Here's a simplified version of this recent interview that I have really enjoyed reading. I hope that you enjoy it too! It's so true!
36 Life Lessons I Learned Before the Age of 30
Sam Altman is the
president of Y Combinator, which has incubated companies such as Airbnb,
Dropbox and Scribd.
I
turned 30 last week and a friend asked me if I had figured out any life advice
in the past decade worth passing on. I’m somewhat hesitant to publish this but
here is a cleaned-up version of my answer:
1.
Never put your family, friends, or significant
other low on your priority list.
Prefer a handful of truly close friends to a hundred acquaintances. Don’t lose
touch with old friends.
2.
Time is
extremely limited and goes by fast. Do what makes you happy and fulfilled.
Don’t do stuff that doesn’t make you happy and cut negative people out of your
life. Don’t waste time. Be a doer, not a talker.
3.
Work
very hard but not so hard that the rest of your life passes you by. Aim to be
the best in the world at whatever you do professionally. Don’t waste time and
don’t be afraid to take some career risks, especially early on.
4.
On money:
Whether or not money can buy happiness, it can buy freedom, and that’s a big
deal. Also, lack of money is very stressful. Making money is often more fun
than spending it, though I personally have never regretted money I’ve spent on
friends, new experiences and travel.
5.
Talk to
people more. Read more long content
and fewer tweets. Watch less TV. Spend less time on the Internet. Learn voraciously.
6.
Don’t let yourself get pushed around. There is a
big difference between confident and
arrogant. Aim for the former, obviously.
7.
If you think you’re going to regret not doing something, you should
probably do it. Regret is the worst, and most people regret far more things
they didn’t do than things they did do.
8.
Exercise. Eat well. Sleep. Get out into nature
with some regularity.
9.
Go out of your way to help people. Few things in life are as satisfying. Be nice to
strangers. Be nice even when it doesn’t matter.
10. Be
grateful and keep problems in perspective. Don’t
complain too much. Don’t hate other people’s success. Don’t
judge other people too quickly. You never know their whole story and why
they did or didn’t do something. Be empathetic.
Adapted from: http://observer.com/2015/05/the-days-are-long-but-the-decades-are-short/#ixzz3ahxqReE1
