Remember you will die. Maybe even today. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget
to be thankful for your health. For the ability to walk. For the time you get
to spend with the person you love. For your siblings. For whatever it is that
you have today. It is not yours; it can be stolen away at any moment. So while
you have it on loan, cherish it
Exercise, almost every day. Regular exercise resets mind and body
To know what you think, write it down. It gives clarity to your
thought process
You end up being the average of the people you spend your life with.
You become a reflection of your environment. Choose your people wisely. Don’t
hesitate to move or change if you know things aren’t right
Most people never ask for what they want. A lot of good happens
if you ask for what you want
Always take the stairs. There will be plenty of days where you
can’t, so accept the opportunity to take the stairs as a gift and make a
deposit into your Future Health account
Put yourself in places that make you nervous. Nerves are really
the only way to know that you’re being stretched. If there hasn’t been a moment
of nerves in your life for a month, it might be worthwhile asking if you’re
pushing hard enough
Talk it out. When it comes to humans, there’s no other way. You
have to talk things out. Sometimes it will take years. For the right people,
that time is worthwhile. The unsaid will go unsolved
Don't be precious. It is ok to be passionate about great coffee
or great chocolates but don't be the person who is above a glass of cask wine
The greatest reflection of your priorities is your time. The
true test of your life's priorities is where you place your time. So if
you say your priorities are your partner or family, that statement will only be
true if your calendar reflects it
Everything is mediocre. Most jobs are mediocre. Most people’s
work is mediocre. Most life drift to mediocre. When you rise above the
mediocrity, people will notice
It’s really, really hard to make something great. The inertia of
mediocrity makes it hard to do great work. Most people want most things to stay
the same. To do great things, you have to go unrecognized, be under-appreciated
and push to unreasonable lengths
Don’t get disheartened. If you get disheartened, it’s over.
Don’t ever underestimate the value of enthusiasm. Sometimes it’ll be all you
have
Perception is reality. What’s ‘true’ often doesn’t matter
because of what’s ‘perceived’
Understand the value of time. Life ends up being really short,
no matter how long you live. You can recover money, you can rebuild houses, you
can re-buy glassware — but you can’t get
back time
Self-control is a finite resource. You can only ask so much of
yourself each day. You’ll snap if you ask too much. You have a limited capacity
to direct yourself a certain way. It’s worth considering where that directive
capacity goes every day
Listen to your body. You might feel like you’ve found a
loophole, but if you’re not honest, your body will catch up with you soon
enough
Control your inputs. Not just what you eat and drink (though
this will have a profound impact), control what you read, what you watch, what
you listen to, what notifications you allow on your phone, where you spend your
time, who you spend it with. Guard your gates with care
Everyone has a vice. To err is human. Everyone has a fault-line.
Don’t spend too much time searching for it, but know it will be there and don’t
be disappointed when you find it
Listen. On average, are you doing more listening or talking? If
the balance isn’t wildly in the favour of listening, or if you had to think
about that question for second, it’s a sign you’re not listening enough
Be genuinely curious. You can’t artificially generate curiosity,
so you have to follow where yours actually leads. Curiosity ends up being the
driving force behind the most interesting people
Pay close attention to what you do when you’re alone. When no
one’s looking, when the house is empty, when the afternoon is yours alone — what you choose to
do says a lot about you
Get outside. You’re a collection of atoms, in a poorly understood universe that’s
probably infinite. Go look at a tree, or think about a cloud or a star.
Whatever you’re going through is probably pretty insignificant in the context of
all of that
Never talk about how busy you are or how drunk you were.
Seriously. Stop it. Enough already
Almost everything normalises. Grief, wealth, loves. Eventually
it will all feel normal. Don’t let the feeling of ‘normal’ hide the value of
what’s in front of you
People care 10% as much as you think they do. So long as you’re
making an effort to be a good person, you can assume most people care much less
than you think they do. Just chalk up any negative interactions to
circumstance. People always have a million things going on and you’re generally
one of the least important
You never know where you are on history’s big wheel. You never
know what’s coming for you. You have to have some faith. Your moment is coming.
# Balqesh Abdullah
