1) Your parents mean well, but they don’t know everything. Learn to be your own person. Evolve.
2) The cliche talking points of “college is good” and “college is bad” are horrible forms of advice. Different goals will require different paths. Have nuance.
3) Don’t argue about politics with strangers online.
4) Do have discourse about politics with your friends and peers, and learn how to articulate your points while maintaining respect for different opinions.
5) Life is very short. If you hate your job, quit.
6) Don’t say “yes” when you want to say “no”.
7) Being kind is a superpower. But being nice will get you taken advantage of. Know the difference.
8) Be grateful. Your life is never as bad as you imagine it to be.
9) Respect others’ opinions, beliefs, religions, etc – your way is not the only way.
10) You owe it to yourself to be in your best physical shape. Fitness is non-negotiable.
11) Find ways to be self-sustainable – grow a garden, learn to hunt or fish, handle your anxiety without medication, etc.
12) You can’t take care of others if you can’t take care of yourself. Know when to be selfish.
13) Snake oil salesman are rampant on social media. Just because someone with a million followers says something that their million followers agree with, doesn’t make it true.
14) Partying and drinking will never love you in the same way a family and marriage will.
15) Have the piece of cake. Eat a fried chicken wing. So long as it’s not in excess and practiced with discipline, you can earn your treats.
16) Just because degeneracy and weakness is applauded in modern society, doesn’t mean you have to clap along.
17) Be confident in all you do and say, yet admit when you are wrong.
18) The main factor in reaching your goals is not skill or power – it’s consistency.
19) Don’t lose who you are in your pursuit of money. Being the richest person on earth is still not worth your sanity or family. Know when “enough is enough.”
20) Do invest your money. Real estate, stocks, bonds – use your money, to earn more.
21) Do many activities that don’t require screens or phones. It’s important to disconnect from the virtual society we have created.
22) Understand the value each human brings: the brain surgery is not possible without the surgeon, the discovery of new materials and improved technology is not possible without the scientist, and the maintenance of clean buildings and sanitary public spaces is not possible without the janitor.
23) Balance the line between order and freedom. Too much of one and not enough of the other will cause your downfall.