1) What you previously valued, you take for granted

Whatever it is that you have managed to achieve in your life from the personal investment, you look at it with a certain level of familiarity, where the outcomes you benefited from don’t matter to you as much. This eventually becomes part of who you are, and you seek less meaning in it than you previously did, because the lack is no longer there. It is freeing, and it helps you take some distance to understand where you were originally coming from.

2) What you previously took for granted, you now value

What age previously allowed you to get away with is no longer an option. Chatting with my dad, he was saying that within your 30s, you are more likely than ever to make a change, almost like a U-turn from what you previously did in the past, as a result of what your mind has processed from the experiences in your 20s, but also as to how your body responds. The latter never lies. Aspects of your life, including your health, energy, and overall lifestyle, are undergoing an overhaul. This process allows you to discern what is beneficial for your long-term well-being and what can be discarded, ultimately leading to a better and more sustainable life.

3) You have more clarity, and things make more sense

When you are young, you are in the process of discovering the world, but more importantly, yourself, and how you align with the environment you are in, if it is one you enjoy being part of. Many of the questions and matters that once engaged you emotionally reveal themselves to be irrelevant, leading to inner peace and a deeper acceptance of yourself as an individual. What appeared as close-mindedness when you were tolerant in your younger years is actually you doing a personal arbitrage as to what suits you, rather than an overall dismissal of the other options.

4) The little things in life are what provide you with the biggest marginal returns on your satisfaction

Great friendships, good relationships with your family, positive dynamics in your business or career, and providing value to yourself and the people around you create a spiritual reinforcing loop of good, which you eventually benefit from. You eventually leave some of the people of the past, not because they were bad people, but because your time and bandwidth are limited, and there is a higher focus on yourself and your personal development, alongside the people you care for the most and those you truly matter to. You seek less pleasure from others, yet whenever you are involved with them, there is a higher focus on quality interactions.

5) Appreciating yourself leads to appreciating life and others better

There is a higher level of acceptance, which helps you become less judgmental towards others, as you acknowledge that you are not the finished product, and you will never be. You know what your faults are, but you embrace them, whilst accepting those of others. You also enjoy your good health because you are more susceptible to issues, giving you that necessary awareness. You appreciate good sleep and meals, as these are reminders that when your core needs are met, the rest is superficial. You appreciate good people more because you have developed the discernment to spot the bad ones. You learn to appreciate the things you’re enjoying more, because you realise the stimulus you have been chasing was superficial at best.

6) Life is as complicated as you make it be

When you are young, you are more likely to have this God Complex, that you can shape everything to your liking and that you are the only factor in getting what you feel you deserve or like. People are a product of their past and environment, which you eventually realise, therefore you start to accept who they are in their early display and don’t seek to change them. Not only because you will know it is potentially going to blow back at you with resentment like unsolicited advice, but more importantly, because the likelihood of it decreases.

As we get older, we become more set in our ways, and this self-realisation leads us to appreciate that we're not the only ones who acknowledge this. So you look for quick heuristics which will help you segment people accordingly. You stop trying to make sense of things which don’t, and accept that if things don’t add up to you, you subtract. When you initially sought to solve the problem indiscriminately, you now decide which one to address and what offers the most appealing personal ROI.

7) A higher acceptance for what can’t be rationally explained or what you don’t have an impact on

There is a higher level of curiosity when you are young, as you try to make sense of the world around you. Some things will be readily explainable, some you will look at different reasonings, even esoteric ones. You may even delve into esoteric subjects to gain a deeper understanding. A lot of times, you will find that all of this endeavour, outside of intellectual or personal curiosity, doesn’t bring much to the table from a monetary perspective. Unless you have the luxury of delving into these as a hobby or as a main activity, you will gradually drift away from them.

These can take the form of current affairs, politics, sports, or different forms of spirituality. You appreciate that the world around you has a way of moving around you, and you can either decide to engage with it blindly or be a casual observer who can enjoy the highs and lows, the randomness and unpredictability of it. This is not defeatism, but more like a recentering on yourself and what benefits you.

8) The path ahead is new, which is at the same time intriguing and exciting, whilst being different

As you adapt to a new landscape that your body and mind have been processing for years, it can feel frustrating at first to change some of your routines because comfort is a hell of a drug. Yet, it is that same comfort, except it is long-term this time, which drives you to give up on the short-term one. You are not changing yourself; you are not growing.

You are just adapting to your new life circumstances with candour and a positive outlook, embracing the unknown, while managing risks and optimising processes.