Start over

I read this interesting question online today - "If you could start over in an area where you have failed, what would you do differently?"

I wanted to think about this question in 4 areas of my life. I don't feel like I have failed in them but they are just areas I want to work on and improve. 

1. Career and skills

a. I would complete my masters right after my bachelors. 
b. I would invest time to learn and understand finance (personal and stocks).
c. I would invest time to learn about business and especially marketing.
d. I would start writing daily sooner.
e. I would work for several different companies or a consulting company like Accenture to diversify my experience. 

2. Personal development

a. I would invest in skills like writing, listening, public speaking and persuasion early on.
b. I would do a lot more meetups and live events where I can meet others who are like me and want to grow in areas I am interested in as well. 
c. I would take time to practice what I read over reading a lot of books. I can barely remember what I read 5 years ago so I would focus on deliberate practice. 
d. I would focus on building systems over goals in my daily/weekly/monthly/yearly goals.
e. I would work on finding a mentor and a mentee. Those relationships both ways do wonders for personal development. 
f. I would chase butterfly moments. Best way to live and grow.
g. I would learn how to say no without feeling guilty. Being selfish - as Scott Adams states - is important early on while you are still hustling to get towards financial freedom. 

3. Health

a. I would spend time looking for a good doctor. I didn't realize until much later that I could fire my doctors and be in charge of my health. 
b. Eat better. I used to eat fruits thinking they are good for me but sugar is sugar and I should have started avoiding them a while back. 

4 Family and friends

a. I would invest in the skill of listening. It is invaluable and key for good relationships and quality time. 
b. I would ask questions. Lots of questions. Like a therapist. That is the best way to get to know someone and understand them. 
c. I would build a routine like - meet every Sunday or brunch once a month etc. People respond more to routine and it is easier to keep the relationship strong. 

The question for me to think about is - what can I do from this list today. I am sure, someone in their 60s may have a list similar to this so it may not be too late to start. 
I like introspective posts about this one that are very specific. It is interesting you mentioned Accenture. I was in an internal meeting today and that name was brought up. It appears that the company must be a competitor. I completely agree on health including not eating fruit.
2021-05-11 01:32:39
I need to do something like this. I've been putting off making a five year proactive plan for the longest time. And so I told myself I would make a five year retrospective of what I valued most at each given year. 

you doing this reminds me that I haven't even done that yet! Thanks for the reminder lol
2021-05-11 15:13:29
I like them too. More for my own mental wellbeing. When we look at things on a daily/weekly basis, it is difficult to look at things on wider perspective. This exercise is similar to the letter to my younger self series.  
I would love to see both your lists for the same question.
2021-05-12 01:40:53

Retrospective