Today, I’ve completed 28 laps around the sun.
Here are 28 things I’ve learned on that journey (in no particular order).
- It’s ok to change your mind.
I thought these lists were stupid at first. But they aren’t. So here I am making one of my own.
- Why so serious?
Play more. Do more silly things. No one remembers the boring guy.
- I’m not at the centre of the universe.
And neither are you. No one is watching and waiting for us to make a mistake so they can tear us down.
3b. It also means we’re not as important to others as we think we are.
- When you do something right, you attribute it to skill. When you make a mistake, it’s bad luck.
Yet, when someone else is successful, you think it’s pure luck and when they fail, it’s because they aren’t skilful enough.
Stop thinking like this and learn to value others.
- Ask, don’t tell.
Never give orders, no matter your relationship.
Always ask.
The word “please” is free to use too.
- Ask more.
You won’t get what you don’t ask for.
A “no” might hurt, but not as much as an ever-lasting doubt.
- Always ask more than last time.
Don’t be afraid to increase your freelance rates.
If someone thinks you’re worth $20 per hour, you’re probably worth $22 and so on.
- Be ready to be disappointed.
Create something for the fun of it and the lessons you’ll learn. The financial reward might not be as good.
- Repurpose your content.
One blog post gets lost after a few days and 99.9999% of the world hasn’t seen it.
It’s fine to reuse the content elsewhere.
- Don’t think about what to say next while you’re listening to someone.
You’ll only embarrass yourself.
- People say babies take up a lot of time.
They are lying.
They take up all your time.
- Some tactics work better than the ones you’re using.
But it’s ok to avoid them if they make you feel uncomfortable.
- Always give it your very best, no matter what.
Life will reward you.
- It’s impossible to avoid distractions.
Learn to accept them and don’t procrastinate.
- You need your friends and family more than you think.
Living across the world is hard.
- No one owes you their time.
Yet, we’re upset when people don’t read what we write or appreciate what we create.
If you’re still reading, THANK YOU.
- Remember why you work.
It’s easy to be over-obsessed and never stop working.
Remember what you want the money for and use it from time to time.
- It’s ok to take a break.
I’m going to watch football with my wife and her family now.
- This thread is scheduled, so you didn’t notice the break.
Scheduling and automating can help a lot.
Stop considering a monthly $10 subscription for automation tools as a cost. It’s an investment in quality time to spend on other things.
- One thank you means more than 100 likes.
If you like 100 tweets, people might never notice, but they won’t forget an honest thank you message.
- Value your time.
Naval valued his time at $5,000 per hour. Probably more now. But that’s BS unless you’re a millionaire.
Instead, come up with a value that works for you.
Apply like this: if option A costs $40 next door and option B costs $30 across town, go for A.
- Always leave a tip when treated well. Even when tips aren’t expected.
It’s not only about the money, it’s also about you telling someone you appreciate their effort.
- Social media can change your life for better or for worse.
In the past six months, it has done both to me.
I don’t like that Twitter has become such an important aspect of my life but I love the opportunities and communities.
- Vanity metrics matter more than people like to admit. Yay, 1,500 followers.
People who say they don’t matter have no followers, too many followers or only talk about it in private.
Vanity metrics do matter because 10k followers give you more leverage than 100.
- “Never be overheard complaining. Not even to yourself.”
I keep repeating this rule to myself. And I keep breaking the rule.
I hope one day it will stick.
- Value experiences over money.
Yes, having money is nice. But travelling and doing what you love is nicer.
Once you have a comfortable cushion, spend on experiences.
When you’re old, you won’t remember how much money you had but you will remember the fun things you did.
- Remember why
Always remember why you’re doing it.
Sometimes you need to ask a few times.
The final why might be something like: to do more fun things with my family.
Often, you can do that right now. Stop using it as an excuse to do more work.
- Say thank you more often.
THANK YOU.
Thank you for being part of my journey.
