The 3 Most Outstanding Pieces of Life Advice You Will Ever Receive
Love, life and learning
I have recently reached the half century birthday milestone and this has inspired me to share what I consider to be the 3 best pieces of advice I could offer.
How to live your life in 3 dot points…
So what has 50 years on this earth taught me that I would not have considered important back in the day?
1/ Secure Your Life Partner
If you find the right life partner, don’t let anything else get in the way of committing to and securing their commitment in return. Don’t let your career, your studies, your travel dreams, your friends or family become excuses.
Don’t believe the hype that you must sow your oats, establish your career or travel the world before settling down.
You see, there is no right age to settle down but there is a right time. That right time is when you find that person despite everything else going on in your life, or everything else you want to do with your life.
Throughout my years I have heard countless stories of people in their 40’s and 50’s regretting the one that got away. It is usually linked to the statement “the time just was not right for me (or them)”.
Now as they enter the 2nd half of their lives their prospects of living and one day dying alone seems more real than not.
Finding you life partner is just another one of those life opportunities that presents itself at any random time.
A universal law of human nature is that we always regret the things we didn’t do rather than the things that we did do, so go all in.
A very real scenario is that you may never find that person again, so don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
And for the cynics out there who issue caution by saying that rushing in may result in a failed relationship further down the road, I say there are no guarantees in life, and
It is better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all
So again, when you find that right person, go all-in and make it happen. It will be the best decision of your life.
2/ Don’t Do What You Love, Do What You Are Good At
When it comes to your career, don’t do what you love, do what you are good at.
Being able to do both is admirable, but very few of us will have the natural talent to do what we truly love for a living.
Doing something you love is a wonderful aspiration but if we are relying on a solid income, you will need extraordinary luck and talent.
You see, only a very few select people are great at evading a defence and putting a ball in a hoop , or penning and singing a great song, or creating innovative artwork, or speaking to and captivating a large public audience, or creating magical desserts in a 5 star restaurant.
At least to a point where you are earning a genuine livelihood.
Whereas when you are good at something you achieve a high level of satisfaction through your own performance. You know you are performing well and with that comes a high degree of self satisfaction.
And others can see you are good at it too, and with that comes a high level of external praise and recognition.
Opportunities then present themselves because you are great at what you do.
If you are great with kids, be that full time care giver to your children. Or be a teacher, a child care worker, a librarian, a paediatrician, whatever.
If you a great at the detail, become a police office, an engineer, a tiler, an accountant, whatever.
If you are great at conversation and forming connections then become a salesperson, a comedian, a PR person, a lawyer, a customer service officer, whatever.
Again I have seen numerous examples of someone doing something they like (or love) but the reality is they are not great at it. Time exposes these weaknesses and eventually, direct or indirect feedback from others and a lack of further opportunities erode their self-esteem.
This pursuit is no longer the dream job they once had.
So, do what you are good at and the rest will take care of itself.
3/ Never Stop Learning
This one made my list because I did not follow this piece of advice for about 10 years of my life. That is 10 years lost and something I regret.
In my 20’s I was a knowledge sponge, trying to make a name for myself in my career. It worked. In my 30’s I had a respected name and I was climbing my way up the corporate ladder. By my late 30’s I was drinking my own coolaide too much and for the next 10 years I relied on the person that I was rather than the person I am.
I stagnated.
Both at work and in my private life. As a new parent and corporate career aspirant I was guilty of “busy being busy” and convincing myself that this was enough.
It was no way near enough.
I stopped learning and I stopped growing.
My career stagnated. I was yesterdays news headline.
My family life flatlined also. Not catastrophically, but I was not meeting the expectations of my partner or children.
And then one week whilst on a beach in Bali I read a “reality check” book which reawakened my inner flame.
That was three years ago and in that time I have since read 50+ non-fiction books, 100’s of blogs and listened to countless podcasts, all themed at widening my perspective of the world.
I have enrolled in courses that have nothing to do with my job and I have attended meetups and seminars on many diverse subjects.
Coupled with active action and experimentation (such as this Medium account or meditation), I am back to being that knowledge sponge I was in my 20’s.
And it is empowering. I am learning and doing shit that many of my demographic have no idea about because they feel they do not need to.
They have become the person I was in my early-mid 40’s. Content with where they are and what they have. A comfortable position to be in but not sustainable.
The world may pass these people by without them even realising it.
Example: I have many friends who wish to remain in the workforce for many more years yet they inexplicably refuse to create a social media account (LinkedIn). They “don’t have time for that shit” and do not wish to understand how it works.
The reality is that the next generation of employees are all LinkedIn natives and this gives them a presence (an edge) when it comes to future workplace opportunities.
This is a small example of letting the world pass you by if you do not continue to learn, grow and challenge yourself.
Don’t become that person.
So there you have it. The three best pieces of wisdom I could offer you after spending 50 fortunate years on this earth.
It may not be for everyone, but I encourage you all to forecast what you might say if you were writing a similar article.
Good luck with your life choices, and enjoy the ride no matter what happens.
