27 Pieces of Advice on my 27th Birthday

Hey friends. Today, I turned 27. I compiled these last night while reflecting on my first 26 years and thinking about what I want out of the next one — and (hopefully) the many that will follow. These are all thoughts that have resonated with me so far and that I wish I was exposed to much sooner. I hope you find them helpful.

On the World Around Us:

1. “Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. Forget yourself.” - Henry Miller
2. “Be curious, it involves you in the world.” - Brian Grazer
3. “Anything that moves you is art.” - Shia LaBeouf

On Purpose, Ambition, and Success

1. “Let’s assume that you think you have a choice of eight paths to follow… And let’s assume that you can’t see any real purpose in any of the eight. THEN… you MUST FIND A NINTH PATH” - Hunter S Thompson
2. "If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's." - C.G. Jung
3. “Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.” - Mary Schmich
4. Have no interest in doing business as usual.
5. “It may be lucky, but it’s not an accident.” - Chris Sacca
6. If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
7. You don’t know how much a rubber band can hold until you stretch it. And if you don’t stretch it, it holds nothing.
8. “Slow down, you’re doing fine. You can’t be everything you want to be before your time.” - Billy Joel
9. “Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.” - Phil Knight

On Relationships

1. “Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.” - Mary Schmich
2. Whenever you have bad news, call, or better yet, tell the person face-to-face.
3. Stories from the past can bring people back to life.
4. “People are hard to hate close up.” - Brené Brown
5. The space between us is where God lives. (Before Sunrise)
6. “Love is not: I will give this to you if you do this for me. Love is: I will give this to you so that you may shine.” - Yung Pueblo

On Life

1. If you’re not happy here you won’t be happy there.
2. Everyone is going through life for the first time.
3. “Relax. Nothing is under control.” - Adi Da
4. Don’t fight it. Well, until you have to.
5. Life’s just a bunch of todays.
6. “Wanting always interrupts being.” - Yung Pueblo
7. “Like a sunrise or sunset, anything so ephemeral. Just like our life - we appear and we disappear and we are so important to some, but… we are just passing through.” (Before Midnight)
8. This is the good part. It’s all the good part.

On Advice

1. “Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.” - Mary Schmich