Through the joys and struggles of life, we learn many lessons, mostly in great and painful ways. And more often than not, these priceless lessons help us face life head on.

We all know and agree that life is a process with lessons at every corner turned. These lessons when noted help shape and prepare us for the rest of our lives.

As part of my 30^th birthday, I’d like to share some 30 amazing things I’ve learnt in my life. All the good, the bad and even the ugly.

21. Listen to your intuition. It’s your inner guidance. Try this every morning or evening; put your phone away and sit quietly by yourself for a few minutes. Reflect on how your day has been or how you want the next day to be. Let your inner self speak to you on the right steps to take to attain the goals you want and from within all the answers you seek shall be found

22. Learn to forgive and let go of grudges. Don’t wait for people to feel bad about their actions before you forgive them. Some will never accept that they are wrong. Forgive people even before they offend you. Holding on to grudges only take up space in your heart. Let go of them and you’ll be happy for the rest of your life.

23. Have a Vision board. You can start at whatever age you are now, if you don’t already have one. You’re never too young or too old to have one. I had my first board when I was 12 years old I think. I listed the things I wanted to achieve in life and I kept adding stuff to the list as I got older. Every milestone was celebrated and every failure became a good lesson. This has served as a guide and has kept me focused most of my life.

24. Have a mentor. It’s great to have someone that will hold you accountable for the goals you set for yourself. Let them be a mentor to motivate and guide you. I find it valuable to choose someone that will have no mercy and will chastise you even before excuses come out of your mouth when you don’t achieve your planned goals.

25. Be adventurous and spice up your life. A monotonous life can kill you. Travel often, speak with and learn from people from diverse background. It makes you open minded and takes you out of your comfort zone to achieve more in life.

26. Help people without expectations. Give freely even when people take you for granted, which will unfortunately happen. Sometimes the people you help end up hurting you, but don’t that affect other good people who need your help too. Continue being kind even when some people take your kindness for granted. It’s honestly not an easy thing to do but it’s very doable.

27. If you’re a business owner don’t be afraid to fire employees, especially when your instinct tells you to. As a medical doctor and an entrepreneur, I’ve encountered several employees with different personality traits. One school of thought says “Be slow to hire and quick to fire” another says “Be Fast to hire, quick to inspire”. I say “Take time to hire, be quick to inspire, fire when not getting results.

28. It’s great to make a lot of money but it’s even better when you learn to save and grow your income. INVEST!!! Because life works in seasons, you can be rich today and poor tomorrow based on your choices right now, so think FUTURE! Of cause taking care of yourself is key in enjoying your earnings so don’t forget to do that.

29. We have always been taught that education is the key to success. But we all know it’s not the key to riches. Education refines you and makes you knowledgeable to acquire wealth. You must be an outside-the-box-thinker to become successful, rich and different!

30. The Mind is as powerful as it is vulnerable, so feed it with positive thoughts daily. Remember your thoughts and beliefs dictate your reality. The moment you start believing in the not-yet seen and take the right actions, your reality will begin to shift till it transforms into what it’s meant to be.

After everything is said and done, we all have just one life (unless you can prove to me that we are reincarnated into our bodies and old lives), so live it to the fullest, love yourself the most and go for what you believe in.