Looking back at my twenties, I sometimes laugh at how clueless I was.
Not in a bad way—just in that honest way we all feel when enough time has passed.
I made mistakes. I stressed about things that don’t even register on my radar now.
I chased after people and opportunities that weren’t right for me, and I missed signals that now seem painfully obvious.
The thing is, I wouldn’t trade those messy years for anything. They shaped me.
But if I could somehow grab coffee with my younger self, here are 24 things I wish I could tell them—stuff that might have made the journey a little easier, or at least a bit less confusing.
I hope you enjoy bestie!
1. Time is way more important than money
It’s a little reminder for you and me – time is way more important than money.
At the end of the day, money is just a tool for us to buy back our freedom and time for pursuing what truly matters to you. Always, always make time for those you love.
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.Jim Rohn
2. Listening to podcast is my new fav things to do
Andddd my favourite podcast is THE MINDSET MENTOR from Rob Dial.
I’m so blessed that I’ve come across his channel with that accidental click in spotify app.
Thanks to his podcast, he really changes my perspective in viewing things and that’s why I quit my job cold turkey this May.
3. HABITS > MOTIVATION
If you only do things when you are motivated, guess what, you probably can’t achieve your goals.
Instead of focusing on motivation, we should be focusing on building our habit.
Once we make hard things become a habit and combine that into our daily routines, it becomes autopilot and we don’t have to use a great amount of mental energy to accomplish that task!
4. Don’t compare yourself with others
Because it’s just incomparable because you simply don’t have enough information to know what’s that person going on in his/her life.
Everyone has their own shxt to deal with and it’s nearly impossible to compare yourself with others.
True, your friend gets a high pay job and you may be so jealous of him.
But do you know the fact that he works so many hours in his job that he has a health issue?
I mean, don’t compare your true self to other’s ideal self. The only one you have to compare it yourself. Just you.
This is what the real self-improvement begins.
5. Self care isn’t a luxury but a necessity
If you think you can scroll your Instagram feed mindlessly for half an hour, then I believe you also have the time to do a 15 minutes meditation to free up your mind and release your emotions.
When it comes to self-care, I have so many things to share but the most important thing is, we don’t have to feel guilty for doing self-care activities … at all!
It’s not a luxury thing but a necessity to do so.
We have to take care of ourselves before we take care of others.
Self care is a priority but not a luxury. Self care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.
6. Learning is amazing and makes me feel alive
Learning is just AMAZING.
Every day is a new chance to push yourself to greater heights.
Every time when I listen to the new podcast, having a good read or watching a Ted talk from youtube, I feel most alive and for me, learning is way better than watching Netflix.
Never ever stop learning.
In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying so get in motion and growLou Holtz
7. Mind your finance
I can’t believe how much money I’ve wasted on the things I honestly don’t need in the past 23 years… and this year, it’s really the time to mind my finance.
When it comes to finance, to put it simple, all we need is buying more assets (help you to grow money) instead of liabilities (vice versa).
Once we have this concept in mind, it’s our first little step of wealth management.
8. Don’t set expectation to people and I mean it
Why? Because at the end of the day most likely what you will receive is a disappointment to a certain extent.
I’m not trying to be pessimistic but that’s the truth. The less expectation, the less room for disappointment.
We can’t control anyone but ourselves.
So, expect less from others but hold a high standard to yourself is always the best practice for a drama-free life.
9. I’m so obsessed with super food this year
I’m clam down a bit now but around half year ago, I’m literally obsessed with superfood.
I will add Chia seed to my water in the morning and force all my family members to do so LOL I will also add organic cacao powder (Please don’t confuse with cocoa powder) to my rolled oats during breakfast time too.
I also tried turmeric powder but unfortunately, that’s just not for me.
10. If you want to improve your appearance, you just can’t be lazy
Improving your appearance in a natural way is totally achievable but to be honest, it’s not an easy task.
If you want good skin, some of you may need to stay away from dairy products and eat way less dessert! Artificial sugar ages our skin fast.
You also have to stay away from alcohol and make sure you have a good quality of sleep.
If you want a nice body, you just can’t avoid cardio, HIIT and core training.
Every little habits matter.
You won’t expect you did cardio one-time tonight and you will be drop-dead gorgeous the next morning. But believe me, all little things add up eventually.
After half a year, you will realize how much you bettering yourself and that’s the time you feel proud.
11. You have to be whole first before falling in love with others
If you are finding your other half because you want him/her complete your missing part, it’s not gonna work.
