11. Beware of short-term emotional swings.
“…and don’t do or say important things while you’re in them. It takes practice to be self-aware, but it’s crucial. Try to understand why you’re feeling the way you do. It is easy when you are angry to believe that you are absolutely, 100% correct, and be vindictive and unyielding. This will harm you in the long run, trust me, in both your professional and personal life. “
12. Spend time with people you like and admire
“Ever since I graduated college, time has felt additively more scarce and precious. Spend time around people whom you admire and aspire to be like. Don’t waste your time with people who don’t value you.”
13. Don’t worry about money; worry about the opportunity and money will follow.
“This is my favorite piece of advice my Dad ever gave me. It’s such a great way to look at your career choices. Chasing money, especially early in your career, is usually a bad choice. You are much better served building up your skills and knowledge. Taking this longer-term career view pays off both in more money and more happiness.”
14. Accept and appreciate people for who they are.
15. Don’t go to higher education unless you are sure you love it and you want to work with it later.
“Yes. Wasting 4 years in schools that taught me nothing I can use. I went to learn cos’ I didn’t feel like working yet and they seemed sort of OK that time. I wasted 4 years of my life. You don’t know what you love or what to work with later on? Don’t go to schools. You can always enter university later on but you can’t get back the years you wasted on going to one that gives you nothing useful.”
16. Travel.
“Broaden your horizons, open your mind and deepen your well of exposure. Understand the idiosyncrasies between cultures and experience living. Go to the places on the periphery and understand the countries you visit. A resort with a pool and a sandy beach could be anywhere. Go to places and distil their true meaning and gain enlightenment. By understanding how different cultures and communities operate our lives are enriched with understanding, compassion and appreciation for people unlike ourselves.”
17. Don’t be afraid to ask for help:
18. Realize it’s about you a whole lot less than you think.
“Naturally we spend lots of our energy thinking about what others think about us, and imagining their perception through our own highly biased lens. How strange? The next time you’re unsure whether to ask for extra vacation time from your boss because she may judge your worth ethic, just ask. What’s the worst that could happen? Chances are that your boss is actually thinking about her dinner plans or her kids’ report cards or any other number of things that revolve around her.
If you think a girl is pretty, tell her. If you’re not sure how she’s feeling, ask her. Don’t waste your energy wondering.”
19. But finally, and most of all, remember what it felt like in your 20s.
“This is the time of life when you are likely going to feel most intensely; there’s a reason why many poets and musicians peak during this decade.
Remember the hunger and the pain you feel in your heart.
Remember being poor enough so that you take nothing for granted, remember making life decisions at the gas pump, remember sleeping on couches and sofas. Remember the feeling of hunger. Remember how it drives you. Remember so that you do not want to go back there again, remember it so that you are not scared of losing it all, remember so that you will be grateful for what you have. In my best moments of clairvoyance, I always go back to the thought that it is better to be young and hungry than old and fat (metaphorically speaking).”