5 Lessons It Only Took 40 Years To Learn
1. Knowing When to Apologize and When Not to Apologize.
It took me a long time to learn not to apologize for who I am. I drink wine, I say fuck a lot, I sometimes offend people when I am actually trying to make them laugh. I’m messy. I’m late. This is who I am. I amnot sorry.
It took me just as long to learn how to say I’m sorry. I was wrong when I really have fucked up. I am sorry is one of the most empowering and liberating things I have learned to say in this life. Bucking up and taking responsibility allows me to move on and not doggie paddle around in a cesspool of guilt and angst, trying to convince my stubborn self why I might, possibly, sort of, be right.
2. You get one life and one heart. Find a way to make them connect. And then follow them on whatever goose chase they take you on—even if it scares the shit out of you. Do something, or some things, that you love. No debate on this point. Life is too short to fuck around with this.
3. Stop Beating The Shit Out of Myself About Yesterday. I always ask myself these 2 questions: Will I remember this one year from now? Will I give a shit about this one year from now? If the answer is no, then I LET IT GO. I learn and grow from yesterday’s mistakes, but I don’t remain tethered to them by constantly reliving them and throat punching myself.
Footnote: If I keep making the exact same mistake over and over again. I do indulge in a little self-punching session
4. Failure Has Always Been Good For Me.Even though it sucks. Change, growth and success havealmost always sprung from some epic fall, when some giant-ass door gets slammed in my face or from some mean rejection letter. Success makes me coast. However, after the cake & booze-pity-party of a good rejection, I know that failure fuels me and makes me hungry. Steve Jobs said Stay Foolish, Stay Hungry. Best advice ever.
5. Real Connections With Real People Matter Most.At the end of the day the race for Followers andFriends really doesn’t matter. Disappear from social media for a month, or a year, and hardly anyone will notice. Fall off the map with your family and friends and you will get calls from your mother, bitchslapped by your best friend, flowers from your lover. Fulfillment from likes and favourites and retweets and repinsis fleeting. I still sometimes post a picture of the pound of bacon I ate for breakfast, but I also tell my mom, best friend, girlfriend, husband, daughter what it is I love most about them. That will always feel better than a 1000 retweets.
Bonus Lesson: Laughter saves the soul. Life is funny and if I don't laugh every single day, I am taking myself too seriously and life is probably kicking my ass.
Should I be concerned that I've only learned 5 things in 40 years? That's one lesson every 8 years. Damn, I'm a slow learner. I'm sure there are more lessons...it's just that I ran out of wine. I bet there's some sort of lesson about making sure the liquor cabinet is well stocked when working on these sorts of lists. Stay Tuned.
If you've never seen this video and you have 15 minutes to kill...watch it. These are Steve Jobs life lessons and this guy inspires me to get shit done!