Your 20s are a time for figuring out your place in the world.

Mistakes are unavoidable, but the truly successful learn from these setbacks and move on all the wiser.

We asked entrepreneurs, including billionaire "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban and the cofounders of popular retailer Warby Parker, to share the most important lesson they learned in their 20s.

Mark Cuban, "Shark Tank" investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, learned that any limitations on personal growth are self-imposed.

The billionaire investor made the biggest deal of his life when he sold his company Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in Yahoo stock in 1999.

In his 20s, Cuban developed the all-encompassing self-confidence that's made him successful. He learned that, if he stopped making excuses and got to work, "with time and effort I could learn any new technology that was released."

Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, co-CEOs of Warby Parker, learned that you should never cut corners.

Blumenthal and Gilboa cofounded hip, affordable eyeglasses retailer Warby Parker with Andrew Hunt and Jeffrey Raider in 2010. Last June, the company sold its millionth pair of glasses and is now expanding its brick-and-mortar business in addition to the ecommerce model that made it famous.

Blumenthal and Gilboa agree that part of the reason their young business has become so popular is because they learned every decision matters at every stage of your career.

"No matter what you're doing, you should always try your best, especially early in your career," they say. "How you do anything is how you do everything. No matter what task you're faced with — large or small — always seek excellence."

Jessie Goldenberg, founder of Nomad, says she learned that huge risks are sometimes worth taking.

Goldenberg graduated from NYU's prestigious film program in 2010 and got a job working at CBS. It seemed as if her career path was set, but she considered the dream she had of opening her own fashion boutique. Lacking the funds or credit history to make such an investment, she instead raised money to start her own fashion truck, a mobile fashion retailer she named Nomad.

Nomad hit the streets of New York City in 2013 and Goldenberg says she broke even by the end of the year. She's been successfully working on growing Nomad's exposure and profits since.

"One thing I've learned is that your 20s are a time to take and embrace risks," she says. "I'm living proof that it's possible to be 'livin' the dream' and be successful. With no family to feed and no dependents counting on you, your 20s are without a doubt the years to take a leap and pursue your passion!"

Maps are famous for distorting the earth. 

Because they portray our world in only two dimensions, continents and countries become skewed, as does our perception of how big they truly are.

And that doesn't even factor in how many people actually live in these places.

Inspired by a similar 10-year-old map by cartographer Paul Breding that resized countries based on their population size, college student Chase Mohrman decided to create his own updated version.

It quickly went viral on Reddit’s /r/mapporn and began to make the rounds on Vox and NPR. 

“It took me about three months of casual work,” Mohrman told Business Insider in an email. “It was super fun to make and share. I'm honored that the map is so popular!”

Using Wikipedia as a source and Microsoft Paint as his tool, Mohrman was able to keep the basic shapes of the countries recognizable, and even had a shout out to a few US cities and states including California, Texas, greater New York City, and his native Wisconsin.

“I'm actually a freshman at UW Eau Claire studying Computer Science,” Mohrman told us. “I just have a passion for maps and thought I could help educate people with this one. I think viewing the world in this way is helpful in geo-politics because it's a true representation of the part of the world that's most interesting to us: the people on it!”

Keep reading to see close ups of his incredible map.

Canada becomes a tiny strip on top of the US and greater NYC takes up a large chunk of the East Coast.

The UK and France become almost equal sizes in Mohrman's map and Russia shrinks down by a lot.

Here's the Middle East — Pakistan is double the size of Iran.

Nigeria far outpaces any other African country as a population hub.

China is the biggest country by far on the map. Japan has expanded by a lot too and Greater Seoul takes up half of South Korea.

Australia looks teensy tiny compared to India, which has caught up with China as being one of the world's most populated countries.

You can see the full high-res map here.

SEE ALSO: 15 Overlay Maps That Will Change The Way You See The World

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Looking to be more productive?

Well you're in luck. Apple has a deeply discounted collection of apps to help you tackle your daily tasks in a faster and more efficient way, and we've put them all in one place so you can see which ones you like.

Some of the discounts offer up to 60% off the usual price, but it's only for a limited time, so make sure you grab these while you still can.

Workflow is a powerful way to save time.

Workflow lets you customize your phone so that you can skip time-wasting tasks. By telling your phone what to do when it notices a certain action, you can instruct your phone to call an Uber before your next calendar appointment, upload your last photo to Twitter, and virtually any other string of actions you can think of.

