Personal Narrative: Aphorism

I recently turned 30, and during the journey I’ve learned a great deal. Following are 30 of the most important life lessons from my first 30 years on this planet.

1. We must love. You know the saying, “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” right? I know, we often dismiss cliches with a wave of the hand, but maybe it’s a truth so profound we can discuss it only with aphorisms. Yes, we must love, even if it breaks our hearts—because, unless we love, our lives will flash by.

2. Love isn’t enough. Although we must love, love is not enough to survive: we must take action to show others we care, to show them we love. Yes, love is a verb.

3. Happiness is not for sale. We can’t buy happiness, yet we search the aisles,

Success is perspectival. I used to think I was successful because I had a six-figure job my friends and family could be proud of. I thought the house with too many bedrooms would make me look even more successful, as would the luxury car, the tailored suit, the expensive watch, the big screen TV, and all the trappings of the material world. I got it all, and I sure as hell didn’t feel successful. Instead, I felt

The meaning of life. Giving is living. The best way to live a worthwhile life is simple: continuously grow as an individual and contribute to other people in a meaningful way. Growth and contribution: that’s the meaning of life.

7. Health is underestimated. Our well-being is more important than most of us treat it: without health, nothing else matters.

8. Sentimental items are less important. My mother died when I was 28. It was a difficult time in my life, but it helped me realize our memories aren’t in our things: our memories are inside us.

9. Your job is not your mission. At least it wasn’t for me, although I treated it like it was for the longest time. I worked so much that the rest of my life suffered. There’s nothing wrong with hard work, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of life’s more important areas: health, relationships, passion.

10. Finding your passion is important. Passion is not preexisting, which means you can cultivate a passion as long as you find something that aligns with your principles and