As i turn 24
As I turn 24, I wanted to put out a few key learnings from life. Some out of reading, some out of observations, and many out of real-life experience & enlightenment.
Note: I often don't put out things without explanations, but this time I wanted to and not go deeper into anything. I often feel people don't change or realize stuff until they decipher, experience, or are persuaded hardly with their own experiences, but I am just putting them out—maybe for you to realize someday, or maybe for me to realize someday again.
Always have low expectations. Expectations kill everything. That does not let you celebrate your wins, which are relative, and often traps you in a survival mode. Even if you give your complete potential, keep your expectations low.
If you think for an hour, act on it for at least two hours. Thinking is great; putting your intuition & critical thinking to predict outcomes is great. But many people are cynical in their deep heart, which never lets them act on anything. So if you have five hours to do a thing, and you wasted two hours on thinking, at least act on it for three hours.
Be egoless, be envyless. I often rank character above anything, and if there is any stuff that affects your whole character without your own consent, it's ego & envy. Always run away from them.
Don't try to change people. This was the biggest learning for me this year. I often tried to change how people live their lives in many aspects, whatever the relation might be. You can only persuade or influence them by being one yourself, by acting as one.
Be a herd-maker of friends. I value friendships a lot; I often want things to be raw and open. I don't think we can be ourselves with anyone else other than a friend. But often, the attachment breaks out of everyone chasing different things. Be the one who connects your circle back. Do the inertia part.
Choose curiosity as your hustle. Don't stick or settle on things early in life. Keep exploring. You might not love what you are doing today, or you might love something you did not even know existed. Remember, you might love doing hundreds of things out of thousands of things, not just one in thousands.
Spend your money better. My whole life, I've heard people say, "Make more money, invest more money, and save more money." The chances of you spending the money you invested is near to zero. When you earn more, the importance of money will not be the same in your life. But what matters is how you spend it. Make memories, spend on experiences, spend on friends. Don't be a cheapskate. Even if you make pennies, spend them with your full heart.
Be antifragile, nonchalant & a stoic. In the past few days, I have seen numerous deaths of people killing each other, couples killing each other, and families killing those in between them. That makes me think how fragile and vulnerable people are. Don't be an impulsive person. Being a Stoic not only helps you but also society and you as a citizen as well.
Read endlessly & write often. If from this whole list of points, you asked me to recommend only one thing, it would be to read and write. Read whatever you are curious about, but read it. Write whatever comes to your mind, but write anything. Eventually, you will get better.
Be humorous. The single most important aspect of having better conversations is being humorous, making jokes, and laughing at them. It's the single most important aspect of having endless deep conversations.
Admit your mistakes and share them often. If there is anything that I hate from my father's generation, it is that they never admit their mistakes. I only tell them one thing: you don't change until you admit your own mistakes.
Live below your means. If you are an employed person and ask me how to get richer, the single most important aspect to living better is to always live below your means. Don't upgrade your life often. This is the only way to become financially stable, apart from investing heavily.
Have very minimal to zero materialistic desires. If you are desiring more than five materialistic things, you will eventually desire more. Your selfish gene wants to mimic everything that others do. Think about a few desires which you dreamed of and are crucial for you, rather than mimicking them.
Failure is better than regret. After a certain period of your life, take critical and crucial decisions about your life by yourself. Don't let a random nephew whom you will meet once a year tell you that you should take CS or med. Choose for yourself. If you fail, it's still better than regret, rather than being a scapegoat for random people.
Be grateful. We live in a very different country, and let me tell you that even having a good sleep in your AC room is a big privilege. We are often trapped in a very minimal life, so people race to rank themselves as per CTCs and more. But often, try to come out and see the complete world. We should be grateful to be having this life. Often consider reminding yourself.
Be in a better mood. Naval recently said one thing: that he believes he would have been much better if he were much less anxious, in a better mood, and more.