Price: $1.99

Clear is a simple, well-designed, to-do list to help you stay on track.

Clear is one of the simplest ways to keep track of what you need to do. You can easily drag and re-order your to-dos, and adding a new item is as easy as pulling down your list and typing it in. When you're done with a task, just swipe right.

Price: $1.99

Duet Display turns your iPad into a secondary display for your Mac.

Looking to get some more use out of your iPad? Duet lets you connect your iPad to your Mac as a second display so you have some extra screen real estate. The best part? It skips the lag of connecting over wi-fi and instead connects your iPad to your Mac using the iPad charging cable.

Price: $7.99

If you were out partying last night, you're probably feeling at least a little rough today.

Perhaps your head is throbbing, your mouth is dry, and you are craving salt and sugar but aren't certain you can stomach any food. Even worse, if you have to get any work done, your mind is foggy and it's hard to focus.

We get it.

But what is it about veisalgia — the medical term for a hangover, derived from kveis, a Norwegian word that means "uneasiness following debauchery" and -algia, a Greek root that means "pain" — that leaves you feeling that way?

Just a note: We're looking at hangover symptoms specifically here, not the effects of long term alcohol abuse or alcoholism, though frequent hangovers are a sign that you could have a drinking problem. 

Linette Lopez contributed to an earlier version of this article. 

A major component of hangovers has to do with the way our bodies break down alcohol.

Researchers still don't know exactly what causes a hangover, but the way we metabolize alcohol is at least partly responsible, according to Richard Stephens, a psychology professor and member of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group, an organization that's trying to answer questions in what they call the "neglected issue" of hangover studies.

Stephens told The Atlantic that one thing researchers know that our body first metabolizes ethanol, the main alcohol in booze. But after we break that down we start to break down other alcohols, including methanol, which our body turns into formaldehyde and formic acid — toxins that make you hurt.

This process happens about 10 hours after we stop drinking.

There's a biological basis for the idea that "hair of the dog" helps — but that also explains why hangovers are a risk factor for alcoholism.

If someone has a drink the next morning, their body will soon realize that there's more ethanol in their bodies to start breaking down. Since our bodies prefer ethanol, they'll stop breaking down methanol into those toxins at this point, which is why a bit of the "hair of the dog that bit you" can at least temporarily take the pain and sick feeling of a hangover away.

Stephens says that researchers think this is why hangovers may be a risk factor for alcoholism instead of a natural deterrent to becoming an alcoholic. Studies show that alcoholics get some of the most severe hangovers around.

Hangovers actually get less severe as you get older.

This may seem impossible — lots of people recall being able to party AND study back when they were in college. 

But a study in the journal Alcoholism of 51,645 Danish men and women found that the older someone gets, the less likely they are to experience a severe hangover after a binge drinking session — even after controlling for food consumption and quantity and frequency of regular drinking.

Our bet? You might just physically feel worse in general if you are older and less fit than you once were. Plus, you might have more responsibilities that force you to get off the couch.

It's pretty cold in parts of Turkey right now.

But the Turkish special forces has made the most of the winter weather by setting up a special military training camp for fighting in the snow. 

Photographer Mehmet Emin Gurbuz was given special access to the five-day training camp in Bolu, located in the north of the country. 

Training was held in Bolu, 200 kilometres north of Turkey's capital Ankara.

The training lasted five days, from Jan 22-27.

The average temperature in January is around 0 degrees C, but at nights it can go as low as -10 degrees C.

The 2015 Sony World Photography Awards may be still open to submissions for another few weeks, but the World Photography Organization has decided to reveal a selection of some of their favorite submissions from the contest so far.

Last year’s contest, which saw more than 140,000 entries, was the Awards’ most successful in its seven-year history. Judging from the photos shared by the World Photography Organization, this year could be even better.

 To submit your own photos, head to the World Photo Organization. The contest is open to entries in the Open and Youth competitions until January 5th and in the Professional competition until January 8th. 

"I was taking pictures of some Orangutans in Bali, Indonesia and then it started to rain. Just before I put my camera away, I saw this Orangutan took a banana leaf and put it on top on his head to protect himself from the rain," said photographer Andrew Suryono.

Fiona, the girl in the photo, is the youngest of photographer Arief Siswandhono's two daughters. Fiona used to be scared of cats, which was why the family adopted two kittens. After seven months, Fiona is no longer afraid.

