My 20s is officially over. The last 10 years have been a blast.

TLDR:

  • Family Man. Got married and have 2 children.
  • Migrated to Australia (from the Philippines), permanently.
  • Became successful with my career in technology (subjectively).
  • Became self-employed and ventured on businesses.
  • Became more financially literate and avoid debt.
  • Really adopted the “lifelong learner” attitude.
  • Values time as the most scarce resource.
  • Understood more about mental models, principles, and philosophies.
  • I gave more attention to physical and mental health.
  • More appreciation of books and high-valued contents.

What I want to work on in the next 10 years:

  • To not miss important dates and milestones of my children.
  • To spend more quality time with my wife and support her in all aspects of her life.
  • To travel more with my family and friends.
  • I want to financially retire at age 40. Financial freedom for my family.
  • Grow successful ventures and businesses (not just myself).
  • To grow high performing teams not just in numbers, but also in quality.
  • Read/Consume an equivalent of 500 books.
  • Finish a marathon and complete a triathlon.
  • To be a positive inspiration to the youth.
  • Publish another technical book.

Key Lessons learned:

  • Money is not the goal, it’s just the instrument to achieve the desired outcome.
  • You don’t need everyone’s validation. You have your own life to live and nurture.
  • We are in an eternal struggle to live “for the present”.
  • Say “No” more often. Gone are the “Bravado” days.
  • Avoid the defaults and being on auto-pilot. Take action and control of your life.
  • You cannot do everything, but can absolutely do anything with sheer focus and determination.
  • Turn off your push notifications except for family SMS/voice calls.
  • If you are a “Co-Founder”, you need to be hands on. There is no concept of “just this.”
  • To be successful, you have to be lucky. To be lucky more often means you take actions to increase your odds.
  • Give yourself the permission to grow. There is always a reason to be humble.