today i turned 20!

here are 20 principles i hope to maintain at 20, in no particular order:

1. avoid splitting the bill with friends or family
2. dress well, smell good, and speak clearly
3. do some form of exercise every day
4. minimize artificial sugar consumption
5. depth > breadth in most situations
6. don’t let what you’ve heard sway opinions you haven’t formed yet
7. write things down when they feel unclear or confusing
8. humanize your parents and siblings
9. help others whenever you can, especially if you’ve been in their position
10. everyone is better than you at something
11. sleep is non-negotiable
12. declutter your environment to declutter your mind
13. give yourself grace without removing accountability
14. pause before reacting when something makes you defensive
15. ask what role you played before deciding who was at fault
16. notice when you’re listening to respond instead of listening to understand
17. reflect on uncomfortable moments instead of immediately trying to forget them
18. let injuries heal fully and do the correct recovery if you want to get back to the top of your game
19. being “busy” does not always correlate to progression
20. tell people you appreciate them while you can

looking back on the past year, i’m consistently grateful for everything i’ve learned, the opportunities i’ve received, and the people i’ve met. this period has shaped me more than any other point in my life so far, especially in helping me better understand the why behind what i’m pursuing. i’m still far from defining it perfectly, but i feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by some of the best people i could ask for and excited for what’s ahead.

since turning 19, i spent more time back at school, met tons of new people, and had the chance to be both a mentor and a mentee. i dove deeper technically at a few companies/individually, won some hackathons, bought a lot clothes (designed some of my own pieces too), and got injured at soccer too often.

i’m forever grateful to everyone i’ve met over the past year and prior. excited for 20, and grateful to enter it with caring friends and family :)