Approaching 23 Years

Closing in on living a full 22 years of life, approaching year 23, I’m more mindful and excited than I have ever been.

I’m getting old, but I’m still so young. I feel like I have a few solid accomplishments, and somehow I feel like I have done absolutely nothing noteworthy yet. I’m happy with the life I’ve built so far, but hungrier to keep going and ascending.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life thus far, it’s the significance of self-awareness. From self-awareness stems different strategies of thinking, the balance required to focus on all aspects of life, and knowledge that becomes wisdom. Best of all, it negates the need for external validation.

As I enter my mid-20s according to a self-imposed timeline, I reflect on my early-20s as well as my late teens.

As a younger man, my goals were simple: have enough money to eat wherever I want, whenever I want, to do whatever I want, whenever I want, and to go wherever I want, however I want. I think I accomplished my goals, and so much more. 

I had a vision for my life in my late teens. I saw my life unfolding in a way that no one did. My plans, I thought, were bold yet realistic, though others often described it as ambitious.

I was wrong for thinking it was bold. Everyone was wrong for thinking it was ambitious

I lived the life I saw as a teenager in my early-20s.

Does that mean I’m just that good? No, far from it.

The goals I set weren’t challenging enough.

The goals I set weren’t hard enough.

The goals I set weren’t big enough.

I let myself off too easily.

I’m comfortable, but I don’t want to be. I’m content, but I’m not satisfied. I’m happy, but I want to be overjoyed.

I want the next phase of my life, the one starting today, to be a series of chapters that will set me up for even more continued and sustained excellence in all facets of my life: My career. My social life. My personal life.

Success in the endeavors I’m currently involved in. Success in the ones I plan on pursuing

I finished my undergrad in three years. I finished my MBA in one year.

I’ve been trying to accelerate everything for the past four years. Learning. Development. Experiences. Trying to absorb as much as I can in as little time as possible.

And it’s led me to live a pretty good life thus far.

I don’t anticipate anything changing this year as I believe in compounding little changes that eventually become life-changing and can’t be missed.

The life I’m living now will pale in comparison to the life I will live. I don’t want pretty good. I want one of a kind.

I’m looking forward to solving more challenges that will give me more chutzpah. To find myself in more situations that will continue to push my intelligence and competencies. To be in an environment where I will have no other choice but to excel, rise above all, and defy my own expectations.

The mid-20s, I think, is a transitory period of my life and will be the inflection point for, and will most likely set the direction of the rest of, my life.

I’ve been running, sprinting the past couple of years and I think I’ve hit the point where I have to change. I think I’ve gotten as far as I can running. The future chapters of my life can no longer be reached by the sprint I’m currently on.

For me to reach the next level that I want and need to, I’m going to learn how to fly now…

When I write back next year and so on until I conclude my mid-20s, I won’t be surprised if I find myself writing the same sentences all over again.

The goals I set weren’t challenging enough.

The goals I set weren’t hard enough.

The goals I set weren’t big enough.

Then once again, I will chalk it up to my age for the youthful and simplistic projections.

I’m excited to build off what I have done so far and keep learning, keep pushing myself, and keep evolving.

I turn 23 on 2/3. The only birthday when this will happen.

Welcome back to my blog!