I’m turning 30 shortly and I caught myself thinking about what I’ve learned in the first 11,000 days of my life. Don’t take this list as some universal wisdom but rather as inspiration.
Whoever you want to be, surround yourself with people that are closest to the type of person you’d like to be.
As Jim Rohn pointed out, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”Judge slowly, forgive quickly.
It’s very easy to be judgmental or burn bridges with people that hurt you badly. Be positive and give others second chances. The strongest relationships I’ve ever built started many times as a nitghtmares.Never, ever sacrifice your happiness.
No matter what decision are you facing, always consider its impact on your happiness. Nothing else matters, especially not the opinions of others.Freedom is the most important asset you’ll ever have.
Don’t hold onto things — they’ll only take away your freedom.
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy freedom.
As Jimmy Wales pointed out, keep your burn rate low. Make sure you take on as little debt as possible, but don’t restrain yourself from pleasures - especially traveling, learning new skills or gaining new experiences.Don’t follow crowds. Make your own opinions. Read more long form content, especially books.
Listen to your inner-self.
Everyone has a gut feeling. Start listening to it more often. Your unconsciousness is right more often that you would think.Challenge yourself regularly, don’t allow yourself to get bored.
Don’t waste your time on mediocre relationships.
Limit the distractions in your life. Automatize as much as possible.
Develop habits that helps to relieve your mind and leave some space for a creative thinking.Explore the world, travel and talk to people.
Help others anytime you can, not only when you feel like it.
Don’t worry about what others think.
Become the best yourself you’ll — someone you’ll love and respect. Never allow others to shape you into a person that you’ll hate.Spend money on experiences, not things.
Be more selfish and learn how to say no to people around you.
Stop being a “yes sayer”. Stop worrying about pleasing others and focus on yourself first. People will enjoy your company more when you truly want to be around them, not when you’re fulfilling a sense of obligation.Be honest with yourself. Understand your strengths and weaknesses.
The key to success is adaptability and persistence.
Learn new things quickly, and incorporate what you learn into what you do. Don’t stop doing something you love because others don’t believe in what you’re doing. Stick with it as long as you’re still passionate about it.Never hurt others consciously.
Replace hour-based work days to task-based work days.
The worst thing you can do is to spend 20 hours in the office, only to waste 18 of them on Facebook. Instead, work until you finish tasks that you’ve planned for the day.It’s better to be sorry to do something that regret not trying it.
You should never consider money when considering taking on a new opportunity (job, startup).
Don’t do something just for a sake of learning.
You learn a lot in a jail, but that doesn’t mean that you want to end up in one. You’ll learn a lot anywhere. Don’t make it the primary decision point.It’s ok to be greedy. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
Build stuff. There’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment you feel after building something.
Especially applicable on physical things that you can see or touch. Paint your room, plant new plants, build a small dam, or a tesla coil.You achieve more with a great smile on your face than banging your fist on a table.
Slow down to go further. Life is a marathon not a sprint.
Keep your FOMO on leash.Success attracts hatred and envy. Ignore it.
Aim high. You are capable of more than you think.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”Workout regularly. Eat good food. Experiment.
“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”