26
26 reflections on my 26th birthday.
I can't believe you're 26.
-Van McCann
- Happy immediate family, happy life. Don't forget about your parents.
- Podcasts are entertainment masquerading as knowledge. Entertainment is not a bad thing, but excessive consumption might be.
- In a human world, AI can never replace human accountability. Leverage this accordingly.
- You can either do a few things well or many things poorly. No exceptions.
- If you don't love yourself, who else will?
- No matter how small, healthy actions early in the day promote healthy tendencies later in the day.
- Willpower is a finite resource. Use it intentionally.
- Don't envy a lifestyle without considering the cost to attain it.
- If possible, financially support things that bring you joy. This is not the time to be frugal.
- Seek to own, not lease, especially when it comes to music.
- Seek to understand before being understood.
- Be interested before being interesting.
- Trust your gut. You will make mistakes which will only help train your intuition.
- Use more salt when cooking.
- You're probably not tired, just dehydrated.
- You can't escape your human nature, so you may as well understand it enough to make sure it is not to your detriment.
- When you've explored and found what you like, don't be afraid of becoming a salty old creature of habit.
- Outside of hard science, fiction will teach you more than non-fiction ever will.
- Learn to express yourself using many mediums. At the root of it, playing an instrument is no different from public speaking.
- Group physical activity yields some of the highest returns on your invested time.
- Do more for the sake of it. You don't need a reason and rarely need permission. This is sometimes called art.
- Consider optimism with a sprinkle of realism.
- Adults aren't real. We're all just trying to figure it out.
- Never put off something that will take less than two minutes.
- Write more. It does a tremendous job helping you clarify and process your thoughts.
- Learning does not make one learned, so do what you will this pithy list.