40 lessons from a 40-year-old
40 lessons from a 40-year-old
Your humble writer guy turned (gasp) forty last week.
Here are forty valuable lessons I picked up along the way:
Earn your Saturdays.
Hardly anything matters as much as you think it does.
Speaking of thinking, it is the root cause of most of your problems.
Trust your gut. Your intuition will take you where you need to go.
The world doesn’t care about your plans. Plan accordingly.
Learn to trust people. Not everybody is out to get you. Hardly anybody is thinking about you at all.
You can’t think your way out of a problem.
There are no shortcuts.
Always do your best.
You can’t control other people’s reactions.
Life brings setbacks and disappointments; sometimes, it’ll give you both on the same day. This is what hard feels like and is when most people quit. Keep going.
Parenting a seven and five-year-old is far easier in your twenties than in your late thirties. The same goes for exercise, hangovers, and cleaning grain bins.
I've lived in several of the country’s sweet spots, such as Scottsdale and Santa Rosa, hoping to find something better than back home. However, I've realized that no matter where you go, the same problems you try to escape are never far behind.
You won’t find happiness in a bigger home, a faster car, or your seventeenth trip to Cabo.
They aren’t making any more of you. Take care of your body. Get plenty of sleep. Move. Eat some green shit once in a while.
Stop comparing your life to others. The guy who said comparison is the thief of joy wasn’t lying.
As cliche as it sounds, try not to walk away angry at someone. You never know when it’s the last time you’ll see them.
If you have one foot in the past and the other in the future, you’re pissing on your now.
Never decline a gimme. Pick up the ball and move on to the next hole before embarrassing yourself.
Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments. People aren’t mind-readers. Tell people what you want or need before they disappoint you by not knowing how to give it to you.
Those thoughts keeping you awake at night are trying to tell you you’re not writing enough.
Appreciate your struggles. One day, you might miss them.
There are energy givers and energy takers. Be an energy giver.
Lessons don’t come cheap.
Do not take anything personally. Hardly anything people do has anything to do with you.
Be willing to look stupid. Nobody will remember in five minutes because they’ll return to thinking about themselves.
Nothing goes good without a bit of trouble.
The emails will keep coming. You don’t have to be at inbox zero every day.
We’re always two weeks away from a drought and twenty-four hours from a flood.
Whatever mood you’re in today is your decision.
Forget about being normal. Embrace your weird, goofy, and wacky side because those are your superpowers.
Be impeccable with your word.
Never take anything personally. Again, most things people do have nothing to do with you.
Nearly everything takes longer than you think it will, except aging.
Therapy has a time and place, but constantly thinking and talking about your problems doesn’t leave much room to focus on the good stuff you already have.
Find the courage to be disliked.
If you keep finding the same problems in your relationships, it’s time to look in the mirror. The problem is probably you.
Stop being so damn hard on yourself. You’re the only one keeping score.
Don’t be afraid to have difficult conversations. Speak your mind, and the load on your shoulders will be much lighter.
Politics are a distraction and a waste of time.
Thank you for reading. FFT #42 is in the works and will be out soon. I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend. ✌️
