30 Pieces of Advice at 30

(Originally published on Medium)

I made it! Having turned the grand old age of 30 last month, I thought it slightly appropriate to sit down and reflect for a bit. During a stormy afternoon, with a cup of tea in hand, I wrote down 30 little tidbits of ideas, lessons, and discoveries I’ve picked up over the years.

Although the title might mislead you, I view these not as pieces of advice for my younger persona. I’m not nearly old or experienced enough to give truly profound ‘rocking chair’ life lessons or anything of the like. These are instead simply reminders to myself and friendly suggestions to others. Hope you take something away from it :)

Living in the moment is a skill and mindset worth mastering. You want your memories to be reminders, not the highlights themselves.
Develop a unique combination of skills. If you’re the only one in the world at what you do, you’re by default the best.
Learn a language… because it’s fun. Even if you just learn 10 simple phrases, you’ll be treated like a VIP at the restaurant.
A simple cast iron teapot will be some of the best 50 dollars you’ll ever spend.
If you see a book, and think there’s at least a 1% chance you’ll read it, just buy it. This has paid off every time.
Learning how your brain works is more than half the battle in life. Know thyself, then trick thyself.
If you ever feel sad or lonely… create something. It could be something you build, something you design, something you make, something you paint, it could be a new hobby, an old hobby, etc. Just create something and put your name on it. This does wonders for your mental health.
Your overall success in life will be largely dependent on the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have.
If you want something to improve, measure it.
Fill out a life week chart. It’s not meant to scare you or create anxiety. It’ll just keep things in perspective.
Before traveling, read a piece of fiction set in your destination. Fiction captures a place in a magical and intangible way non-fiction simply cannot.
Only the mediocre are always at their best.
Satisfaction at work has much less to do with what you’re actually doing and more to do with who you’re doing it with. If you can, choose your manager, choose your co-workers, before you choose your projects.
When the pressure is on, you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall back to your highest level of preparation. Ask any performer.
‘Luck’ is where preparation meets opportunity. The common thread between all great people: they were uncommonly well prepared.
Try to stay through the end credits of every movie you watch. The strength of the wolf is the pack, greatness is never accomplished in singularity.
What you lack in experience you make up for in inexperience. It’s a valuable, but only temporary, asset. Learn how to use it.
You can always tell someone to “fuck off” tomorrow. Step back, take a deep breath, and cool down.
Sunk costs are the unspoken minefield of mistakes. Think hard and rationally when making a decision in which you have a significant monetary or time investment. Would you still do it if it weren't your money?
Read biographies. You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So why not ‘spend time’ with some of the greats?
Don’t ask, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” This is genuinely bad advice. Ask instead, “What would you do if you knew you would fail?”
If you want to start getting healthier, drink a glass of water and go on a walk. Figure out a ‘good enough’ next step and execute.
Never use Dawn dish soap in the dishwasher.
Don’t be the smartest person in the room. Be the most interesting person in the room. You’ll always get invited back.
Want to be interesting? Be curious and ask lots of questions. The more you want to know about someone, the more they’ll want to know about you.
There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution. The internet still sits on a bed of early 1990s technology.
Great friends say bad things to your face and good things behind your back.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. Give yourself a deadline, so you don’t have time to make it perfect. Instead, you’ll have to make it different. Different is better.
Exquisite is such a great word… making something great, just because it can be. Pursue the exquisite from time to time.
And of course, I saved the best piece of advice for last.

30 Pieces of Advice at 30

I made it! Having turned the grand old age of 30 last month, I thought it slightly appropriate to sit down and reflect for a bit. During a stormy afternoon, with a cup of tea in hand, I wrote down 30 little tidbits of ideas, lessons, and discoveries I’ve picked up over the years.

Living in the moment is a skill and mindset worth mastering. You want your memories to be reminders, not the highlights themselves.

Develop a unique combination of skills. If you’re the only one in the world at what you do, you’re by default the best.

Learn a language… because it’s fun. Even if you just learn 10 simple phrases, you’ll be treated like a VIP at the restaurant.

A simple cast iron teapot will be some of the best 50 dollars you’ll ever spend.

If you see a book, and think there’s at least a 1% chance you’ll read it, just buy it. This has paid off every time.

Learning how your brain works is more than half the battle in life. Know thyself, then trick thyself.

If you ever feel sad or lonely… create something. It could be something you build, something you design, something you make, something you paint, it could be a new hobby, an old hobby, etc. Just create something and put your name on it. This does wonders for your mental health.

Your overall success in life will be largely dependent on the number of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have.

If you want something to improve, measure it.

Fill out a life week chart. It’s not meant to scare you or create anxiety. It’ll just keep things in perspective.

Before traveling, read a piece of fiction set in your destination. Fiction captures a place in a magical and intangible way non-fiction simply cannot.

Only the mediocre are always at their best.

Satisfaction at work has much less to do with what you’re actually doing and more to do with who you’re doing it with. If you can, choose your manager, choose your co-workers, before you choose your projects.

When the pressure is on, you don’t rise to the occasion. You fall back to your highest level of preparation. Ask any performer.

‘Luck’ is where preparation meets opportunity. The common thread between all great people: they were uncommonly well prepared.

Try to stay through the end credits of every movie you watch. The strength of the wolf is the pack, greatness is never accomplished in singularity.

What you lack in experience you make up for in inexperience. It’s a valuable, but only temporary, asset. Learn how to use it.

You can always tell someone to “fuck off” tomorrow. Step back, take a deep breath, and cool down.

Sunk costs are the unspoken minefield of mistakes. Think hard and rationally when making a decision in which you have a significant monetary or time investment. Would you still do it if it weren't your money?

Read biographies. You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So why not ‘spend time’ with some of the greats?

Don’t ask, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” This is genuinely bad advice. Ask instead, “What would you do if you knew you would fail?”

If you want to start getting healthier, drink a glass of water and go on a walk. Figure out a ‘good enough’ next step and execute.

Never use Dawn dish soap in the dishwasher.

Don’t be the smartest person in the room. Be the most interesting person in the room. You’ll always get invited back.

Want to be interesting? Be curious and ask lots of questions. The more you want to know about someone, the more they’ll want to know about you.

There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution. The internet still sits on a bed of early 1990s technology.

Great friends say bad things to your face and good things behind your back.

Perfection is the enemy of progress. Give yourself a deadline, so you don’t have time to make it perfect. Instead, you’ll have to make it different. Different is better.

Exquisite is such a great word… making something great, just because it can be. Pursue the exquisite from time to time.

And of course, I saved the best piece of advice for last.

Here’s to 30 more great ones!