Lesson 8 - Set goals.

Without having goals set for yourself, the chances of achieving greatness decrease exponentially.

I wish I would have realized how important this one is much earlier in life. I feel like I would have achieved more at this point if I had. You don't always have to know what you want, or have all of the answers but at any given time, you should have some sort of goal set for yourself. You should always be working towards something. Start small if you have to, but start somewhere.

Lesson 7 - Cut the fat. Clean house. Detox your life.

Whatever you want to call it, its important to take the initiative to expel negative people and situations from your life every once in a while.

Nowadays, to most people this means spring cleaning their list of Facebook friends. I get that, that's okay too, but what I'm talking about is a little more involved. Its okay to cut ties with people and things that bring you more harm than good. Be careful not to do this too swiftly or frequently though. Again, choose wisely. Life is too short to knowingly let negativity in and put up with it. Luckily as you get older, toxic relationships are easier to spot.

Lesson 6 - Don't trust anything anyone says in December.

So many reasons for this one. It's the loneliest time of the year. It's the most wonderful time to drink beer. It's the holidays, which means every one of your exes that's not in a committed relationship (and some that are) will make a cameo in your life. Most of the time this happens out of nowhere. Regardless, it happens. Trust me, don't buy into it. Any and all lonely people will seek you out for short-lived companionship just so they don't have to make it through the season alone. As soon as the season ends, the relationship will end. If you're lucky, you might make it to February. Don't say I didn't warn you. Also, people are hustling to make their end of the year quotas, in everything. Again, don't buy into it. In addition, people are talking all kinds of shit about what they will do in the next year, and more than half of that shit won't happen.

Talk to me in January.

Lesson 5 - Patience.

Whoever said patience is a virtue, was right on the money. Believe that.

I literally struggle with this on a daily basis. Whether its with traffic, the DMV, or a guy I'm dating... my patience is constantly being tested. "Good things come to those who wait"... is kind of bullshit. Well, it is if you're expecting the outcome of your patience to always be fruitful just because you waited. Learn to have patience, but for the right things. Choose wisely, because our time is limited.

Don't be patient with someone who has shown you blatant disregard, be patient instead with the person who has shown you that they care.

Lesson 4 - Take time for yourself.

It's okay to be alone. Learn to be your best self, when you are alone. Take time to focus on you... just you... relying on no one else to make you happy. You already have everything you need to feel complete. Look inward for fulfillment.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am quite the social butterfly. I enjoy being around people, I love meeting/making new friends, I have a strong ability and desire to connect with others. I will talk to anyone, at anytime, about pretty much anything. That being said, I value my independent nature. And to foster that part of myself, accepting loneliness has been fundamental. Learn to be happy alone. When you are content within yourself, without distraction... happiness will follow you everywhere.

Lesson 3 - What is essential is invisible to the eye.

We come into this world with nothing, and we will leave it all the same. What I value most in this life is intangible. You can't go out and buy it in a store, drive it down the street, live in it, or even look into its big beautiful eyes. Remember this; our senses can be deceptive, our egos can be cunning.

Personally, I don't care how much money you have, or what car you drive, or how ripped you are, or how impressive your job is... that doesn't matter to me. What I admire instead is courage, humility, consistency, compassion, dedication, selflessness, loyalty... those are the qualities I am drawn to, those are my priorities, THAT is what is essential.  Don't get me wrong, nice things are nice... but they are not what's most important, they are not essential. If I had the choice of a five course meal at a five star restaurant, or some homemade biscuits that ended up burnt because you didn't quite know what you were doing but you wanted to do something special... then give me those burnt-ass biscuits from the heart please. You may say "Yeah yeah yeah I get it Mish" but sadly, most people genuinely do not understand it or feel that way... and I think that's a huge problem. At the end of the day, none of that other shit even matters. And it won't last.

And so goes my favorite quote...

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine De Saint, The Little Prince

Lesson 2 - Gratitude.

Be grateful. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone else out there has it worse. In fact, a whole lot of people have it a whole lot worse.

I've had my share of getting shitted on. When it rains for me, more often than not, it POURS. I've been completely broke, I've had my share of car/bus/train accidents, I've been robbed a few times, I've been cheated on, I've had my heart broken (a few times), I've lost close friends/family members, the list goes on. But when you are full of gratitude, those things don't hit you as hard when you lose them because you realized what they were worth when you had them and you appreciated them to the fullest extent... you didn't take them for granted.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is borrowed here, even our time. In the end, you have nothing. You will lose everything... so be grateful for what you have while you have it.

Lesson 1 - Letting Go

Ok so I haven't quite mastered this one yet, I don't think any of us ever will, but I've gotten pretty good at it early on in my life. So much of our lives are about letting things go, and the more gracefully we can do it, the better. By the time I was 22, I was engaged to my perfect man (or at least he seemed like it to me at the time). I could see my entire life laid out in front of me, and it was my dream, it was perfect, it was what I had wanted since I was a child. The problem with that? My dream for my future rested in the hands of someone else. And when they left, they took my dream with them... and I was lost. That breakup was by no means my first brush with learning to let go of something, and it wouldn't be my last, but it was a turning point for me. In fact, it took years before I actually did finally let it go, and when I did.... everything changed. The way I look at the world is different, and I have learning to let go to thank for that. Sometimes, when we are going through something that feels completely tragic at the time... we don't see it, but those moments end up being our most valuable blessings.

So I've decided to list 30 things I have learned before I turn 30. One lesson per day, each day until the big birthday. Ok, here it goes...