Things I know At 30 That I Wish I Knew At 25

The lessons on career, confidence, and building something that actually matters.

There’s a strange moment that happens when you move from your mid-twenties into your thirties.

You suddenly realise how much you’ve learned,  not from textbooks or courses, but from actually doing the thing. Starting businesses. Taking risks. Getting things wrong. Changing direction. Starting again.

At 25, I thought success followed a very clear path. You pick a career, you work hard and eventually everything will click into place.

But the reality of building a career, a business, or even a life you’re content with is far less linear than that.

The last few years have taught me lessons that I wish I had understood earlier.

So here are 10 things I know at 30 that I wish I knew at 25.

1. Your life doesn’t have to look how you imagined it

At 25, I thought success had a very specific route, but life rarely sticks to the script you write in your twenties.

Your life doesn’t have to look how you imagined it.

Sometimes the path changing is exactly what creates the life you’re meant to build.

The plan changing isn’t failure it’s often the beginning of something better.

2. You don’t need permission to build something

One of the biggest myths we’re told is that someone will eventually give us the green light.

However, most successful people simply started before they felt ready. No one gave them permission, they just decided to try.

If you have an idea, start exploring it, start messy, but just start.

3. Being uncomfortable usually means you’re growing

Growth rarely feels comfortable.

The things that stretch you, speaking publicly, launching something new, taking on bigger opportunities will almost always feel scary at first.

But that discomfort is often a signal that you’re moving in the right direction. Some of the best opportunities in my career came from moments that initially felt terrifying.

4. Your network is your number one asset

The people around you shape far more than you realise.

They influence your thinking, your confidence, and the opportunities that come your way. Being intentional about who you surround yourself with is one of the most powerful decisions you can make. So find people who challenge you, inspire you and genuinely want to see you succeed.

5. Don’t shrink to make other people comfortable

Ambition can make people uncomfortable, success can make people uncomfortable, but that’s not your responsibility to manage.

Your ambition or success isn’t something you need to apologise for.

6. Everyone is figuring it out as they go

When you’re younger, it’s easy to assume everyone else knows exactly what they’re doing, but what you really need to know is.. most people are learning in real time.

Even the people who look the most confident, successful or established are still experimenting, adapting and figuring things out along the way. There’s no moment where you suddenly have all the answers.

7. Speed matters more than perfection

At 25, I probably spent too much time overthinking things and waiting for the perfect moment.

But progress doesn’t happen through perfection, it happens through action.

Moving quickly, learning as you go and adjusting along the way will always take you further than waiting until something feels flawless.

8. Most people never start

We all have ideas, but do you actually execute them?

Starting something, a business, a personal brand, a project, already puts you ahead of the majority of people who stay stuck in the thinking stage.

Most people never start, if you do you’re already ahead of 90% of people.

Action is the real differentiator.

9. Most criticism is projection

Often, when people criticise or question what you’re doing, it says far more about them than it does about you.

Many people judge what they’re too afraid to pursue themselves.

Once you realise this, it becomes much easier to stay focused on your own path.

10. You can handle more than you think

At 25, I 100% underestimated my own resilience (and I still sometimes do it to this day).

Life, business and growth will test you. There will be moments where things feel uncertain, overwhelming or challenging. But you’re far more capable than you think.

And once you prove that to yourself a few times, it changes the way you approach everything.

What This Means If You’re Building a Business or Personal Brand

Whether you're building a business, a personal brand, or a creative career, a lot of these lessons become even clearer when you’re building something of your own.

When you’re the one making the decisions, there’s no hiding behind someone else’s roadmap.

You realise quickly that:

• No one is coming to give you permission

• Progress happens through action, not perfection

• The people around you shape your thinking more than you realise

• And the path will almost never look how you imagined it at the start
  

Building something forces you to grow faster than almost anything else and you learn to trust your instincts in ways you never had to before.

These lessons have come from starting, experimenting, and building OAC, even when things felt uncertain.

And if there’s one final thing I’ve learned…

You don’t need to have everything figured out to start building something meaningful. 

You just need the courage to begin, so take this as your sign.

Ready to get your answers straight from a founder?

Book your power hour here and get founder-level advice tailored to you.