A reminder from your future self

A reminder from your future self:

“If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.”

Human nature is not to continually strive for better

Human nature is not to continually strive for better. Human nature is to get “good enough” and then relax. That’s one reason it’s so hard to sustain success. We get good, think it’s good enough, and then settle in. Eventually, our complacency leads to our demise.

The enemy doesn’t care

They will find your emotional breaking points and exploit them. The enemy doesn’t care. You must perform, in any situation, regardless of what’s happening. We face “enemies” every day — some internal, some external — yet we still have responsibilities. We still need to perform.

Tune In & Tune Out

Tune in to the things that matter and that you care deeply about. This could be your work, your relationships, or your hobbies.  Tune into yourself. Be yourself and let the “me flag” go wild.

Tune out the things you can't control or don't matter, such as politics or the news cycle. Focusing on the things that matter to you will help you stay motivated and focused on your goals.

Get to the point

Whatever it is you’re doing, get to the point.

Have to resign from a job? Get to the point.

Disagree with someone? Get to the point.

Have to propose someone? Get to the point.

Writing a blog post? Get to the point.

Fluff is not cool. Getting to the point is.

You are empathetic by getting to the point.

Be remarkable in the right rooms

Be remarkable in the right rooms: Both real-life & digital spaces. Being noticed is not the same as being remarkable. Running down the street naked will get you noticed, but it won’t accomplish much. It’s easy to pull off a stunt, but not useful.

How I’d think about spending time with the right people:

Spend 1/3 of your time with mentors. People ahead of you. Find people who have walked the path you want to walk and try to walk like them.

Spend 1/3 of your time with peers. People on your level. Hang out with people in “your boat”. Share ideas, offer advice, support them and most importantly — listen.

Spend 1/3 of your time with people who look up to you. People who are behind you in the game of life. Not only is it good karma to help out, but you will learn a lot about yourself by helping others walk the path you’ve been on. 

Constantly edit this list of people. Keep it changing because you’re changing too.