Today is my birthday, I’ve reached the grand old age of twenty-four. Over the years, I've picked up a few things. I've still got a lot to learn, but to celebrate my birthday, I’d like to share some of this knowledge with you.

1. You are in control of your own life. Sometimes it might be easier to blame other people, but  at the end of the day you are the one that is in charge. If you hate your job, go find a new one. If you're not happy in your relationship, end it. It’s your choice.

2. Everything will be alright in the end. Everybody has those times when something bad happens and you genuinely feel like it's the end of the world. Most of the time, it’s not. Half of the time, you will have forgotten all about it in less than a week.

3. People are just human beings. We all come from different backgrounds and have different thoughts and feelings, but at the end of the day we're pretty much the same.

4. Exercise really is good for you. I've never been a fan of sports, but lately I've been getting a bit more active, and I've actually been enjoying it. It gets my heart pumping and not only is it good for my body, but I can almost feel those endorphins being released!

5. You can do anything you put your mind to. If you really want it and you actively try to get it, nine times out of ten you can do it.

6. There's never any need to worry. If something bad happens, just ask yourself what you can do. If there’s nothing you can do to make it better, you need to forget about it. If there is something you can do, you need to take action. It’s as simple as that. Stop worrying!

7. Honesty is the best policy. Lies always come out in the end, so you may as well tell the truth. Better still, don't do things in the first place that you might later feel a need to lie about.

8. It doesn't matter what other people think. Some people will love you, some people will hate you. What does it matter? Whoever you are, whatever you do, someone, somewhere is not going to like you. So, you may as well just be yourself and stop caring what they think.

9. Friends are important. Life is quite pointless unless you've got other people to share it with. Sometimes staying in touch can take a bit of effort, but it's worth it.

10. Little acts of kindness can make the world a better place. Help an old lady cross the road, stop and talk to a homeless man, give a stranger a compliment. Not only will it put a smile on their face, but it will make you feel better too.

11. A good nights sleep can set you up well for the day. I don't know about you, but when I haven't had at least eight hours, I'm irritable and cannot think straight. It's better to get a good nights sleep.

12. Happiness is more important than money. It took me longer that I’d like to admit to work this one out. I used to think more money equals happiness. Newsflash: It doesn’t! Okay, you need some money to survive, but experiences are more important than possessions and you don't need a lot of money to experience life.

13. It's never worth getting into debt. There's a few of exceptions here; mortgages and students loans to name two. But excessive credit card bills and overdrafts are not worth the stress.

14. You've got to appreciate the little things in life. Stop and notice the shapes of the flowers and the size of the trees. Beauty can be found everywhere if you take the time to look for it.

15. There's no point in staying angry at someone you love. You know you love them, you know they didn't mean to upset you, you know you're going to forgive them eventually, so why not save yourself the stress and forgive them now?

16. Stop talking, start doing. Enough with telling everybody about how you're going to change the world or live the life of your dreams. Start taking action to make it happen.

17. The grass is always greener on the other side. When I lived in a small sleepy town, all I wanted was to move to a big bustling city. When I moved to a big bustling city, all I wanted was a small sleepy town. This happens in so many areas of my life, but I'm learning to brush those feelings aside and focus on the good things.

18. Keep an open mind. Try not to make too many assumptions. Allow yourself to take things for what they really are.

19. Learn from your mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, that’s just a fact of life. The important thing is how we deal with them. No matter how big or small the problem is, just take a moment to think about where things went wrong and how you can avoid it happening again in the future.

20. Live in the present. You are never going to have this moment in time again, so you may as well make the most of it. Stop thinking about the past and the future, focus on what's happening right now.

21. If you have a plan, you're more likely to achieve your goal. Whether it's career progression, weight loss, going travelling or anything else, it's not going to happen by itself. You need a plan and you need to stick to it.

22. It's all about finding the right balance. You might have noticed the last few points kind of contradicted each other. There are a lot of contradictions in life. The key is to find the right balance.

23. Doing something different can be a lot of fun. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, but it's great to try new things. Whether it's walking a slightly different route to work or booking a one way flight to the other side of the world, it's good to mix things up a little bit.

24. There's always more to learn. Nobody knows everything. You can always grow, improve and learn more.

Have you got any words of wisdom you would like to share?

PS. If you liked this post, you'll love this one on making every day an adventure too.

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