In the Lower Omo Valley of Southern Ethiopia, a man of the Hamar tribe collects wood to build a defensive fence for his cattle.

.

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The cold, snowy winter is the best time to go out and eat lots of ramen. 

So, our friends at The Infatuation put together a list of the best ramen spots in New York City.

Get out there and see if you can hit them all before we start to thaw in the spring.

Ippudo is a great place to impress your friends from out of town.

64 Fourth Ave. or 321 W. 51st St., Manhattan

Chris Stang of The Infatuation says that Ippudo offers one of the best meals in New York City. 

You should try the house specialty, Akamaru Modern, and order as many pork buns as you can stomach for an appetizer.

Momofuku is the perfect spot for a ramen date.

171 First Ave., Manhattan

David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar is a must-try for every ramen junkie out there. The laid-back feel and delicious food also make it a great spot for a first date.

Eat the namesake Momofuku Ramen, filled with pork belly, pork shoulder, and a poached egg. You can't go wrong.

Ivan Ramen is one of the best new restaurants in NYC.

25 Clinton St. or 600 11th Ave., Manhattan

Ivan Ramen made just about everyone's "best new restaurant list" in 2014, and the reviewers weren't wrong. The owner and head chef is a Jewish guy from Long Island who moved to Japan and perfected his ramen, and now he's back in NYC serving it up.

The Spicy Red Chili Ramen is a must-try for anyone who likes some heat. Get the Four-Cheese Mazemen if you're not into spicy food.

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MIT is considered to be one of the top colleges in the US. In fact, we ranked it the second best college in the country this year. 

So naturally, the school has produced some of the most successful individuals the world has ever seen.

From world-renowned architects to powerful CEOs to scientists of all kinds, these are the most successful alumni of the school.

Former chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke earned his Ph.D. in economics at MIT in 1979. He wrote a dissertation entitled, "Long-term Commitments, Dynamic Optimization, and the Business Cycle."

Source: MIT Economics.

Before becoming the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan earned his Masters of Science through the Sloan Fellows program at MIT's Sloan School of Management in 1972.

 Source: United Nations.

Not only was Khan Academy founder Salman Khan president of his senior class, he earned three degrees while at MIT: two bachelors degrees — one in math, one in electrical engineering/computer science — and a masters in electrical engineering in 1998.

Source: Technology Review, Crunch Base. 

Super Bowl XLIX broadcaster NBC declared this year's game as "the biggest day in media" having sold out of all of its $4.5 million advertising slots.

There were some clear stand-outs, and a few ads that didn't go down too well with the tens of millions of viewers watching the game.

There were 71 national ads in total. Re-watch your favorites.

SEE ALSO: Nationwide's Super Bowl ad about dead kids was a huge buzz kill

And we're off!

Snickers

"Minions" (Universal)

Ever year, TMF Group, an international professional services firm, publishes its Global Benchmark Complexity Index Report, ranking countries based on how complex they are for doing business from a regulatory and compliance perspective.

The research takes into consideration local legal systems, economic and political events, and cybersecurity risks.

As a general trend, countries with a common-law framework (such as the United Kingdom and many former British colonies) are considered less complex to operate in than countries with a civil-law framework, such as many in Europe and Latin America. 

10. New Zealand

Setting up a business in New Zealand normally requires less than one day, when the average in the OECD is more than nine working days. 

Source: World Bank

9. Barbados

Known mostly for its stunning beaches and crystal waters, Barbados is restyling itself as an international foreign-exchange centre. 

Among the perks: high political stability and the same time zone as the US east coast.

Source: US Government

8. United Kingdom

The UK enjoys a unique position for being part of the European Union but out of the eurozone at the same time. 

London is by far the leading market for currency traders, and it attracts foreign firms like no other city on earth.

Source: Business Insider

Freedom House released its annual Freedom in the World report this week, rating each of the world's nations according to the political rights and civil liberties of their people. 

The report found that overall freedom in the world dropped for the ninth consecutive year, with nearly twice as many countries suffering declines in freedom as registering gains.

The number of countries whose freedom improved is at its lowest point in nine years. 

The report found a growing disdain for democracy in nearly all regions of the world, with losses in personal freedom often coming in the form of increased state surveillance and restrictions on internet communications. 

