Great Advice and Suprising Author As we approach another new year, here’s some life advice I wish I could give my younger self:
1) Grit and determination are far more determinative of success than intelligence, looks, or athleticism. I’ve met a lot of very smart people who stumbled and simply failed to get up. The world is littered with gifted people who failed to get up after the fall. They don’t see failure as a gift to learn from, but an insurmountable obstacle. Look around, you’ll see these people everywhere and you’ll never unsee it. And then look at the gritty people - chances are they’ve had incredible failures before their most profound achievements.
2) A formal education is largely worthless with regard to skill training, outside of a few extremely specialized fields. There’s very little a person can’t learn with intense, on-the-job training. However, a formal education can be extremely useful for developing critical soft skills such as time management, public speaking and writing. It’s also beneficial to learn the jargon of academia. Smart people like to remind others (and themselves) that they’re smart. They use jargon as a password to “the club.” The more passwords you know, the better.
3) If you’re not taking some measure to take care of your health then you’re not optimizing your brief existence on this rock. Frequent, intense, but manageable, exercise should be priority number one for your success. A healthy body and brain will change your outlook on everything. It’ll also allow you to fight the inevitable damage of time while others wither away faster. This also applies to your diet. You don’t have to live a Spartan lifestyle with regard to what you eat, but the established, well-researched benefits of the nutrients in vegetables, fruits and healthy meats are undeniable. Ignore them at your own peril because what you eat will NOT ignore you.
4) Sleep is the game changer. Show me someone sleeping four hours a night and I’ll show you half the person they should’ve been. Deep sleep is critical to healing the body and the brain. It’s a complete game changer when you figure this out.
5) View your life as if you’re watching a movie of it. Are you proud of the character in the movie? Or ashamed? I make a lot of mistakes but when I’m about to make another one I use this simple trick.
6) Spend as much time with your kids as you can. NO ONE dies wishing they’d spent less time with their children. No one.
7) Choose your friends wisely. You don’t need a lot friends. But you do need a few very good ones. Being able to trust another human being who you are not related to, with your troubles and secrets, helps keep you from imploding from the pressure of holding it all in.
8) Finally. Never, ever, waste substantial amounts of time. Every second is an opportunity to improve your mind, your body, or a relationship with someone else. Time obviously doesn’t stop for anyone and every second lost is in the Abyss. Even watching television on a day off provides an opportunity to learn something new, to learn a new “password.” Relax when you hit the redline but other than that don’t waste time.