47 lessons from 47 years

May 04 2026 – 04:59pm

As of today, I have been alive for 47 years. Here is everything I’ve learned:

(I’ve also published this over on Substack, where I’m doing a short (for now) publishing experiment you might want to subscribe and be a part of.)

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Whenever possible, act now.
You’re worth so much more than your eyeballs.
What you think is “all in your head,” may actually be in your body. Find a good doctor.
Trust your subconscious. It knows your path better than you do.
Get therapy.
You’re bombarded with mediocre opportunities.
Thus, it’s your challenge to ignore mediocre opportunities.
You’re bombarded with mediocre friendships and relationships.
Thus, it’s your challenge to ignore mediocre friendships and relationships.
Most people are dying to distract themselves from their own thoughts.
There is a lot of money to be made in distracting people from their own thoughts.
Thus, everything around you is built to help people distract themselves from their own thoughts.
So, ignore most everything, and make space for your own thoughts.
Nobody reads the whole article before commenting.
Nearly everybody is “juicing.” They’re making themselves sick trying to catch up with one another.
Thus, your challenge is to catch up with your self.
You can only know so much.
And, your brain is ruled by biases.
Thus, you can hardly trust what you think you know.
And, you can only know so much about a person.
So, if you feel jealous when comparing yourself to someone else, you’re wrong.
Take improv classes. It will get you out of your head, and into the moment.
Take voice lessons. It really is possible to improve your singing.
Only sing in a key that is comfortable for you.
Take lessons in a social dance (Salsa, Swing, Tango, etc.) You’ll learn to cooperate, and you’ll have instant community anywhere you travel.
Traveling sucks. It’s much better to live in different places for short bursts.
What you think is a personality flaw may just be the bad influence of the place where you live.
What you think sucks about where you live may just be a flaw in your perception.
If you merely suspect something is holding you back, it’s not. You are.
When you dream of something, that thing seems impossible.
When something you dream of feels impossible, it makes you unhappy.
Thus, be comfortable with where you are.
But still, dream, while being comfortable with where you are.
When you use a bookmark, you invite yourself to forget what you’ve read.
Thus, don’t use bookmarks.
Smart people do dumb things when the pressure is on.
When you’re 29, you’ll feel 28. When you’re 39, you’ll feel 28. When you’re 47, you’ll feel 28.
When you meet someone 28, they’ll think you’re 100.
Life can get super shitty and nobody wants to hear or talk about it.
Losing a parent is good for your art because now you aren’t worried what they’ll think.
You think you need to be a complete person to find a partner, but you never will be. You can be “fixed.”
When someone’s behavior seems stupid, they probably just value something you don’t.
You’ll never “efficient” your way out of a lack of time.
Instead of delegating, just don’t do the thing. Being a master is being a slave.
The most mundane observations are one step away from the most profound.
You think you need to live where the “action” is, but the action is mostly a distraction.
Even though it’s cliché to end a list with something pithy, it ties it up nicely. Clichés are clichés for a reason.