time in solitude and get clear on what you really feel inside.

Over a period of time, they will transform you.

3. Go somewhere by yourself once a month (or once a week if you can)

There's something beautiful about spending time by yourself.

At first it might feel very awkward. Who do you look at? What do you do?

That's the point :)

You spend time just being with yourself, and soon it begins to feel very calm.

4. Let someone know you're proud of them

Everyone has their own goals and dreams.

We're so focused on our own, that we forget that everyone is fighting their own challenges.

So take a moment to let someone know how proud of them you are.

It will go a long way.

5. Send a hand-written letter to someone in your life

There's something so beautifully authentic about hand-written letters.

To take the time out of your day to put pen to paper goes beyond sending a message.

It's human.

And if you can write all that you're grateful for in that letter, you will find yourself smiling in love.

And I guarantee, that person will feel the love too.

6. Tell someone exactly how you feel

It's hard to fully open up sometimes.

But when you truly tell someone how you feel, chances are, they may just feel that too.

And if they don't, that's okay. At least you lived truly to yourself.

7. Create something that you love and share it with the world

You really never know where creation can take you.

But it's not even about that.

Just the act of creating something is so beautiful.

This can be a business, a writing, a video, a product, or even a simple message.

Whatever it is, create it and let it go.

Beauty will unfold.

8. Film yourself talking with your parents or grandparents

Life is finite.

And your parents and grandparents won't be here forever.

Something your older self will thank you for is recording the moments with your loved ones.

Set up some time to do a deeper podcast and ask them the questions that matter.

Get to know about their lives.

And record it as a memory you can later have or even show your kids.

9. Stretch, move, and lift weights frequently

Our body is a vessel to our health.

If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

It's true that you are not your body. What it looks like doesn't matter.

But it does represent something deeper, what you feel inside.

Not only will exercising make you look and feel better, it will also take care of you for the long-term so you live a high quality life.

10. Do hard things

Things like taking cold showers and waking up early are not easy.

But it's the hard that makes it great.

You'll find that you will be more resilient and build your character.

11. Read books when you can

Knowledge is infinite.

As Alvin Toffler once said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

It's not just about the subject you learn. It's about how that interlaps with all areas of your life.

For me, books shaped the way I think about the world.

They helped teach me wisdom I wouldn't have picked up.

They even helped me get clear on what I wanted my life to look like.

12. Track your energy and lean into what lights you up

We track our time, but rarely do we track our energy.

Get clear on where your energy is going.

Where do you feel good and are left more energized after?

Do more of that.

It may not be easy to do that immediately. Especially if you're in a relationship or career that drains you.

But lean in more, and you'll find yourself with more energy in your life.

13. Limit consumption and increase creation

Consumption feels easy in the moment and drains you after.

Creation feels hard in the moment and energizes you after.

But don't get me wrong, easy and hard don't mean good and bad.

One is just quicker and simpler to do.

And that's why you get hits of dopamine from it, and eventually are left more numb than before.

Creation on the other hand gives you lasting joy.

When you create something: a memory, a conversation, a project, you are left more energized after.

14. Thank the world for everything before going to bed

Gratitude and fear cannot exist in the same space.

When you are truly grateful, you will find peace within yourself.

Spend 5 mins before bed being grateful and watch how your life turns around.

15. Sit with an emotion instead of distracting yourself from it

It's easy to keep moving forward.

It's not so easy sitting with an emotion and processing it.

It almost sounds counter-intuitive.

But it's not.

By sitting with an emotion, you slowly learn to observe it rather than have it take you over.

Let yourself observe emotions for what they are.

As you do this, you will slowly begin to not identify with them.

And that's when true presence and love for life will fully emerge.

16. Write a letter to your past self and your future self

1) Your letter to your past self should be about all the things you learned and are learning currently.

It should be about the good and bad, in an honest reflection.

More so to be real with yourself and your inner thoughts.

Also take a moment to thank your past self for where you've come.

No matter where you are, find something in your life you are grateful for.

2) Your letter to your future self should be about where you want to be.

Talk about the goals and ambitions you have.

