I turned thirty today with the cliched mixture of emotions. Regret. Trepidation. Sadness. Strange the lack of positive emotions. Lack of positive emotions regarding my thrirties, that is. Perhaps some of these feelings can be attributed to the great time I had in my twenties. Then again I suppose everybody has a great time in their twenties.
Anyway, yesterday I was shooting the breeze with a colleague ( who is about 22) and feeling like the old man that I am, I thought of a couple of points of advice. Now I'm not saying that I live(d) by them all, but if you take a couple of these points to heart, that inevitable segue into your thirties may contain one or two less regrets.

  1. Take a lot of photos. People in your life come and go. Unfortunately some of the people who dissappear from your life are missed greatly. Photos bring back a million memories and become priceless.
  2. Don't hesitate to do something a little scary. An example is quitting your job for something that you want to do. If it works out, great. Even if it doesn't, it will open up new opportunities and experiences that you would have missed sitting safe on your ass. Character building.
  3. Live so that all your old (boy/girl)friends will remember you for the things that you have given them. Not material things of course.
  4. Recognise and remember what each significant person in your life has given you.
  5. Keep all your old letters, love letters, notes, correspondence. When you break up with someone, don't tear up all their photos and letters. If it's that painful, put them out of site for a couple of months or years. You probably shared a lot with this person, don't throw away all the momentoes of that in the heat of the moment, you'll more than likely regret it.
  6. Save some money. I'm not saying be a tight ass, but perhaps start a regular savings plan with an automatic salary deduction. Waking up at thirty with a closet full of fresh clothes but not a cent to your name is not a very nice feeling.
  7. Be open-minded, try new things.
  8. Don't feel guilty about your parents, do something about it.
  9. Don't tell your friends your E2 username.

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