I sucked at being young.
First, I wanted to die as a boy.
I wanted to die from the moment I got humiliated because of being fat.
Second, I wanted to die as a teenager.
I wanted to die because of the first girl I had a crush on. She was in a serious relationship with someone else.
Third, I wanted to die as an ignorant young adult.
I wanted to die because I didn’t realize how mixing drugs with medications can make our hearts stop.
As an adult, all I wanted is to be young again.
Soon I’m turning 35.
I want to be young for at least 15 more years.
It’s not only because I’m selfish.
Not anymore.
I want to be young because I want to keep learning, improving and challenging myself.
To be a better partner in my relationship.
To be an exceptional dad to my dog.
To take more care of my family.
To honor my friends and make their lives fuller.
To serve my audience, provide insights, fun, and wisdom as a writer.
To acquire new skills and use them for good.
To master this ultimate game called life and leave a memorable clue for those who are yet to come.
Here are 15 tips which helped me this far.
1. Listen to the music you listened in high school
I picked this up from Marisa Peer.
It’s a science-backed thing.
They tested a group of elders on vacation while listening to the music they’ve enjoyed back in high school.
Turns out, they’ve had a killer result of mood and joyful states compared to the other group which listened to contemporary music.
The bodies of the first group started to emulate younger versions of themselves.
They felt younger, more happy and optimistic than the second group.
I’ve tested it out and it works.
Try listening to a piece of music from your adolescence that gets you all emotional and moving, no matter how stupid it seems today.
It’s a wonder how Black Hole Sun makes me feel like I’m 15 again.
2. Meet younger people
Whether we like it or not, these kids kick our asses.
At least some of them.
When I see a kid who’s making six figures by acting like a fool while playing video games, I get curious.
What moves them?
How do they do what they’re good at?
If there’s no prodigy around you, find one of those kids online and watch their interviews.
It’s fascinating to hear their mindsets at such a young age.
Listen to the kids.
3. Wear clothes you wore twenty years ago
I still can fit in a T-shirt I used to wear when I was 15.
It’s funny.
It feels like a costume and triggers certain behaviors that have been off my radar for ages.
I sleep in my Jurassic Park T-shirt from time to time.
It makes me take myself less seriously.
4. Look at old photos of yourself
I saw a photo of myself from 20 years ago at my late grandmother’s place.
The look in the eyes of this boy was intriguing.
I never considered myself intriguing before this moment.
Learn from the younger you.
5. Visit the places where you lived
I spent a huge part of my childhood on a small island.
I try to go there at least once a year for a minimum of thirty days.
I feel emotional and energetic as soon as I step out from the ship and put my feet on the ground.
The quality of air and the color of the sea provoke instant relaxation.
6. Fight with your parents sometimes
Look. We should grow up and respect our parents.
Learn to focus on the best we’ve got from them.
Behave like the decent folks.
This doesn’t mean we need to shut up and tolerate their shit.
I fight with my parents from time to time.
I raise my voice.
It feels like the good old puberty again.
7. Workout 6–7 days per week
For the last two months, I’ve been working out every single day.
It changed my life.
I’m more fit than ever and full of energy.
My days are more productive. I don’t feel like I’m always late for the party like I used to.
Imagine how will I feel if I continue to do this for the next 15 years or more?
8. Master the quality of sleep
I sucked at sleeping.
I used to drink every day and never got the full REM while passing out in my bed.
Then I discovered Shawn Stevenson.
He’s a guy who almost couldn’t walk out of pain at one point.
Then he decided to learn and apply everything he could to maximize his health.
He now runs a successful health business and helps other people to maximize their health too.
His research says smart sleeping is the number one thing to improve your quality of life. Yes, it’s more important than diet and exercising.
He got me hooked and now I want to master my sleep.
It’s not easy, yet I’m pretty far from drinking till 1 or 2 am.
Now I’m in bed around 10 pm, trying to fall asleep and wake up in approximately the same hours.
It’s not easy, yet it feels great.
9. Declutter from unnecessary things, possessions, and people
My girlfriend became her own version of a minimalist.
She fed me with interest and together we started to experiment with decluttering, thinking about the environment and designing our new apartment from the minimalist point of view.
I’ve got two best friends from high school. There are three people I spent time socializing with in the last six months.
It feels great and enough.
These relationships are authentic and they make me feel free, young and happy.
10. Improve organizational skills, eliminate the majority of stressful situations from your life
I’m still a beginner at this.
I started to use Pomodoro app while writing and it got me to focus more and finish my pieces sooner.
A simple to-do list or writing my thoughts on a piece of paper makes me less anxious about my day.
My next goal is to implement a weekly schedule.
It all works to my advantage.
11. Build a stellar love relationship
My relationship is the best thing that ever happened to me.
It’s my biggest success.
It’s built out of ruins.
Today, it’s an everyday work in progress which produces happiness and makes me feel like a healthy man with endless potential.
12. Have sex every day
Sex is an art of pleasure and pain.
It’s one of the biggest exploration fields in a relationship.
At least it should be. Every single day.
It’s proven it decreases vitality and youthfulness.
Sex can never become boring if we treat it the right way.
For else, see 11.
13. Become independent moneywise
Not having money got me into shitty situations and almost turned me into an old man.
Being broke doesn’t feel good.
I’m starting to implement what I learned about savings and investments.
My goal is to master the money game, escape getting old at forty and be able to play and experiment.
Lots of work ahead for me here.
I’m still a baby.
14. Master your diet
I’ve changed my diet in the past three months.
80% of the time I eat clean.
I eat 4 to 5 smaller meals a day now.
Never feel hungry in the middle of the day like I used to.
I’ve lost half of my belly because of this. Skipping the beer before nap time helped also.
And believe me, it’s not an easy thing to lose. People used to tease me by calling it Big Donut.
Losing your belly makes you feel younger.
15. Give more than you receive
The more I give, the more I grow.
Taking care of someone, my girl or our dog for example, or a friend, a customer, makes me feel good, vital and proud of myself.
Everything we hold inside, every fear, doubt, nostalgia or regret, makes us older.
The more we express ourselves, the more comfortable we feel in our own skin.
CONCLUSION
Everyone wants to be forever young.
It’s a cliche.
The reasons for wanting to stay young or become younger are making all the difference in our appearance.
If you want it because of your looks or you’re hunting for good reviews of your hair, you’ll end up as a caricature person who is working hard to appear immortal and shinny at the outside, yet rotten and obsessed with self at the inside.
Arm yourself with the right reasons, turn these tips into habits and become younger than you used to be.
It’s not rocket science.
It requires you showing up at your fountain of youth and making a decent effort.
Choose wisely.
You can do this.
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Previously Published on Medium
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