This document shares 35 life lessons, with each lesson corresponding to one year of the author's life. For each year of his life, the author Srini shares a brief life lesson or piece of advice. The lessons cover topics like embracing failures as learning experiences, living in the present moment, making time for fun and leisure activities, falling in love, and surrounding oneself with supportive people. Srini asked his business partner David to illustrate the 35 lessons.

1. 35
Lessons
Learned in 35 Years

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. 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.

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

10. 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.

11. 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.

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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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.

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

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

18. 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.

19. 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.

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

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

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

23. 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.

24. 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!

25. 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.

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

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

28. Watch one of your favorite bands
at a live concert

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

30. Kiss somebody
on the beach while the sun is setting

31. 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.

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

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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?

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. Written by
Srini Rao
Designed & Illustrated by
David Crandall

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

42. Thank You!
If you liked this, please share it!