I love all these tips for life by Founding Editor of Wired Magazine Kevin Kelly, “103 Bit of Advice I Wish I Had Known,” but was especially struck by how many (25) echo the theme of embracing failure to various degrees (thanks Steve). Having passed a senior milestone birthday myself last year, I have an intensified appreciation for the insights of a life well lived (and not so well at times)
- Dont keep making the same mistakes; try to make new mistakes.
- When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.
- Three things you need: The ability to not give up something till it works, the ability to give up something that does not work, and the trust in other people to help you distinguish between the two.
- Ask anyone you admire: Their lucky breaks happened on a detour from their main goal. So embrace detours. Life is not a straight line for anyone.
- The best way to get a correct answer on the internet is to post an obviously wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you.
- Don’t wait for the storm to pass; dance in the rain.
- Half the skill of being educated is learning what you can ignore.
- The advantage of a ridiculously ambitious goal is that it sets the bar very high so even in failure it may be a success measured by the ordinary.
- A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others.
- 90% of everything is crap. If you think you don’t like opera, romance novels, TikTok, country music, vegan food, NFTs, keep trying to see if you can find the 10% that is not crap.
- You will be judged on how well you treat those who can do nothing for you.
- We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can achieve in a decade. Miraculous things can be accomplished if you give it ten years. A long game will compound small gains to overcome even big mistakes.
- Thank a teacher who changed your life.
- Your best job will be one that you were unqualified for because it stretches you. In fact only apply to jobs you are unqualified for.
- It’s thrilling to be extremely polite to rude strangers.
- Getting cheated occasionally is the small price for trusting the best of everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they generally treat you best.
- Prescription for popular success: do something strange. Make a habit of your weird.
- Dont believe everything you think you believe.
- Actual great opportunities do not have “Great Opportunities” in the subject line.
- Dont bother fighting the old; just build the new.
- Your time and space are limited. Remove, give away, throw out things in your life that dont spark joy any longer in order to make room for those that do.
- For a great payoff be especially curious about the things you are not interested in.
- Every breakthrough is at first laughable and ridiculous. In fact if it did not start out laughable and ridiculous, it is not a breakthrough.
- Rather than steering your life to avoid surprises, aim directly for them.
- Aim to die broke. Give to your beneficiaries before you die; it’s more fun and useful. Spend it all. Your last check should go to the funeral home and it should bounce.
Leadership and Management / Turning Adversity to Advantage 