Happy freakin 29th Birthday: A list of 29 lessons.

I believe we become the adult we wanted as a child. Growing up as an immigrant and learning the English language at the same time as my parents, I wish I would’ve had someone similar to me and my situation, tell me that I can make it to be 29 years old and be relatively happy. This idea inspired this list of 29 lessons I’ve learned by my 29th birthday.

1. Be uncomfortable in a lot of different places! -At 22 years old I moved to Lubbock, Texas. In the two years I lived there I worked at a bowling alley, Little Caesars, Twisted Root Burgers, and Grace Clinic. Learning to be comfortable in all these different job duties has made me confident and compassionate with other people.

2. Be picky about your friends- You become what you surround yourself with and what you consume. It may seem small but if your friends approach their problems from a scarcity mentality, that way of thinking will creep into all areas of your life

3. Improve the quality of your physical abilities- I first heard this idea in an episode of Mind Pump Podcast.. I forget the exact episode, but they often discuss the topic of the quality of life depends on the quality of your physical abilities. Improving the condition of your physical health improves the quality of many other aspects of your life.

4. Don’t play it safe- I became a phlebotomist and pursued a degree in my early 20s because I thought it was the safer option. I joined the United States Air Force because I thought it was the safest option to get my degree without getting into debt. It would’ve saved me a lot of trauma and time if I would have been honest with myself and pursued creating Reibert-Anthony or any other creative business that would be more fulfilling.

5. Learn to budget- Money management is the rule of the game. Life can be enjoyed more if you exist within your means and don’t get into unnecessary debt.

6. Debt is a necessary sacrifice- Debt is unavoidable. Try to only get into debt if it gives you the ability to level up your life. I believe if debt gives you access to people that otherwise you wouldn’t have access to then it can be considered an investment.

7. Seek out unique experiences- One of the many reasons I enjoy doing long distance racing and obstacle course racing is because the experience of racing with other people in the exact conditions of race day cannot be duplicated.

8. Be okay, alone- Growth can only come from belonging to a community and being challenged by other people that have different (encouraging) perspectives. It takes time and effort to meet the right community. While seeking out this group and developing your skills/self, you will be alone. Be okay with that, it isn’t a failure unless you let ego keep you isolated.

9. Be kind- Nine years of working as a phlebotomist has taught me to be kind to everyone because most rude patients assume I will give them a bad experience. By showing kindness, I give them a different experience and relieve their anxiety over getting blood work done.

10. Leave the bar tab open- You are dumb if you leave without closing it and it’s awkward to have to take out the card again to pay for the second drink.

11. Have a sense of humor - Don’t take anything too serious. You are only one of infinite possibilities, might as well have a good time while you are here.

12. Make it count - Don’t throw away the opportunity to exist. You can be a POS but don’t. Elevate others and you will eventually elevate yourself.

13. Write it out bitch - Life will only make sense if you write it out. Nothing replaces the process of using pen and paper to come up with a solution.

14. Chill the f out - Life is complicated. You do not want to (and most likely can’t) figure it all out in one existence. Let things run its course. Be chill.

15. Take paid time off - I am writing up this blog while on vacation at Denver, Colorado. I am using PTO to cover my hours for part time job at Baylor Scott & White. Making sure you are making an income while on vacation is a good idea.

16. Break out of the hourly pay pattern - Passive income broski. It is accessible for everyone with an internet access. Figure out what works for you and invest time into developing a way to make passive income. (Top Passive Incomes by Forbes Advisor)) ( 23 Passive Income ideas to build wealth in 2022 by Oberlo.com)

17. Keep a journal- I keep my journal on my nightstand so that I can write in it every morning. It’s helped me process any doubts or random thoughts I may have.

18. Practice some type of philosophy-My life became manageable when I started practicing Stoic philosophy. Stoic values inspired the design of the Reibert-Anthony Logo.

19. Do tough physical things - Completing six Spartan races and two half marathons has been fun and helped me be more disciplined about my health.

20. Plan out your day- Planning your day will make handling the physical and mental taxes of every day, easier to manage.

21. Don’t stop learning- Save yourself unnecessary struggles by studying the wisdom of other people. There are many ways to study the wisdom of others, my preference is to read, take classes and subscribe to other creatives. (My Subscriptions (Patreon, Memberships and School))

22. Reputation matters – I learned this from reading The 48 laws of Power by Robert Greene (shortform.com), he describes the importance of reputation and ways that reputation can be influenced by who you associate with.

23. Talk to your family- I didn’t choose the family I was born into, but I can learn from them and become a better person by showing compassion and forgiveness for any wrong they may have done to me.

24. Keep it simple-Take action every day towards your big goal. Every action you take will build momentum.

25. Experiment- Be willing to try different ways to achieve your goals. At one point my big goal was to retire from the Air force after 20 years of service but getting discharged for my food allergy caused me to change my goals and search for a new purpose.

26. Drink water - It’s likely you haven’t had enough today. One way I make sure I stay hydrated is by carrying a half gallon water bottle with me. It also inspired this HYDRATE pattern in my RUN collection.

27. “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. Marcus Aurelius”- I hung up in my bedroom wall a framed 11x17 print (from Daily Stoic Store) with this quote to remind me that it’s more important to take action rather than arguing.

28. Do a running streak or any type of healthy streak- I have had the most the progress in my creative journey when I was conscious of running at least a mile a day. That’s what inspired 6 Creative Breakthroughs from doing 30 days of a Running Streak blog post.

29. Surround yourself with people that keep you hopeful for a better reality- I am currently participating in a 90 Day Workshop with Economic Growth Business Incubator. In our weekly meetings we discuss problems and solutions to completing out Key Results. Meeting other entrepreneurs through these meeting has helped me stay inspired and hopeful in achieving my business goals.

Peace out,

Reibert-Anthony