I've been doing quite good as of late, not amazing as some crypto millionaires but also not as bad as I was a few years ago, and I've learned a lot during that time where I tried my best to improve myself, my approach to life and the way I roll.
Part 1 & part 2 of this series.
I know there are a lot of posts that aim to advice other users on how to thread in life, crypto, the internet or the professional scene, and I don't mean to undermine them but, here's probably the most thorough post about self improvement.
This post will be long but it will cover a lot of what I've learned since I became part of the crypto world and from my days in corpo world, I hope you get some value out of it because it took me a very long time to write it.
Mindset Hacks
- Choose being active - Life is full of decisions. Whenever you are in a decision making moment, there are usually two sets of options: Active and Passive mode. Always choose the active mode, and make sure to ignore the feedback from those in passive mode.
- Leverage peak performance - Every successful person I know works in blocks of efficiency, productivity and overdrive state. Find out when you are at peak performance and use that time to go into deep work mode. Don't let anything come between you and these peak performance blocks.
- Don't look back - Restrospective might give you feedback, but it usually comes with several negative factors if you regret past decisions. The past is in the past and you must not let it rule your future. Instead of regretting past decisions, build a model to make better decisions.
- The process is as important as the goal - There's no such thing as means to an end. The means are also important, and you learn more from the process than from the objective or goal achievement.
- Be ok with being boring - You won't have amazing drunk stories on a Tuesday at 4 am, but in return you must focus in: Sleep well, eat healthy, have a routine. Build the boring systems and habits that guarantee success.
- Do not neglect your personal side - I have a great system for this. My girlfriend calls me a robot, but I have alarms and reminders to message my family, reach out to loved ones and to take time for my dogs. It is boring, but it works.
- Your body is your machinery - Achieving success requires peak performance, you can't have peak performance if you have a faulty body: Drink water, invest time in powerful sleeps, don't eat until you're full.
- Go for walks - But make them count, do not see them as time drainers, but as a recharge mobile station where sunlight, nature, and movement improve your energy level,s metabolism and mood. Don't take your cellphone with your for these.
- Momentum is everything - But so is burn out syndrome. Learn to take breaks, but never take a long break or stop working for more than one day. Getting back in action is harder as time passes by.
- Embrace Loneliness - Alone time is one of the best ones I've experienced, that's when you can reflect and have introspection. Normalize having a couple of activities per week while being alone. For me it is working in the garden and walking my dogs. This builds long-term, resilient happiness
Useless society's rules
- Being selfish is not wrong - In order to take care of others and being at your peak performance, you must be healthy, financially secure and have an unbreakable mindset. Help you to be able to help others.
- Passion doesn't pay the bills - No matter how many athletes and actors tell you that following your passion is the way to go, and eventually money will flow your way, do not fall for this trap. Follow your strengths. Leave your passions for the weekend after earning a much bigger paycheck.
- Learn to say No - I'd say it's quite the opposite. Learning to get out of the comfort zone and learning to say Yes to those things that scare us is one of the best way to grow and not have any regrets in life. Just learn to know when to say Yes, because it is not about saying Yes to everything.
- Plans fall apart - It's great to have a plan, but it is always better to have a plan for when the plan falls apart. Plans are meant to be broken and nobody cares about your plans, so learn to adapt.
- Hard work is not always the best option - I was raised with the mindset that success only comes from hard work, which turned out to be a blatant lie, at least in these modern ages. Smart beats hard every single time. Hustling 24/7 won't take you anywhere. Learn to relax and avoid burning out, just don't overdo it or you will lose momentum.
- Timing is not everything - Timing can help, but some times all you have to do is get shit done no matter the moment, because there might not be a proper or correct moment to do something, and waiting on the sidelines for the moment might leave you out of the game for good.
- Never accept only what you can handle - Accept challenges that make you leave your comfort zone and teach you something in the process. This doesn't mean to take a job in blockchain development if you don't know how to code in HTML, it means that if something is out of your reach but it is close, accept the challenge.
For the Young and Brave
If you are under 30, let me break it down for you: You will never have this much energy, free time, and drive to eat the world. Don't waste this stage of life because it will never, ever come back. Use this time to:
- Don't settle down into a relationship - You're too young. You need experience with women and you won't know the real value of a woman unless you know what is out there. This doesn't mean to whore yourself out, it means to not commit to someone without knowing how valuable you (and she) are.
- Learn a high value skill - One of the only real ways to build wealth is by acquiring a sought-after skill (like sales or coding) and then leveraging that up later on.
- Read as much as you can - Nothing beats experience, but reading is quite close even if you don't believe so. Read, read and read.
- Get fit, and stay fit - The older you get, the harder it will be to start from scratch to get in shape, but if you start early, you'll have a strong base and it'll be much easier to maintain. If you put off your health, you'll pay for it down the line.
Take control of your life
- Set priorities - The older you are, the better you need to be at setting priorities straight. After you are 30, your currencies are time, energy and attention, do not waste them with people, tasks or experiences that are not worth it.
- Don't take things personal - If you are easy to offend, you are easy to control and your mental health will take a toll. Your opinion and only those very close to you (choosen wisely) should have an opinion on anything related to you, and you are not obliged to listen to them.
- You can't control everything - The outcome of many things in your life depend on your input, focus and mindset, but even if you excel at these three things, there will be outcomes that you don't like. Lower your expectations and maximize your input.
- A strong mindset is 90% of the way - This is self explanatory. You can't achieve anything with a weak mindset.
- Stay true to your beliefs - Your beliefs shape your reality, so train your mind to stay calm and stick to your beliefs when shit hits the fan. Do not let circumstances shape your beliefs, or they will end up shaping your mindset and eventually, your life.
- Find a mentor - For this you need to get rid of your pride and narcissism, but once you do, find someone you can learn from and offer them value to get value in return. Multiple mentors are ideal but it is sometimes not possible.
- Unplug from the matrix - No mainstream media activity unless it is for learning, no listening to loser friends, no bending to parents or society. Pick your mission and unplug from everything that is dragging you down.
- Learn to be a leader - If you are not in a competitive environment, then become the leader in your group of friends by learning to take charge, help others, and better yourself to become a role model. Leaders are wanted by women and respected by other men but this skill takes a lot of time to learn if you are not a born leader.
- Travel as much as possible - Before settling down I traveled around the world for 3 years. This is probably the best decision I've made. By getting as many and as diverse experiences, I opened my horizon and was taught what is out there. A traveled man is a wise man: Cultured and refined, out of your comfort zone, fostering growth, teaching you how to handle new and different situations, giving you stuff to talk about.
Overall knowledge
- Be ready for criticism if you ever want to build something worthy.
- Information is power, never share information with everyone, and never do it for free.
- Stop worrying about ifs and whens and work with what you got.
- Enjoy risk and pain.
- Wherever you are going, surround yourself with the right people to help you with your weaknesses.
- Improvisation and pivoting beats any plan
- Mental health is more important than financial security
- Realizing you are capable of doing things alone is a superpower
- Learn that not everyone will like you, and that is fine
- Happiness is a state of mind, not a goal
- Your future is engrave every day by your routine and habits
- Do not find yourself, shape yourself
I think that's it for today
I still have a lot of topics to talk about but this post is already too long.
If you like these pieces and I get enough feedback I will continue to them once or twice a month.