30 Things You Should Know About Yourself By The Time You’re 30
A really reckless thing that you do once in a while to remind yourself that you're alive.
By 
Jamie Varon
1. The one song that, no matter when you play it, a smile spreads across your face and you can’t stop, won’t stop, dancing.
2. At least one story you can recount of the time you took a huge risk for you, whether that was flying on a one-way ticket to India or jumping in your car for a road trip on a whim.
3. The personal constitution necessary to follow what you think is right, regardless of the opinions of others.
4. The ability to voice your opinion without having to change someone else’s opinion.
5. The friend you can go to that will respect you enough to tell you the truth and will know you well enough to make you laugh exactly when you need it most.
6. That show or comedy special or stupid YouTube video that will brighten your day even when you are in the darkest of shut-in, don’t talk to me ever, moods.
7. The knowingness that current circumstances are fleeting and temporary.
8. That person that knows your coffee order by heart just in case you’re in a bind and are unable to satisfy your own caffeine habit. (Not sure what situation this would be, but better safe than sorry when it comes to a latte, right?)
9. The ability to treat each romantic situation as its own without bringing a ton of past baggage into it.
10. Furthermore, the ability to treat each person as their own entity, rather than lumping them into groups and giving them characteristics based off that group, such as: “Men are assholes” or “Women are psycho.”
11. An understanding that there’s more freedom in compassion and forgiveness than there is in hate or grudges. Plus, an example in your life that proves this sentiment.
12. A few regrets that you’re secretly proud of and actually don’t regret even a little bit.
13. The incomparable ability to trust that whatever you are going through presently will be understood at a further point in your life.
14. And, a memory of a time when you trusted solely in yourself and, while you may not have received what you “wanted,” you received more understanding of who you are.
15. An example of a time when you were resilient, when you got back up on the proverbial horse, and showed yourself the strength of your resolve to overcome even the most insurmountable obstacles.
16. A time in your life you are extremely proud of, that you look back upon with admiration for the past version of yourself.
17. A time in your life you are not proud of at all, but of which you can forgive yourself for, let go, and vow to do better next time.
18. A go-to story about your life that never fails to make people laugh.
19. That one song that will always make you cry, make you reminisce about the time when that song was a huge part of your life, and remind you of what it’s like to feel.
20. A memory of a kiss that transformed your world into technicolor.
21. A memory of a time when you thought it wasn’t possible and then you owned it and were like, “Well, take that, self.”
22. Something private you share with only you, that’s just yours, no matter how big or how insignificant it is, but some ritual or thing that is just yours to own.
23. The abandon necessary to let the windows down in your car, blast that song you’re obsessed with, and car dance until you get so into it that you’re afraid you’ll rear end the person in front of you if you don’t start paying attention to the road.
24. An experience that taught you more about love than anything else you’ve ever known.
25. The knowledge that, as fixed as you might be within your life, there’s a part of you that’s open to wonder, surprise, and a future you may not be able to predict.
26. A belief in something, anything.
27. An analytical, questioning mind that continues to grow, learn, and uncover parts of yourself that you hadn’t known before.
28. A really reckless thing that you do once in a while to remind yourself that you’re alive.
29. The ability to be able to appreciate small wonders, such as a star-filled night, a water-filled horizon, or a sunset so perfect it looks like the sky was painted.
30. The number of a person that, no matter how long it has been since you last talked, you can pick up right where you left off, all smiles and laughter and love. 
