10,000 Days

I turn 10,000 days old today – by far I can list countless things that I’m grateful for. And I have enough curiosity to keep me excited about what lies ahead.

But above all, I’m grateful for the person that I’ve become. Weird or wise, I’m close to being who I wanted to be like – not perfect, yet close – which wasn’t always the case.

That’s what stands out for me.

I’m sharing some candid ‘thoughts,’ and ‘beliefs’ that have stayed with me throughout the years to mark today:

1. Family and friends first
   The rest of the crowd comes and goes.
   
2. Self-esteem comes from self-acceptance
   Not from constant discontentment.
   
3. Try doing it to know if you can do it
   Actions teach better than assumptions.   
   
4. Feelings are a compass
   To take you to the right places.
   
5. Pain mellows down when felt
   Shunning it or running away from it prevents healing.
   
6. Regrets are common
   There’s always ‘the other thing‘ that you could’ve done
   
7. Fun has many definitions
   Finding yours is what counts.
   
8. Honesty brings peace
   Clear conscience aids in better sleep.
   
9. Prioritize kindness
   It’s what you do to make the world suck less.  
   
10. Solitude is a friend
    It helps you know yourself.  
    
11. Step out often
    You learn to appreciate the universe.
    
12. Look at the ocean or the sky
    It makes your problems look small.
    
13. Sit quietly and breathe
    Being itself is a form of joy, a blessing.
    
14. Time heals everything
    Seems like an exaggeration but it does.
    
15. Action kills doubts
    More the action, the lesser your doubts.
    
16. Completion brings fulfillment
    Incomplete stuff gets bothersome.
    
17. Half-hearted efforts are disheartening
    They make the end result looks useless.
    
18. Substance beats show
    Merit eats glamour for lunch.
    
19. Share ideas
    They die when you hold them too close anyway.
    
20. Smallest act
    When feeling down, do the smallest thing that counts.
    
21. Think before you Google it
    The answers are often within.
    
22. Everything is interesting
    If you make it.  
    
23. Don’t be boring
    Seriousness serves no purpose and makes life dull.
    
24. Questioning is thinking
    Non-thinkers don’t question much.  
    
25. Consistency is tough
    It’s rewarding but still tough.
    
26. Appreciate little things
    That leads to lasting happiness.
    
27. Believe that you’re deserving
    That makes self-acceptance easier.
    
28. Less thinking, more living
    Not that easy, but always worth trying.
    
29. Imagine the life you want
    Then figure out the specifics.
    
30. Talking heals
    Holding stuff within suffocates us – but conversations free us.  
    
31. Don’t kid yourself
    It’s easy but it’s not worth it.
    
32. Surroundings affect us
    Company of people, the air, the places, everything.
    
33. You can’t escape yourself
    So become somebody you’d be proud of and live with.

I’ve roughly distilled whatever I could think of – I’m using this post to mark this day.

Are these beliefs permanent? I can’t tell, but my life has mostly revolved around these for the past 10,000 days. Now as I grow older, the list will evolve with me.