35 Lessons Learned in 35
Years

Every year on his birthday
Srini shares one lesson for each year of life he’s lived.

Every year on his birthday
Srini shares one lesson for each year of life he’s lived. This year he asked his business partner David if he’d illustrate those lessons.

Every year on his birthday
Srini shares one lesson for each year of life he’s lived. This year he asked his business partner David if he’d illustrate those lessons. This is what we created.

Laugh more than you cry.
You won’t regret that. You’ll always feel better when you laugh. In fact, laugh until you’re laughing so hard that you are crying. Those are the best tears.

Catch a wave once in
this lifetime When you tell your friends what a thrill it was, they’ll have one of two reactions. They’ll think you’ve lost your mind (especially when you have an obsessive personality). Or they’ll want to experience it for themselves. But, there’s no sense in trying to explain an orgasm to somebody who has never had one. The only way to understand is to experience it.

Try something that might not
work Everything you know how to do now was once something that might not have worked.

Do something big, bold, and
audacious at least once in your life (ideally get addicted to doing that) * If you need help with that talk to AJ Leon. It seems to be his default state of being. Defiance and audacity might just be his favorite words in the dictionary.

Live fully in the moment
The past is over and the future is promised to no one.

Make friends not followers or
fans. Friends last forever. Even if you decide to quit your online project, your friends will still be there. Fans and followers can unlike your page or unfollow you on Twitter.

Sit in a bar with
one of your oldest friends Tell stories and toss back beers, wine, or whatever it is you like to drink until you’re the last two people there. The drunker you get, the better the stories seem to get. There’s something magical about that.

Help somebody achieve their dream
It will come full circle. Just don’t wait for it or expect it. That’s the wrong intention.

Perfect is an illusion. There’s
no such thing. We’re all flawed. My lips are too big until somebody kisses me and realizes they’ve scored. Same probably goes for that weird quirk you’re super self conscious about. Embrace that thing that makes you UNMISTAKABLE

Comparison is a vicious trap
because there’s always somebody ahead and always somebody behind. Don’t look too far forward... and don’t look too far back.

Don’t get too caught up
in comparison. It’s easy to compare ourselves when our lives are on public display. Yet we judge the package by the wrapping paper. You may think you want someone else’s life...but you don’t. You’ll get the parts that suck with the parts that are awesome. We don’t realize that there is no Facebook photo album for somebody’s inner turmoil. Make a conscious effort to celebrate little victories, appreciate what you have, and keep moving forward.

Read something inspiring daily Start
with the Life and Times of a Remarkable Misfit.

Say what you need to
say Don’t keep things on your chest. You’ll eventually have a heart attack if you do.

Build or create something with
your own two hands Break out your box of crayons, a blank canvas or a moleskine notebook. Lego Castles count too. There’s great joy that comes from building something with your own two hands.

Don’t make a big deal
out of small things. Rain falls. Milk spills. Shit happens. If you get worked up about small things, you’ll have a heart attack over the big things.

Failure is not that big
of a deal. You won’t die or go to jail.

Sometimes life will throw you
curve balls. You’ll end up feeling broken. Broken does not mean beyond repair.

Learn from your failures Look
for the lesson. There usually is one.

Plant seeds... but realize they
won’t bare fruit for a while. In fact it will take longer than you think. So plant the seed, but don’t get obsessed with it. If you keep digging up the seeds to see how well they’re growing you’ll stunt the growth. You’ll get your moment in the sun.

You can always wait until
you have more time and money but... There’s no such thing as the perfect time My friend Maria’s accountant waited for the perfect time and she was diagnosed with cancer while waiting to take the trip of a lifetime. You have ONE life as far as I’m concerned. Don’t put living it on hold. My mom said she made a resolution to do something new every month. I said “you’ve been on this planet more than 50 years. I think you’ve got some catching up to do.” But I am glad to see my parents enjoying the fact that we live in California!

Teach yourself something new every
single day. We’ve entered an era in which you can give yourself an education that kicks the crap out of the one you got in school.

Learn to enjoy where you’re
at and what you have Ironically that’s what enables you to get further and have more.

Ignore your “To Do” list
for a day and Create a “To Be” list Spend the day being all the things on that list.

Watch one of your favorite
bands at a live concert

Waste a day on completely
trivial pursuits Play video games. Wander aimlessly. Do whatever it is that will put a smile on your face.

Kiss somebody on the beach
while the sun is setting

Buy an international plane ticket
on a whim Try to put as little gap as possible between your purchase date and departure date. If it makes you anxious...that’s good! Extraordinary occurs outside your comfort zone.

Say yes to the things
that will bring joy to your life.

Money comes and goes. People
and experiences are the real treasure in life. Measure your wealth in friends If that’s the case I’m getting very rich.

Write something every single day
It can be a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or 1000 words. Just because you write it doesn’t mean you have to publish it.

If you have to ask
yourself if somebody is an asshole, you’re already doomed. Have a no asshole rule! Don’t work with them. Don’t associate with them online or in real life. Please for the love of God, don’t marry them. I know some of my female friends have dated them.

Eat a chocolate lava cake
preferably with ice cream Don’t trust people who don’t like chocolate or have any vices. They’re almost always hiding something.

People will remember you based
on how you were most of the time If you’re always angry, anxiety ridden, and stressed out that’s how you’ll be remembered. You can’t sing a different tune on birthdays, holidays, and special occasions and go down in history with the people around you as a grammy winner. So ask yourself how do you want to be remembered?

Fall in love! I’m told
it’s marvelous. I can’t speak from experience. That’s one thing I haven’t crossed off this list at my age. Hopefully you’ll do it sooner.

Everybody has greatness within them!
Sometimes you just have to mine for it. Stop with the self criticism and surround yourself with people who encourage your genius zone over your excellence or comfort zone. Easier said than done.

Written by Srini Rao Designed
& Illustrated by David Crandall

Srini & David are business
partners at BLOGCAST FM .com Feel free to stop by and say hi!

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