Your late twenties are for putting together all the lessons you learned in your early twenties. Here are twenty-nine lessons you should learn by the time you’re about to hit thirty.

1. Keep your imagination. No one said it had to disappear when you grew up.

2. Define what success means to you. There is no universal definition of “success”. In fact, the definition is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Set your aim or purpose and work towards it.

3. Read. It’s the best education

4. Create your boundaries. But, be willing to redefine your lines.

5. It’s okay – no, healthy — to say “no.” Being a “people pleaser” will never get you where you imagined it would.  Stand up for yourself and be “okay” with saying no.

6. What you say and what you do should not misalign. Don’t say you’re a forgiving person and then hold a grudge for months on end. Don’t say you want someone who treats you right, and stay in a relationship where you’re not. Say what you want, but always follow through.

7. Being ignorant isn’t cute. Learn about politics, learn about social injustices, and learn about the environment. You don’t need to be polarizing in your beliefs: you just need to have them.

8. Presence. Be aware of all the little, amazing, beautiful things in the world and you’ll see find joy in everything. Birds chirping, the way your dog wags his tail so hard that he has to sit down just at the sight of you, the blooming flowers- it’s all natures’ way of reminding us how beautiful the world really is.

9. Happiness isn’t found in “likes.” It’s so easy nowadays to think that social media is where you’re going to find happiness, fame and money. But, it’s void of real connection. And, you’re never going to find happiness in how many “likes” your posts receive.

10. The internet can help build communities. Don’t let it just be a place where you scroll aimlessly through feeds.

11. Have hobbies. Life isn’t just about working and social moments. It’s about the little things that make you happy.

12. Failure is a gift. After all, how are you supposed to learn?

13. “Growing up” isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a slow and steady process that happens gradually, and, thank God it does. There’s not a “deadline” that you “have to do” something. Everything is at your own pace.

14. Communicate your feelings. “I feel” or “I was hurt by…” are very important to growth in all relationships. Don’t bottle it up: feel them, write them down, communicate them if necessary, and then move on. Holding onto it only hurts you.

15. “Things” aren’t all that important. But, that doesn’t mean you need to purge everything. Minimalism is about keeping what makes you happy, and releasing all the clutter.

16. Relationships/Friendships evolve. And, that’s not a bad thing. Evolve together.

17. Let go of your “glory” days. “I was so much skinnier then” doesn’t matter now. Let go of your past and look towards your future. More importantly, be grateful for where you are now.

18. Acknowledge those who influence you. They’ll be happy to know.

19. Lotion, lotion, lotion! The days of falling asleep with your make up on are long gone. The days of eating whatever you want are slowing withering away. Start taking care of yourself, every day. Drink water, lotion your body, eating nourishing food.

20. Nourish your soul. They’ve been here before and are just trying to guide us to our happiest place.

21. YOU CONTROL YOU. You set your expectations, you control what you do, you control your thoughts, you control what you put in the universe.

22. True Friends > lots of “friends.” Tighten up your circle and dedicate yourself to the people who are always there for you.

23. Bring yourself to every role you have and success will follow. Whatever job you have, whatever plan you’re pursuing, make sure to bring who you are to the role. If sustainability is something that is important to you, find a way to make where you work more sustainable. Bring your passions and personality to your role and successful will follow.

24. House plants bring peace. Trust me, I have 14 of them. Taking care of something else is such an important part of getting out of those “self-absorbed” younger years.

25. Relationships are a “we” but that doesn’t mean you have to lose “me.” At this point, a lot of your friends are getting engaged, married and having children. You yourself might be going through that, too. The best piece of advice you can take when getting into a relationship is not to lose yourself. Don’t give up your dreams, your hobbies, your passions or your friends.

26. Learn about you. Your personality traits (I’m an INFP), your signs (My sun is a Pisces and my moon is a Leo), your Enneagram number, (I’m still working this one out). Knowing the elements that make “you” helps you forge your path in a more deliberate way.

27. Life is an ebb and flow. Sure, it sounds like it comes from a bumper sticker, but, maybe those bumper stickers were designed by someone who knew something we didn’t. You’re going to have a bad day, bad week, bad year, even. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad life.

28. Balance isn’t a perfect scale. It’s more like a seesaw, but, make sure it keeps moving back and forth and not stuck on one side.

29. Don’t. Stop. Growing. We’re only here for a finite amount of time, so make sure you make the best of it.