99 Bits of Unsolicited Advice from Kevin Kelly

The Church of Twitter finally paid off for once, bringing a great piece to my attention. Kevin Kelly is perhaps best known for the essay on 1,000 true fans. His article published in April called 99 Bits of Unsolicited Advice is a goldmine of great tips and life hacks. You know I love a good life hack. I would encourage you to read the full list, but if you are pretending not to have time, here is a list of my favorites:
  • What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. At your funeral people will not recall what you did; they will only remember how you made them feel.
  •  It’s not an apology if it comes with an excuse. It is not a compliment if it comes with a request.
  • If something fails where you thought it would fail, that is not a failure.
  • Be governed not by the tyranny of the urgent but by the elevation of the important.
  • In all things — except love — start with the exit strategy. Prepare for the ending. Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.
  • Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you. One of my favorite related quotes is "Whether you like me is your choice. Whether you respect me is my choice."
  • The foundation of maturity: Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility.
  • Most overnight successes — in fact any significant successes — take at least 5 years. Budget your life accordingly.
  • Be strict with yourself and forgiving of others. The reverse is hell for everyone.
  • Be the change you wish to see. My new phrase is "Be the proof."
  • Don’t loan money to a friend unless you are ready to make it a gift.
  • On the way to a grand goal, celebrate the smallest victories as if each one were the final goal. No matter where it ends you are victorious.
  • Your passion in life should fit you exactly; but your purpose in life should exceed you. Work for something much larger than yourself.
  • If you can’t tell what you desperately need, it’s probably sleep.
  • If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up.
  • Writing down one thing you are grateful for each day is the cheapest possible therapy ever.
  • When someone tells you something is wrong, they’re usually right. When someone tells you how to fix it, they’re usually wrong.
  • Ignore what others may be thinking of you, because they aren’t.
  • Avoid hitting the snooze button. That’s just training you to oversleep.
  • Don’t treat people as bad as they are. Treat them as good as you are.
  • It is much easier to change how you think by changing your behavior, than it is to change your behavior by changing how you think. Act out the change you seek.
  • Each time you reach out to people, bring them a blessing; then they’ll be happy to see you when you bring them a problem.
  • Bad things can happen fast, but almost all good things happen slowly.
  • If your goal does not have a schedule, it is a dream.
  • People can’t remember more than 3 points from a speech.
  • Many backward steps are made by standing still.
  • History teaches us that in 100 years from now some of the assumptions you believed will turn out to be wrong. A good question to ask yourself today is “What might I be wrong about?”

What's your favorite one(s)?
My favourite: 
  • If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up.
2021-05-14 11:22:35
Writing down one thing you are grateful for each day is the cheapest possible therapy ever.

boom
2021-05-14 14:55:17
I have a gratitude journal on the nightstand and write a minimum of three things every night. BTW, I don't track that streak I just do it.
2021-05-14 16:19:05

Life Hacks