Of the 195 countries assessed, 26% were rated "Not Free," with ratings for the Middle East and North Africa among the worst of the world's regions.

SEE ALSO: There's one huge reason Mexico is becoming "less free"

Belarus

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka heads an authoritarian regime notorious for crushing any and all forms of political dissent.

Term limits don't exist and key opposition figures are often prevented from running for office, according to Freedom House. As a result, opposition parties have no representation in the Belarusian National Assembly. 

Belarusian national television is controlled by the government and dissenting views are not presented. As more and more Belarusians gain access to the internet, the government is trying to expand its control to the web. Social networking sites are blocked, and online opposition activists are regularly harassed and threatened. 

Somalia

The political process in anarchic Somalia is largely driven by clan loyalty, according to Freedom House. 

While Somalia's current parliament is highly regarded by the international community, Somali citizens exercise little power over the system and have limited, if any, access to their representatives.

Somalia's new government, which took power last December, also controls the media with a heavy hand. Somalia is plagued by lawlessness: though technically illegal, female genital mutilation is still widely practiced on nearly all young Somali girls. 

The prevalence of armed groups like the jihadist organization al Shabaab, and the government's relatively limited ability to counter them, makes the state of civil and political rights incredibly dire even without an oppressive state apparatus.

Equatorial Guinea

Political opposition in Equatorial Guinea is limited and kept under strict control by the regime, according to Freedom House. The ruling party has almost complete control over the media, judiciary, police, and military. Corruption is rampant. 

Press censorship by the government is authorized under a 1992 law, Facebook is blocked, and libel is a criminal offense. The government engages in arbitrary arrests and frequently detains its political opponents on charges of "destabilization."

Good architecture has the ability to improve people's lives.

To celebrate the best buildings that achieve that goal, every year the architecture blog ArchDaily determines the best buildings in the world.

Eighteen thousand architects and enthusiasts participated in the nomination process of over 3,000 projects, ending up with 70 buildings nominated among in 14 catagories.

The nominated buildings are as inspiring as they are diverse, representing the very best new architecture around the world.

You can still vote for your favorite to become ArchDaily Building Of The Year— voting is open until February 4th.

COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE: Abu Dhabi Central Market, Abu Dhabi

Architects: Foster + Partners 

Cultura Bookstore, São Paulo, Brazil

Architects: Studio MK27 – Marcio Kogan + Diana Radomysler + Luciana Antunes + Marcio Tanaka + Mariana Ruzante

SunnyHills at Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo

Architects: Kengo Kuma _ Associates

Back in 1987, a bunch of friends decided to set up a hardcore obstacle course to find out who was the toughest among them. 

Almost 30 years later, the Tough Guy is an annual meeting that takes place the last Sunday of January close to Wolverhampton, in the English midlands. 

Rather than just a race, the Tough Guy is a marathon journey of physical obstacles akin to a marine boot camp.

This year, the event featured more than 250 different manmade obstacles, from smokebombs to a frozen lake.

And they're off! This year, about 5,000 people took part in the race.

Parts of the race involve running through a field on fire. Real fire. The race consists of about 15 km of running and a similar length of obstacles.

Every year new obstacles are added to the track.

The small businesses in the Windy City will blow you away.

From a nerdtastic bar in Wicker Park to an art gallery for carpentry lovers (or a carpentry store for art lovers) in Pilsen, these are the 25 coolest new businesses in Chicago.

We defined "new" as a business that opened in the past five years or so.

Know a cool small business we missed? Tell us in the comments.

5 Rabbit Cervecería

6398 West 74th St., Bedford Park

What it is:The first Latin microbrewery in the US.

Why it's cool: Located just outside Chicago, the first Latin microbrewery, or cervecería, in the US infuses its brews with ancho chili, piloncillo cane sugar, and other Latin flavors. Inspired by an Aztec myth, 5 Rabbit names all of its beers to coincide with the Aztec calendar.

Artizone

Online, based in Chicago and Dallas

What it is: An online specialty food shopping community.

Why it's cool: Artisanal foods ordered online and delivered to your door — that's Artizone. The clever, convenient service offers a curated collection of the very best artisans in your area. This unique portal provides aggregated access to authentic, handcrafted food items from the finest purveyors that have carefully curated high-quality products.

Artpentry

1932 South Halsted St., #102

What it is: A gallery and store that combines art and carpentry.

