Every birthday is a moment of self reflection for me. I turned 21 on June 12 so I wanted to ink some big learnings.

1. If you try to make everyone happy, you will end up making no one happy.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask. Worst case is you will get a no. But if it’s a yes, the upside is much higher.

3. It’s okay to fail. It’s the best way to learn.

4. Experience builds confidence.

5. Get a couple mentors. They’ve been in your shoes before and will have a different perspective you might not have thought about.

6. Everything is a numbers game. The more you try, the more your chances of succeeding.

7. Never burn bridges. Do the opposite of what you would do in that scenario. It shows maturity.

8. Stop stressing. It doesn’t make you perform any better. Instead it will make you feel worse.

9. Optimism is an unfair advantage.

10. No one is going to come hand you things. If you want something, go work for it.

11. It’s not always about what you know, it’s about who you know.

12. Haters will hate. That actually means you’re doing something right. People will talk trash about you and that’s inevitable.

13. You’re the average of the 5 people you hang out with. Pick your friends wisely.

14. You don’t have to drink to be cool. Be yourself and people will respect it.

15. *Never* forget the people who were there for you in the tough times.

16. Be open to change. Life can throw you in different situations and you need to adapt quickly.

17. Always ask for feedback. It’s how you improve yourself.

18. Don’t beat yourself over a wrong decision or failure. It’s never you, it’s the circumstances.

19. Get obsessed about what you want to get good at, whether it’s your job, hobby or a new skill.

20. If you want to achieve something, you will have to make sacrifices whether its social life or video games.

21. Never stop learning :)