As someone who did that when she started and regretted it hard later: Don't plan too big in the beginning! I know it can be tempting to create an entire world and plan far ahead. And some people CAN do that even on the first try. But everyone I know (including myself) then realized that planning on a smaller scale is way easier and less stressful. Starting with a single country or even smaller can still be extremely rewarding.

Fig A: Parts of a Drop Spindle. (image source. notes are mine. Click for higher res !). Apologies in advance for the lack of image descriptions–for the most part I use images because I can’t figure out how to describe the thing in words, so describing the images is kinda the whole issue. If anyone wanted to write them for me I’d add them to the original post in a heartbeat !

• HogwartsLegacy　　MirabelGarlick

• keep on not working for startups
• sometimes there comes a point where the thing (fandom, hobby, friendship, romantic relationship) you loved no longer brings you joy. And that’s okay. Try to mourn the loss, take joy in the memories, and don’t burn any bridges in case ten years go by and you find yourself back in that fandom/hobby/relationship again
• it turns out that (ugh) moderate regular exercise is (spit) good for you. The sooner you make it part of your life, the easier it’ll be
• related: if you throw yourself into a new exercise regime too hard and too fast, without stopping to rest or consider whether a particular move is good for you … well, shoulder injuries are painful and consults with orthopedic surgeons are expensive
• knees are bastards too
• don’t even get me started on ankles
• there may come a time when your digestive system is too fragile for ibuprofin. I’m sorry
• one day you’re gonna wake up and realise you no longer give any fucks about some things that used to bother you
• on the other hand, you might be alarmed to realise what you still give a fuck about
• never get down on the floor without an exit strategy for getting back up

• Consider working for startups ONLY IF you know how to get out before the crash. Take the health care bonuses and get yourself new glasses and that “elective” surgery that you’ve been putting off, take the shiny new full-feature laptop, take the free phone and company-paid installation of fiber-optic internet to your house, and the office furniture, and the three times a month lunch buffet in the office. And then leave just before it all falls apart. Just before the creditors come demanding their cut. (Note: they may demand a return of office equipment. So. Only bother getting free furniture if you know they aren’t tracking any of the who-got-what info and just writing it all off as business expenses, not listing it as company assets.) But: Only do this if you have enough corporate experience to jump before it takes you down. Otherwise, just avoid the whole thing.
• You can no longer survive two weeks on 5 hours a night’s sleep. Get real sleep. Cut into your movie/reading/gaming time for it. I’m sorry.
• Watch out for how many times you find yourself in a circle of your peers, discussing your various problems. That’s not bad, per se, but nobody under 40 is interested.
• Nobody gets to tell you what a “reasonable” hobby is. Learn a language, get a crafts starter kit, buy a 3d printer and figure out how to make it work, paint some miniatures. Play video games. Badly. Do things for fun.
• You will see 22-year-olds arguing with 19-year-olds about what’s “age appropriate” for 16-year-olds. Try to refrain from laughing maniacally in their faces.
• Your age categories for your fellow humans will be something like, “Under 15 [child], 15-25 [whippersnapper], 25-40 [potentially responsible adult], over 40 [peers].”
• There will be a list of foods you used to enjoy that you can no longer safely eat. A list of foods you used to hate that you now consider necessary. You will deeply resent some of them, and find yourself annoyed at how much you don’t resent others of them.
• The fucking social media landscape will change every 3 years and those damn kids will re-invent drama that you thought was settled decades ago.
• Learn to cackle.
• You may as well start writing that novel.

• There are other ways to do ‘start up’ work. If you work in a large org or established industry, dig around to find the newest team, project or smaller org doing cool stuff or things that other people think might not work for <insert reasons usually based on fear of change here>. You get the best of both worlds: doing the weird, new stuff w/the stability of a steady paycheck. 
• Putting off therapy? Not sure it’s worth it? Do it. It is. Yes it’s hard + slow + sometimes painful. Still. Doing our work to navigate issues with parents + siblings is worth it because no one lives forever + it’s sweeter to live with fewer regrets. Invest in Kleenex, keep yourself hydrated + go for short walks to process The Stuff™.
• When people have oPiNiOnZ about how they think we should do things, it’s helpful to ask: why do they care so much about what I do? Then do what we know is best.
• It doesn’t take a lot of effort to be a sufficient-enough cook for ourselves + sharing w/others: 2-3 excellent breakfasts, lunches, dinners, appetizers + desserts. Yes, chopping up fresh veggies + selecting yummy cheeses count for 3 of those categories; fresh fruit + chocolate is an excellent dessert; soup is waaaaay easier to make than we might think.
• Giving fewer fucks is incredibly energising. No need to be a jerk about it, but enjoy it!
• Sleep. Really. Matters. And the lack of it or in insufficient amounts cumulatively undercuts sanity, time + resilience. Don’t believe me? Watch the TED talks, read the science, or ask your friends who are getting enough sleep. 
• This one sucks, but it’s worth knowing about ahead of time. Starting in peri menopause, gaining muscle mass + moving regularly gets frighteningly easy to n o t do. Totally still possible after menopause, but if you can swing it: develop those habits in your early 40s so you don’t miss too many beats (or a decade) so you can still be active at 60, 70, 80 + beyond.
• In a long term partnership? Sharing where we each “hide” our passwords is helpful because sometimes we need them for all the right reasons.
• Having real friends with people in every decade is a gift; cultivate + cherish them. Similarly, most friendships have a life span; learning to gracefully let go or move on eases some of the pain of the loss.
• Talking to ourselves = super helpful. I say “C’mon Self, DO THE THINGS” to myself, OUT LOUD all.the.time! It works more often than not.
• Eating ice cream cones in the rain can lift sadness, but only if it’s your favourite flavour; don’t bother w/the crappy stuff.
• Buying the nicest, most comfortable under garments we can for our own enjoyment is worth it.
• Leadership is a function, not a role or title. We can effectively exercise leadership from any seat at the table or any spot in the room.  
• Telling the people we really care about why we love them (the silly, tender + deep reasons) is a gift to both them + ourselves.
• Regularly quieting our brains does wonders. Sitting in silence in a parked car or on the bus counts; no mantra needed, simply breathing. 10 minutes of silence a day works low grade miracles.
• Can we tawk about budgeting? Times are TOUGH. And, you’re probably going to live longer than you expect, so whatever small, even teensy amounts we can put into 401(k)s or IRAs or savings accounts a d d s up over time. 
• Denial of limits (time, energy, emotional, financial) doesn’t make them go away. This regularly pisses me off. As in: DAILY. Sadly, this doesn’t make those limits not matter or disappear.
• Growing a few fresh herbs on a kitchen window is easy, fun + delicious.
• Laughter truly is one of the best medicines.

• The power of consistently making even more small changes over time to get me closer to where I want to be.
• Joy from consistently living below my means. (Please DM me tips you have on this point)
• How to make 5 more soups.
• Other things, TBD.