I turn 40 this year. Feels bizarre typing that out.
When you reach a milestone like this, you start to reflect on your life. Start reflecting on all the decisions made. Good, bad and terrible.
Knowing this I had a thought.
What if just like Marty McFly I could go back to the future (say twenty years) and what if by doing so I accidently bumped into the younger me. What would I say to him?
Well, here are a few things...
* The following is in no particular order. *
Your ego ruins your creativity. You have to kill your ego.
Put the same time and energy into your internal self as you do your external.
Protect your time, and stop wasting it on time wasters.
Stop trying so hard for people to like you.
Make time to dabble in what you're curious about.
Learn something totally unrelated to your passion. Getting out of your comfort zone creates opportunities for new connections (ideas) in your brain.
Get to sleep before 10pm.
Block off two hours between 6am - 8a.m to work on your passions.
Stop slouching and sit up straight.
Watch out for the askholes (people who ask for your advice but never follow through with it)
Stop trying to have everything so figured out, everyone is winging it.
Don't accept anything at face value. Question everything. Make “Why?” your favorite one.
Don't be afraid to ask for things, the worst outcome is that they say no.
Try and enjoy the journey, stop focusing so much on the destination. It’s just a wooden box.
Surround yourself with people who are obsessed with trying to shape the future.
Eat healthily. Learn to cook the basics. Clean as you cook.
Stop worrying about others.
You can always make more money but you can never make more time.
Slow down. Why are you rushing in a race where there is no real winner?
Let people who have hurt you go. Stop checking in on them.
A notebook beats the best memory every time. Keep it close so you can write down your ideas. Don't let them fade from memory.
Don't wait, just get started.
Always make time for playing, laughing and having fun, don’t get too serious!
Saving your money today means the freedom to live the way you want to live in the future.
Make the most of the present, while keeping one foot in the future.
Getting a degree is not as important as you think it is.
You can learn just about anything on the internet.
Try starting an online business instead of going to college.
Be kind more.
Share your journey with others. Everything you are learning can be taught to someone else.
Someone out there is holding their breath waiting for you to fail… make sure they suffocate.
------
[pacing in front of the clock tower]
Dr. Emmett Brown: [looks at his watch] Damn! Where is that kid?
[looks at a small alarm clock in his other hand]
Dr. Emmett Brown: Damn!
[looks at a second watch on his other wrist]
Dr. Emmett Brown: Damn! Damn!
[camera cuts back to me]
Older me: [looks at my watch] Damn! I really gotta go.
Younger me: Please 2 more mins!
Older me: Ok, ok, ok...
------
Focus on building a quality circle of friends.
Let social media serve you and not the other way around.
Stop doom-scrolling on social media. It’s not helping you get better at anything.
It's OK to be unsure about what you want in life.
Better to try and fail than fail to try.
Spend time with your grandparents and parents. They won’t live forever. Create those memories.
Health is wealth. Don’t take it for granted because you can’t get it back.
Don’t take people at their word take them by their actions. It's easier for them to move their mouth than it is to move their feet.
You don't need a lot of friends. You only need a few who do for you as you do for them. Friends come and go. That's ok.
You are allowed to change jobs - even if you are good at it. Sometimes you have to give up the good for the great.
Stop giving chances to people who don't deserve them.
Take advice from people who are one step ahead of you.
Fail. But fail fast. Learn from it, grow and move on.
Learning doesn't end after college. It only begins. Never, ever stop learning.
Never do anything to avoid guilt or shame.
Read every single day and don’t just read about things you know about.
Meditate for 15 minutes every morning.
Start a business, blog, or side hustle. Start something.
Learn web design. Learn an instrument. Learn a second language. Learn Photoshop, digital art, or another marketable skill.
------
Older me: Last bit of advice... there is this thing called Bitcoin make su... [looks at my watch] OH SHIIIIIT... I gotta go kid, the doc is waiting on me.
Younger me: WAIT WHAT'S A BITCOIN!!!
[walking backwards]
Older me: Don't worry about it as the doc told me:
"your future hasn't been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one."
------
Knowing what you know today, what advice would you offer to your younger self?