Get clear on the life you want to live and write to that future self about how you will meet them there.

17. Accept a compliment fully

It's easy to brush off compliments.

But sincerely accepting it is much more beautiful than you might think.

The next time you receive a compliment, feel it fully and thank the person who gave it to you so sincerely.

I guarantee, they'll feel it.

18. Love somebody without trying to control them

It's easy to control and guide people around you.

I find myself doing this sometimes.

But loving them and being there for them is very beautiful.

Interestingly, the relationship transforms to a much deeper level too when you let them be who they are.

The more love you give, the more love you will feel.

19. Tell your partner what you really feel deep inside

When we're in relationships for a long time, we begin to lose sight of things.

It's only human.

We are so used to them.

But take some time to really tell them how you feel deep inside.

Maybe schedule a date or go somewhere.

And treat it like it's your last day with them.

Ideally, if you can live every day like it's your last, that's beautiful.

But I know, life can get in the way.

So become intentional.

20. Write to/about your future partner

Okay for all of you who don't have a partner (myself included at the time of this writing).

Write them a deep letter.

It can be really whatever it is you want.

Whether it's a list of qualities they have, or a letter telling them how much you love them.

Anything is fair game.

The idea is that you will get clearer yourself and who knows, might just attract the one for you :)

21. Dance in your room alone

I gotta admit, this one is a bit silly. But it actually works.

It's strange how playing "Don't Stop the Music" and jumping up and down can make you feel superhuman.

Give it a shot.

22. Do something you did as a kid

Could be board games, physical games, whatever.

Doing something you did as a kid is always so fun.

And it doesn't even have to be games.

Maybe it's building a fort in your bedroom or recording a YouTube video together.

Bonus points if you do it with your childhood friends.

23. Be your silly self and laugh hard

Life's short. It's not meant to be so serious.

I've had phases where I had to lock in, but I realized that there's always space for humor.

Sometimes you just gotta laugh your heart out.

24. Cut out what doesn’t serve you anymore

It’s okay to outgrow people, habits, or situations.

That doesn’t mean they were bad.

You can still be deeply grateful for what they gave you.

But when something no longer brings you peace, it’s okay to let go.

You’re allowed to choose your growth.

25. Eat healthy and drink a lot of water

I realized how important healthy eating and hydration is.

For a long time, I obsessed over getting more jacked to where I was eating whatever I could.

I didn't know better as an 18 year old.

It was only later I realized how important healthy eating is.

Once you reach a certain age, you'd much rather live a healthy lifestyle than regret the bad choices you made just to look a certain way.

26. Think about the mountain you’re climbing

You’ll be climbing for a long time.

So pause and ask: Is this even the mountain I want to be on?

There are two:

1) The mountain of ego and expectations.

2) The mountain of truth and alignment.

One looks impressive. The other feels right.

Make sure you’re climbing the right one.

Because the view only matters if you love the path that got you there.

27. Teach and Get Taught

You’re always both a student and a teacher.

Help someone.

Volunteer, mentor, share what you know.

And at the same time - let yourself be helped.

Ask questions. Seek mentorship. Be open to learning from those ahead of you.

Life flows beautifully when you give and receive with an open heart.

That’s how we grow: together.

28. Observe life fully with no bias as if you were a baby again

I believe we are fully complete in who we are.

There's nothing outside of you that can complete you.

When you live life fully observing, you realize the full power you have always.

And that comes from presence in everything.

29. Trust and surrender to the Universe

Do the work, but don't be attached to the outcomes.

As the serenity prayer says:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

If you truly believe all that is meant for you will come, it will.

Not because you think it will, but because you will be aligned in that frequency.

It's important you do the work though.

30. Reflect on your death, that will lead you to the answers

What would your death-bed self tell you?

Get clear on that and you will take the actions to live a beautiful life.

Not the life others want for you to live.

But what you truly want.

And that’s it.

These aren’t rules or a checklist, mostly just reminders.

I wrote this mostly for myself - but maybe it found you at the right time too.

If something in here stirred something in you, hold onto it.

Let it guide one small choice this week :)