In case I go non-stop about this point, here’s my favorite a poem from Rupi Kaur – the author of ”The milk and honey” – they have limited sales on Amazon – check them out <3
“I do not want to have you
to fill the empty parts of me
I want to be full on my own
I want to be so complete
I could light a whole city
and then
I want to have you
cause the two of us combined
could set it on fire”Rupi Kaur
This poem makes me sink in for so long. Sometimes we almost forgot the fact that we have to love ourselves before people love us.
Her other poems from ” The milk and honey” are amazing and inspiring too but this one really strikes me the most.
You have to love yourself before loving anyone else.
12. Dry brushing is now one of my favorite self-care routines
Dry brushing do wonders to skin and it’s such a refreshing thing to do in my morning routines.
BIG LOVE!
13. It’s okay to be emotional
That’s not something shameful.
If you feel like you want to cry, just release your emotions. We can be vulnerable and there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s okay to be not okay.
14. Drink enough water every day
First, drink plenty of water everyday. Second, always remember the first rule!
15. Beauty is from within
When you grow up to a certain age, you will start to realize the value of inner beauty.
Most of the time, it’s true that the look attracts people at first, but what really makes a girl attractive is more of the inner beauty.
Her confidence, her intelligence, and her big heart. Smile is always the best make up.
And one of the hottest thing is having standard.
16. Self-love is hard
Self-love is so hard for me and I’m sure it’s a never-ending journey.
It’s all about figuring ourselves and know our self-worth is.
It’s definitely not easy to do, it takes time to figure out all the stuff. We are not there …yet, but we will be there one day 🙂
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.Sophia Bush
17. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
Be mindful of the food you eat because this quote is so true!
My new discovery this year is to try eat more whole food instead of processed food.
I just feel more refreshing every morning.
And my skin looks SO MUCH BETTERRR
18. Be kind and help people when you have ability to do so
This is one of the things that I’ve learned in my 20s.
I always know we should be kind to people because it’s common sense.
But this year, I feel like I’m more mindful of people due to the fact that we have no idea what someone is going through.
You never know your colleague behind you are having depression for 3 months already and now is taking pills every nights, you even have no idea your best friend has body insecurities despite the fact she is beautiful in her own ways.
I mean, everyone has their own hardships that we have totally no idea of! So, always be mindful and always be kind.
You don’t know one simple smile to a stranger that day may stop his crazy thoughts and save his life.
Just always be kind.
You never know what someone is going through. Be kind. Always.
19. Don’t panic about getting older
Getting old isn’t scary at all because we all grow old at the same pace, time is fair to everyone.
But the scary thing is when people getting older without literally growing in their mind and stay the same despite their age.
20. When in doubt, go for a run or do meditation
When our mind is cloudy without our awareness, running and meditating is a perfect activity to declutter our mind.
When I run, I usually listen to some motivated songs because let’s not forget the songs we picked is the affirmation to ourselves too!
21. Every girl needs coconut oil for skin care
I replace body moisturizer with extra virgin coconut oil and that’s L I F E – C H A N G I N G.
It’s natural, it’s cheap and most importantly, it really works! I mean, just grab one if you haven’t tried that out!
22. People changes and we should embrace it and let it go
People change.
And that’s okay!
I mean, of course, people change. It will be scarier if people stay in the same mindset and behavior throughout their whole life, make sense?
Take me as an example, 2 years ago, I will never think that one day in the future I’m gonna quit my headhunter job and become a full-time blogger, I mean, it’s totally beyond my imagination!
Just mindblowing.
People change with time.
It’s inevitable when the people you familiar with change one day and you feel insecure or you may need some time to digest it, but darling, that’s life. Sometimes we forget the fact that we, ourselves, are changing too!
If you guys changing in the same path, great, that’s amazing!
If not and you just don’t feel comfortable to be with that person anymore, it’s okay, we should embrace the fact and let it go.
People come and go, that’s life.
24. Life is tough but so are you
I know how fxxk up life can be. We’ve all been there.
You get so depressed that you couldn’t do anything except lying in bed sobbing, or you feel like the whole world is against you and you have nowhere to go or you’ve lost your loved one in life.
There are moments in life that we are sunk in a deep deep depression and we feel like we can’t live our life anymore… I mean, seriously, life can be so tough.
Not just on you, but everyone.
It’s definitely okay to feel not okay, but I just want to remind you.
Life is tough, but so are you.
We are always stronger than we thought :’)
Hope you enjoy this article and gives you some positive vibes in your life.
Please share this if you think of a friend that may need to read this, see you till next time!
If you are interested in my glow up transformation journey, check out my before and after photo here and also grab all the tips!
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