It's my birthday today. 32 years on planet earth. So I decided to write down a list of 32 lessons from 32 years of life.

(A Thread )

1. Your childhood doesn't define you. Your childhood was determined by people and circumstances around you. Don't believe that you are the sum total of your childhood. You can rewrite your story any moment you want.

2. Start thinking on your own as early as you can. Puberty does not make you an adult, freedom of thought does.

3. Do not compare yourself with your peers. Your peers are just a tiny sample of humanity. Be yourself and stay true to your interests. In time, you will find your true peers.

4. School is an unavoidable part of growing up. Self-Education is what really matters. All learning will come from books outside of your curriculum.

5. Play more games. It doesn't matter if you suck. It's more about playing than winning.

6. Your childhood will shape your desires. Your whole life will be shaped by the desire to get what you lacked as a child. It may be care, money, or attention. It's a trap. What you really want is joy and love.

7. Read more books. It doesn't matter what you read. A book is a device to explore your interests and seek the truth. Ignore popular books and read interesting books.

8. Some people will hurt you with their words and actions. Know that miserable people make others miserable. Forgive them for their ignorance.

9. You may feel that you lack beauty, worthiness, and many more. Know that these are all lies. Every life is beautiful. You are worthy. You are priceless.

10. Fall in love. You may fall out of love later. It doesn't matter. Every failed relationship is a learning ground to build a solid relationship in the future.

11. Teenage is a confusing place. No one can prepare you for that. Just try to get through with minimum physical, mental, and emotional damage.

12. Repent for your sins and then forgive yourselves. Life is too short to spend on dead memories.

13. Follow your dreams. Don't let others kill the small voice in your heart that tells you what you want to do in life. It's easy for the crowd to silence that voice. It is the only voice worth listening to.

14. Whatever age you "think" you should get a job or get married is a myth. It's the bullshit that society has taught you. Don't settle down until you are free (internally and externally).

15. All you need are 3 meals a day, a roof above your head, and some money for emergency needs. Everything beyond that is a bonus.

16. Most of us are born as slaves. It may be physical, mental, or emotional. We may have to earn our freedom inch by inch, day by day. Never ever give up. Freedom is worth dying for.

17. Religion is the ready-made truth. The problem is that it's over-processed and expired. Instead, pursue spirituality. It's the only way to discover the truth.

18. God is just a label to something that humans can't describe. Some call it by the name of Jesus, some call it Allah, and some Krishna. Don't get attached to the label.

19. You can choose a label for God to which you can relate to. In reality, you can only meet "God" when you drop all the labels.

20. Meditation is a tool to discover who you are. There is no better way to start your day than returning to your inner self.

21. Guru has become a dirty word today. The charlatans of the west and east have corrupted the word. A Guru is the embodiment of truth. A true Guru is the only one who can liberate you. Keep looking until you find him.

22. Marriage is not about building the "perfect" relationship. It's about learning to love, share, learn, and forgive.

23. Get a dog. There are only two perfect relationships in the whole world. One is with God, the other is with your Dog.

24. Don't buy that fancy car. It will not make you happier. The only car you will ever need is a Camry. The rest of them are just for social signaling.

25. Get a library card. It's the most amazing thing and yet somehow free.

26. Live in a foreign country for a few years. It will change how you see the world and your role in it.

27. Never stop working on your dreams. Even 1 hr/day counts. It's not about making it big. It's exercising your right to create.

28. Read a lot of books, then read from a lot of books. In the beginning, it's about getting over the fear of reading. Later, it's about finding answers to your deepest questions.

29. Write every single day. Writing is the best way to think better. It's the easiest and cheapest way to examine your thinking and life.

30. Write about the things you read in your own words. There is no such thing as an original idea. All ideas originate from the creative void. We, humans, are just hunters and gatherers of ideas.

31. Stop trying to be more productive. Instead, look for ways to be more creative. Productivity is for machines, Creativity is for humans. Let the robots take over productivity so that we can be more creative.

32. Be grateful for life every single day. Today, I am grateful to be alive for yet another day.

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