8 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew in My 20s

(Number 5 changed my life)

Life doesn't come with a manual, but this is the closest thing I can offer.

Time doesn't wait for anyone

If you're reading this in your 20s, lucky you! These are your best years. But heads up, a third of your life is already gone.

For most of us life after 70 is not even enjoyable anymore. I'm in my mid-30s, so half my life is over.

I spent almost 35 years experiencing poverty, losing a parent, fighting illness, battling depression, breaking up with friends, getting fired, failing at businesses, and watching my dreams crumble. I've done things that haunt me to this day and missed chances I'll never get back.

I've been broke, broken, and on the brink of breakdown.

All of these painful experiences, all of this suffering and struggle, have taught me lessons I wish I'd known decades ago. Lessons that could have saved me from countless sleepless nights, endless tears, and years of regret.

These lessons cost me half of my life. You only need to spend the next 10 minutes.

It’s a bargain.

Here are things I wish I knew in my 20s, not in any particular order.

1. Everything is held together with duct tape

The perfect life you dream about isn't really perfect.

Everything in life is a trade-off.

You gain some things, but you lose others. The key is to pick the trade-offs that benefit you the most.

Remember, everyone's making it up as they go along, just like you.

Life is messy. Accept that earlier.

Don’t waste time chasing the perfect life that doesn’t exist.