I was reading an email newsletter from Jenny Blake this morning (Pivot, Free Time) and she shared a link titled, “103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known”; check out the link here:
She shares her favorite: “The only productive way to answer ‘what should I do now?’ is to first tackle the question of ‘who should I become?'”
If you know me, you know that it’s definitely one of my favorites!
This week, about 250 people are completing the Character Resume Challenge, where they’ve spent six weeks engaged in activities answering the questions, “Who am I” and “What is my truth?”
The article provides some great, great words that could resonate with who you are and who you want to be. Read the article and identify the bits of advice that resonated most with you. If you’re curious, here are a few for me:
- About 99% of the time, the right time is right now.
- Cultivate 12 people who love you, because they are worth more than 12 million people who like you.
- Courtesy costs nothing. Lower the toilet seat after use. Let the people in the elevator exit before you enter. Return shopping carts to their designated areas. When you borrow something, return it better shape (filled up, cleaned) than when you got it.
- Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.
- It is the duty of a student to get everything out of a teacher, and the duty of a teacher to get everything out of a student.
- Making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. If you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us.
- When you have some success, the feeling of being an imposter can be real. Who am I fooling? But when you create things that only you — with your unique talents and experience — can do, then you are absolutely not an imposter. You are the ordained. It is your duty to work on things that only you can do.
- Make stuff that is good for people to have.
- You will be judged on how well you treat those who can do nothing for you.
- A wise man said, “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”
- Take the stairs.
- At a restaurant do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? Do you make what you know will sell or try something new? Do you keep dating new folks or try to commit to someone you already met? The optimal balance for exploring new things vs exploiting them once found is: 1/3. Spend 1/3 of your time on exploring and 2/3 time on deepening. It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1/3.
- Don’t bother fighting the old; just build the new.
- Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don’t focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.
- When negotiating, don’t aim for a bigger piece of the pie; aim to create a bigger pie.
- Your time and space are limited. Remove, give away, throw out things in your life that don’t spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.
- Focus on directions rather than destinations. Who knows their destiny? But maintain the right direction and you’ll arrive at where you want to go.
- If you loan someone $20 and you never see them again because they are avoiding paying you back, that makes it worth $20.
Love, love, love the words of wisdom!
The Dream Dean 