I just turned 32 years old. Here are the 12 most valuable lessons I learned in the past 10 years.
Read more: Crazy how a $20 book can give you only one good piece of advice (or thoughtful idea) that will radically change your life. Don’t worry about reading fast, just read a lot. Read whenever you can. Start by reading what genuinely interests you.
Forget goals: The most exceptional human beings have big bold goals. So do almost every other human on this planet. What matters are the actions we take (that’s why habits – repeated actions- are important). Anyway, we are usually bad at setting goals. So let’s forget them and focus on our values instead (what I believe to be good for me and others).
Create value: You have to give in order to receive. That’s how it works. Pay the price then get the reward. The best way to give is by creating something that will help people (real people around you). Create something that will fix a real problem. How do you know if you are giving value ? You will get feedback without even asking.
Sleep is good: Anyone telling you to skip on sleep in a scam. You are human. Humans do need to sleep in order to function. Take care of your body and spirit.
We can all win: Life isn’t a 90s board game. Life is competition AND cooperation. You don’t have to lose so I can win. I don’t have to lose so you can win. If that’s the case, start playing better games.
Walk every day: Take a walk outside (in nature if you can). Walking is good for your body and your spirit. Moving helps your mind : mood is improved and ideas are found. You can also have great conversations while walking.
Build your skills: Spend less time thinking about your personal brand or your reputation. Focus your energy on building rare and valuable skills. Your status can be taken away, but you keep your skills for life.
Take responsibility: Not everything happening to you will be your fault. But you are still responsible for the way you behave. How do you want to react ? Even if you don’t like the questions life throws at you… your answer will always be your choice.
Do less, do it better: Time and energy are limited. What you decide to spend them on is what you value the most (You are paying with your life). Remove secondary games and win the most important ones.
Create your own path: Break rules if they are futile. You don’t have to go to university to launch an online business. You don’t have to go to networking events to find clients. You don’t have to work at certain hours or days of the week to get results. You do you.
Focus on what you can control: You can’t change the world, but you can change yourself. You can’t make someone love you, but you can become more lovable. You can’t go back in time and not eat burgers for 10 years, but you can go out and run now. Have the wisdom to make the difference between what you can and cannot control. Focus on what you can change.
Befriend those who want you good: There are a lot of people you can party and laugh with (and that’s a good thing). Among them, find those who genuinely want good things to happen to you. They will celebrate your victories even if they don’t get a medal themselves. They are the kind of friends you need. More importantly : be this kind of friend.
You got this.
