24, Going On 100
More unsolicited “life lessons” from a millennial
Today, April 28th of 2016, I turn 24. That’s basically a quarter of a century. According to the World Health Organization’s statistics, I’ve lived through about a third of the average human’s life expectancy (71 years¹, if you care to know). That is completely mind boggling!
That got me thinking: in my 20 years of life on Earth (because, let’s be honest, I don’t remember anything before my 4th birthday), what key lessons worth sharing have I picked up along the way? This isn’t one of those presumptuous life coaching posts. I would simply like to share some of the things I’ve learned. Hopefully someone finds value in this post.
1– Keep it simple. Preserve what adds value to your life and let go of what doesn’t help you grow. Add and subtract. Sounds easy, right?
2– Take a stand. Never compromise on your principles. Stand up for what you believe in, even if no one will stand with you.
3– Be open-minded. Try new things. Be curious. Get out of your comfort zone. Take risks.² This is a major key.
“Find what you love and let it kill you.” –Charles Bukowski
4– Don’t be afraid of failure. Do all that you can to avoid it, but if (more like when) it comes, learn from it and do better. That is how you grow.
5– Find your people. Remember that family comes first, ALWAYS.
6– Take care of yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Your only competition is whoever you were yesterday. Beat that person!
7– Plan. Plan. Plan. Realize that most plans fall through, but make new ones anyway. Preparation goes a long way to getting you where you want to be.
8– Be kind. Whatever race, social class, religion, sexual orientation or other social construct someone belongs to or identifies with, they deserve your kindness. Live and let live, right?
“The true measure of a man is how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”–Johann Wolfgang van Goethe
9– Money ≠ Happiness. We’ve all heard this before. I’d like to make an amendment to that adage: “Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure as hell helps.” Learn to not care about money, but realize that it is an important part of life. Earn your financial freedom³.
10– Learn from others. Forge strong relationships with smart/interesting/cultivated people. Such give-and-take relationships will make everyone involved better.
11– Do it right the first time. Apply yourself. Focus 110% of your efforts on completing the task at hand and doing it well.
“Si w ap fè yon bagay, fè l byen oswa pa fè l du tout.” ⁴
12– Time vs. Priorities. It’s not about time, it’s about priorities. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Don’t say you don’t have time for something; say it’s not a priority.
13– Always do your part. At the time of writing, Ivy League schools accept approximately 14% of applicants. Don’t let that deter you. If you don’t apply, you have a 0% chance of getting in. Extend that mindset to everything you do. Do your work; do what needs to be done to reach the desired result. Also, refer back to point #4.
14– Comfort is deadly. Don’t get too comfortable. It leads to stagnation. Always be doing something, pushing your limits. Comfort = complacency.
“Change before you have to.”–Jack Welch
15– Never settle. Settling for the bare minimum is the quickest path to mediocrity. The difference between you and a successful person is that they don’t get to work at 9 and don’t leave at 5. Put the time in: wake up early, sleep late. It will be worth it.
16– Be thankful. Don’t take anything for granted. The Universe owes you nothing.
17– Create value for society. Don’t waste your time and energy chasing after money and/or success. Chase the value you can add to society. Success and money will follow.
“Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value.”–Albert Einstein
18– People > Things. The only thing we truly have in life is time. Make the most of it. Don’t get too attached to material objects. Instead, get attached to people, memories, and experiences.
19– Destiny is a myth. Nothing is written in the stars. Forge your own “destiny”. Make your own path in life.
20– It’s your life: live it. Don’t let people⁵ tell you how to live. There is no right path. There is just your path.
Footnotes:
¹ But I’m aiming for 100.
² Calculated risks tend to yield better results.
³ Allow me to give you some unsolicited financial advice which I learned from my parents. After each paycheck, pay all your bills (rent, utilities, Internet, etc.), then immediately put 60% of whatever is left into a savings account. Use the remaining 40% on whatever you want, whether that might be saving some more, going to the movies, or buying the author of this little note a gift.
⁴ Translation from Haitian Creole: “If you’re going to do something, do it right or don’t do it at all.”
⁵ That applies to me as well, of course. Take everything I said above with a few grains of salt. I’m only 24. I know nothing.
“All I know is that I know nothing.” — Socrates
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