It’s my 35th birthday today.
Oddly, 35 feels like a really big deal.
Probably because the next milestone birthday is 40, and something about 40 just feels really adultish.
I think most people see it like this:
20’s -> you’re young and there’s a whole life ahead of you.
30’s -> you’re still young.
40’s -> adult.
Of course this is all subjective nonsense.
The truth is we’ve created a culture of ‘deferred adulthood’ where people can postpone adult responsibility pretty much indefinitely.
Not too long ago in history, adulthood started in your teens and you had no choice.
You were married and had all your kids early.
For many people just a few centuries ago, 35 was a full lifetime! :smile:
My sage advice for younger guys
If there’s one piece of advice I could give younger guys, it’s this:
Marry early.
Have as many kids as you’re physically able to.
Stop wasting your life (get off the video games and other childish, pointless rubbish).
I wasted a lot of years in my early twenties and I wish I had someone back then to slap some sense into me.
And don’t give me that “I just want to travel the world first” crap. It’s an excuse.
Do it with your wife and kids.
I lived everywhere as a single guy with no attachments, including some of the most exotic places on earth. And you know what?
I get more joy playing with my 2 year old son than any of it.
Sometimes I see my blogging peers - guys my exact age - who have announced they aren’t having children by choice.
They want to keep traveling.
I feel so sorry for them.
A combination of pity and outright shame.
These past 35 years have been tough but I’m so thankful for where I am now
A decade ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d be in my current situation.
Happily married, two beautiful kids, living in the USA (the one place I swore I’d never live in) and a business I’m good at that lets us travel whenever we want.
There’s a part of me that still yearns to do more but God hasn’t shown me what that is yet.
