Life Begins at 25

(Re-post of a blog I created when I was 26, with revisions)
 
Life begins at 40, they say. But I say, life begins at 25.

Would you agree with this- the choices we made 5 years ago is who we are right now?

If this is true, then, awareness must start at 25 or earlier so that by 30, we can already start living the life that we want.

It begins with awareness because we cannot go to where we want to be without knowing where we are now and where we want to be.

Does this mean that we should not be contented with what we have? Of course not. What I'm saying is, we should always yearn for more.

This is the advice that I encounter a lot and do my best to live by: dream big, believe, and achieve it;  never stop learning; love and laugh with all your heart so you can truly live; never, never ever miss anything (this I got from Jim Rohn); give.



Dream big, believe it, achieve it.

There was once a self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, author, and speaker who went to the Philippines and shared one of his success secrets. His name is Ty Bennett. According to Kevin Hall, Ty at age 29 already achieved what most would achieve by age 80. He dreamt, believed, and achieved. You know how he got started? He made a bucket list. I'd like you to hear from him first hand:

  
Done? I'm sure you learned a lot and I hope you take his advice to heart. If you want to learn more from him, visit him at www.leadershipinc.com.

What gets written gets done.  I made a dream book last July 2009. It's just a filler type of notebook where I allot 1 page per dream. I cut pictures from magazines or print from the net. I leave some space in the page where I can paste my pictures. It's fun making the dream book and I look at it almost everyday. Funny thing, some dreams I get even if I don't spend for it. Below are some of the pages marked "done".

Never stop learning.

We are the same person 5 years ago, except for the books we read and the people we meet. One is never too old to learn. So grab a book of your interest or talk to somebody interesting. You'll never know what treasures you can discover.

If you can't think of any book, just try to open the book that is readily available in our homes- the Bible. The Bible has a whole spectrum of knowledge, from relationship to entrepreneurship. For beginners, you can start with Psalms, Proverbs, or the New Testament.

If you don't know any interesting people, go around, meet new friends, do something outside of work, and outside of your home. Who knows, you might meet that person you need so you can accomplish the next item:

Love and laugh with all your heart. 

"Only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men" -Og Mandino.

Love what you do.
Love unconditionally.
Laugh... 

Love - click here
Laugh - click here.

Never miss anything.   

Set priorities and commit not to miss anything.  A moment only takes a second to capture and only a second to lose. 

Have a journal so you can capture your thoughts.

Have a camera so you can capture moments.

Travel. See the world. Be present at special events. I'm not saying that you should say "yes" to every invitation you get. Again, set priorities. But when I get invited to a wedding, I do my best to attend even if it means traveling more than 8 hours just to get there. It's one of the special moments in my friend's life so I want to be there. 

Give.  

Share every knowledge, every talent that you have. Bo Sanchez, a successful entrepreneur and an advocate and proof of God's abundance shares that we have these resources that we can share: Time, Talent, Treasure. 

When we give, we realize that we get so much in return. Think of one the happiest moments of your life. Wasn't it the time that you were able to give? To share your talent, time, or treasure? The happiest people are the givers. One cannot sincerely help another without helping oneself in the process. Make every moment an opportunity to give. Give a smile to a stranger.

If you choose to be happy; cause another to be happy;
If you choose to be prosperous, cause another person to prosper;

If you choose more love in your life,
cause another to have more love in theirs.

By giving, you will then no longer be "wanting" it.
You will immediately experience "having" it.

-Barbel Mohr        

Life begins at 25. 
 
So if you are not yet 25, it's never too early to start. But, if you are past 25, it's never too late to begin.

We only have one life to live, make the most out of it. 

- Verna