Today is my 30th birthday, so I thought I would share 30 things I’ve learned over the last 30 years. 30 is a funny age. I don’t feel old, but I’m certainly not young anymore. I feel like I know a lot but I know there’s still so much to learn. Hopefully you find this list of odds and ends helpful in your own life.

1) Things get better with age. I remember myself at 19, 23, 26. I would never go back. The Bobby I am now is so much better than my younger versions.

2) William DeVaughn said it best, “Be thankful for what you got.”

3) Patience is a virtue – and a handy tool in the age of the Internet.

4) Right is always right. This was the logic for every video game I ever played growing up.

5) Your opinion is just that, your own. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Being open minded means being a good human being.

6) Never stop learning. The day you stop learning is the day you start dying.

7) Change is the only constant in life.

8) Life is cyclical. Sometimes you’re at the top of the wheel, sometimes you’re at the bottom. No matter what though, the wheel continues to turn.

9) Being selfish can be a good thing, so long as it doesn’t hurt others. Knowing how to make yourself happy is one of the most important things in life.

10) Don’t do shots.

11) If you don’t think anyone understands you, trust me, there’s a song out there that knows exactly what you’re going through. And you will play that song on repeat until things are better.

12) Confidence is sexy.

13) To become an expert at anything you need to do something for at least 10,000+ hours. So says Malcolm Gladwell.

14) The desert looks like the ocean.

15) I’m a firm believer in karma. Do good, help people, and good things will happen in your own ife. It’s worked pretty well for me so far.

16) Spend more money on something nice that will last longer rather than wasting your money on something cheap and disposable. This is applicable in many ways.

17) Never underestimate a glass of champagne after a long week.

18) Good work takes hard work.

19) Social networks aren’t places to make “connections”, they’re places to make friends.

20) “You should always face what you’re afraid of.” – Jumanji

21) With the Retina-fication of the web, Illustrator will one day kill Photoshop. This bums me out.

22) If it takes you more than five words to order your coffee you might be doing it wrong.

23) In-N-Out is the best hangover food.

24) “Take your pleasure seriously.” – Charles Eames

25) I can listen to I Think Ur A Contra by Vampire Weekend on repeat, forever.

26) The future is what you make of it.

27) There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence. — Massimo Vignelli

28) Think before you act. This is especially helpful when commenting on something on the Internet.

29) Focus is hard to achieve but critical to succeed. The world provides so many distractions, focusing on what’s really important is critical.

30) Have fun and stop worrying about the future. You can’t change it anyhow.