Another year has come and gone and here I am about to celebrate my 28th birthday. I am so blessed and grateful to be where I am today but if I was writing this 10 years ago, I know my younger self has imagined things would be way different. The best part of all of this, is the fact that I am learning day by day and I truly believe there are so many good things in store for my future. To me, age is just a number, your value is dependent on how you view and carry yourself not the amount of years you have lived.

Below are 28 things I have learned so far and I hope they bring some value and wisdom to you all.
- You do not have to be in the same place in your life as other people your age. Stop making comparisons.
- Things are not going to go the way you planned but everything happens the way it is supposed to.
- You don’t have to fight for friendships that no longer serve you.
- Not every relationship is going to turn out the same; stop putting them all in the same category and open your self up to new possibilities.
- You don’t have to be married, or be in a relationship, or have a house, or have a perfect career because society tells you to.
- It is okay to feel; it is not a sign of weakness.
- You can and should say no without feeling bad about it.
- Caring about your health, body and mind is really important.
- Make time for your parents; you don’t know how long they will be around.
- Travelling is one of the best things that you can do for themselves.
- Spend more time doing things you love.
- Wake up earlier and go to bed earlier.
- If a task will take you less than 5 minutes, do it right away.
- Invest in yourself and experiences, not things.
- Stop buying stupid shit that you will never use.
- Throw that shirt out that you think you might wear one day because you will find it in your closet next year unworn yet again.
- Listen to your mom when she tells you to wear a jacket, hat or gloves. She is always right and now you’re cold wishing you would have listened.
- Knowing you have things to work on yourself does not make you less of a person; admit it and work on it.
- Stop pretending that everything is always okay. It is okay to sometimes not be okay as long as it is not your constant mood.
- Don’t drink that tequila shot at the end of the night, it never works out in your favor.
- Don’t stay at your job any longer than you need to when you know you’ve lost passion and are not living to your potential.
- Everything happens for a reason and your time will come.
- Learn to love yourself, it is the most important thing you can do for yourself.
- If someone does not like you, it has nothing to do with you. Don’t let other people’s negative comments define who you are.
- Remember to cancel that reoccurring subscription that you said you will cancel later but never did.
- Stop making an effort for those people that are clearly not reciprocating; you don’t want anyone in your life that doesn’t want you.
- Be grateful for these things you have because it is a lot more than most people have in this world.
- The best is yet to come!

Happy Travels – xoxo Dre ❤