Why it's cool: Floyd Davis is a skilled carpenter who started Artpentry (the name combines the words "art" and "carpentry") as a place to showcase and sell his creative works, and the works of other independent, local artists. Also a space devoted to sound and music, Artpentry is best known for the Gentleman's Boombox, a collection of vintage trunks and suitcases converted into functional music players.

It seems that hedge fund titan Steve Cohen is adding to his extensive catalog of luxurious real estate, this time in Los Angeles.

According to Variety, rumor has it that Cohen is in the process of buying a $35 million mansion in Beverly Hills. 

The property used to belong to the actor Glenn Ford, but has since grown from 8,800 square feet and one bedroom to 12,664 square feet, with nine bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.

Other impressive purchases by Cohen include a $115 million Manhattan penthouse and a $62.5 million East Hamptons estate. Variety also lists another two mansions in New York City's West Village that Cohen bought for $23.4 million and $38.4 million, as well as his 35,000 square foot home in Greenwich, Connecticut.

His newest property is filled with flat-screen TVs, fireplaces, glass panel walls and has an outdoor saltwater swimming pool with its own special amenities, including color-changing lights and an underwater sound system.

The mansion spans more than 12,000 square feet and includes 9 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and two half baths.

It's located right by the luxurious Beverly Hills Hotel.

The outdoors include a huge, tiled, saltwater swimming pool with a waterfall.

If you buy any of the best smartphones, you'll be in good shape.

But if you're having trouble deciding between iPhone and Android, here are some ways the iPhone trumps Android.

iPhones get the best apps first.

Even though the iPhone has a smaller market share, developers still tend to make the best apps for iOS first.

Yes, you can find most of the same popular apps on Android, but they don't always have the better features and designs.

If you care about having the best apps on your phone, you're better off with iPhone.

They're better looking.

With a few exceptions like the gorgeous HTC One and Xiaomi Mi Note, there aren't many great-looking Android phones out there. Many are chunky and plasticky.

The iPhone consistently has a better designs than Android phones.

Apple Pay is quickly becoming the best mobile-payments system.

Apple Pay is still in its early days, but so far Apple is the only company that has created an easy-to-use mobile-payments platform that is accepted at a lot of major retailers. Plus, Apple has support from most major credit-card companies and banks.

We should all be using dinner as a time to relax and be social with friends and family.

But in our busy modern lives, the temptation to use technology as facilitator — or in lieu of — that social interaction is just too great.

Photographer Miho Aikawa has documented the changes technology has had on the most important meal of the day in her fantastic photo series, "Dinner in NY."

The big question photographer Miho Aikawa asked with her photo series was, "what is a quality dinner?"

Dinner isn't just about what you're eating, but "portrays many aspects of our lives," she said. Because dinner is such a private time, it's a great window into another person's lifestyle.

Aikawa believes changes in the society around us are reflected in how we eat dinner.

The wealthy have lots of good reasons to invest their money in New York's residential real-estate market, panoramic views and strong returns among them.

But another perk — incredibly low taxes for some penthouse buyers — have people furious.

The latest, most egregious example is the penthouse at ultra-luxury highrise One57, which just sold for a record $100.5 million.

That apartment will receive a 95% tax cut, saving the mystery buyer an estimated $360,000 in taxes annually, according to The New York Times.

The tax cut comes from a controversial housing program known as 421-a. It offers huge tax breaks that can last up to 25 years for luxury properties, as long as the developers also build affordable and moderate-income apartments.

But the 44-year-old program has been criticized for stimulating the luxury market only, costing the city billions in lost taxes and allowing developers to “double-dip” by receiving benefits for future luxury projects with previously built affordable housing units.

In fact, the tax cuts are so extreme that US attorney Preet Bharara launched an investigation into the 421-a program after a state investigation on whether developers were receiving tax breaks in exchange for political contributions was abruptly shut down by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The investigation is said to be focused on Extell Development and One57, which has tax abatements worth at least $35 million.

Though it’s always been a source of contention, the debate is heating up surrounding 421-a since the housing program is up for renewal this June. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to revise the program to offer tax benefits only to towers that set aside affordable units within the building, according to The Times.

The de Blasio administration pledged to build 80,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years.

SEE ALSO: Inside One57, where New York's most expensive penthouse just sold for a record-breaking $100 million

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