Turning 27 Has Taught Me These 10 Things

It seems like every year I just get older and older. Funny how that works. With age comes wisdom, or the potential for wisdom, and I want to sort of use this post to talk about some stuff I have learned.

Maybe you’ve also learned these things or will enjoy reading about some ideas I have had.

This comes from a place of someone who is pushing for that next thing. I am striving to get myself to a place that I consider “successful” before 30, and with that striving comes a lot of things. Some burnout, some wins, lots of losses, a ton of work that people don’t really understand, and some hard decisions. How you spend your time and where your attention is matters a lot.

I think while these are necessary, there is always a flip side to pushing so hard. Maybe you’ve been pushing and can relate to what I am talking about.

1) You’ve Gotta Actually Go For It

Like actually…..There is so much for the taking out there, and the honest truth is that so many of us just don’t actually commit. I think we subconsciously know how much that commitment will cost either in sacrifice or pain, and we shy away from that potential. But if you want the end goal, you have to actually do the thing.

So often when I was younger, I think I didn’t understand why I wasn’t ending up as my dreams were. As I reflect, I can recognize that my actions said I was committed to one thing, while my mind wanted a desired outcome that didn’t meet the actions I did. It’s hard to have the desired outcome of a lambo at 18 when your actions say you’re just doing homework and going to football games haha.

2) Failure Is Definitely Okay

And this shocks some people. It’s something I have had to come to terms with. To fail is to succeed, and there really is no true form of failure. Every failure in our life will lead to some potential for new or better. If you’re afraid of failure, you’re essentially afraid of two things: BEING HUMAN AND TRYING.

I try to reframe actions now into the idea of okay I failed…now what. Always move forward and always move on for failure is only permanent if we let it be. Nobody cares about your failures as much as you do. Everyone will care about your success on the other side of mandatory failure.

3) I Can’t Not Try

I just can’t not try. I know I will be mad at myself, or have some regret, if I just don’t try to live my dreams. I see people where I live with things I want, and if they can have it then so can I. I just have to try.

4) God Has Always Had A Plan

This one hits home on so many levels especially as I think back on some of the “worst” days of my life. I am still here, working, pushing, and growing. All those times I had emotions or struggled ended up not phasing me. This solidifies that God always had a plan, and if I just let go, lean in, and keep doing then He will be there for me (and all of us).

Jesus has paved a way for today, and tomorrow, and the next. We should not fear as much as we do and should work to accept what is. As I look back, no day was particularly harder than I can imagine now, and I think that is what God’s message of acceptance is all about.

5) There’s Some Way You Can Learn The Needed Skill

The fact that other people do what you want to do, whether it’s running a certain business or working a certain job, means that you can learn it to. These things are learnable, and everyone learns from someone. The knowledge you seek is out there; you just have to find it.

Read books. Watch YouTube. Talk to experts. Don’t be shy to ask. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes it takes years, but if you keep learning and asking and searching, you will be rewarded with knowledge.

6) It Just Takes Time

Circling back to the patience topic, which I know relates to a lot of us. Sometimes all we need is more time and the grace to not punish our own minds for taking that time. Gaining muscle becomes easier as we mature. Our mind becomes more capable of understanding as we age. Money compounds over long horizons.

The ability to be comfortable with the long time horizon that some of these goals can take is a super power that is not mentioned enough. If something is meant for you, it will come. All you have to do is give yourself a space of understanding that sometimes it takes time (and possibly more time than you would ever imagine).

7) I Can’t Wait Forever For The Treats Of Life

Treat yourself while you have the opportunity. I won’t always be 27 with very minimal responsibilities and the ability to sort of do as I please. I’ve spent a lot of my early career years doing “the right” path of investing and saving hardcore, but there are definitely some dream purchases I have and dream memories I want to make.

I can’t wait forever to achieve some of these goals, and while I have the opportunity now, I am going to pull some triggers. One of those is buying a Rolex. Another could be taking a big vacation. As long as my investments are set, I have cash saved, and my work is being done, I see no reason to not check off some boxes while I can. A younger me pushed this all aside to get more financially secure, but there definitely is a balance to be had with treating yourself so you can feel the rewards of your work.

8) Don’t Let The World Corrupt You

Not too much more complicated than that. I see a lot of distractions out there and short term things that influence people’s long term goals. A great example of this for me is cursing. I refuse to do it. I sometimes feel the pressures of society and the nature of the world, but we should all strive to refuse the corruption of the world.

And I don’t mean the corruption of like big businesses or something. I mean the corruption of everyday life. The bad habits, the unhealthiness, the lack of desire, and the short term highs. Set your morals and ideals and refuse to stray from them. No matter what the world throws your way. This is what keeps you strong.

9) I Get In My Own Way More Than I Think

Overthinking is the real enemy. We are our own enemy. If we (specifically if I) can get out of our own ways, we can be unstoppable.

This one particularly hits home for me as I have been diagnosed with the dreaded general anxiety disorder. Getting in my own head is a very unique skill set of mine. This past year has had a lot of focus in understanding how overthinking can interrupt my goals and generally amazing life. I don’t want to live half the life I should. Overthinking, anxiety, fear; these are the true daily enemies I must conquer on the road to greatness.

In order to overcome these, I need to practice a lot of acceptance, gratitude, and reality that sometimes the mind is just being weird. Reality is not always the same as what we create in our head.

10) This Is Supposed To Be Fun

The most important rule of all. Life, crypto, business, and everything is supposed to be fun. We don’t have to take it so seriously. We don’t have to be so hard on ourselves. And we never have to be perfect.

This is supposed to be fun. We are supposed to smile. And we are supposed to do amazing things with our life.

While it is amazing to push for something great, which I think we all should, there are balances to life to be had. You should go for your dreams, give it your real all in effort, and let nobody stop you. But you should also cherish these small moments together as they likely only come once.

We only turn one age once. We only have these opportunities once. Don’t stress yourself out too hard or aim too high as a perfectionist. Do the 20% of work that makes 80% of the results and refine and repeat.

(I say that like I don’t stress about stuff for no reason as well haha)

Thanks for reading my newsletter.

I hope you take something amazing from it.

By recognizing these actions and ideas, I am taking the necessary steps to make 27 my most successful year ever. I feel a lot of good energy right now, and am taking advantage of it as this bull market continues, as I think all of you should too.

Sorry I had to have this awesome, big, juicy steak for my birthday without you. But here’s a picture to enjoy.

Thanks,

Dawson