10 things I wish someone told me before I turned 20.
Your life purpose is to discover new things and tell others about them. You do this so future generations can reap the rewards and build off of your discoveries.
Your only job right now is to figure out what field you will accomplish #1 in. Yes, you have to choose a field. To complete #1 you need to be at the frontier of something and you cannot do this without specializing.
You may think finding out the answer to #2 is somewhat difficult. However, it's easy: get out and try as many things as you can. This is the best use of your time while you’re young. You’ll quickly figure out what you like and don’t like. If you don’t know where to start, use what you were interested in as a child to guide you.
Repeat #3 and do not stop untill you find the answer to #2. There are more fields and disciplines than you can imagine. If you think you’ve reached the end, you’re wrong.
You’ll know you’ve found the answer to #2 when what you do feels like play but seems like work to others. Time will fly. You’ll become obsessed. You’ll find yourself thinking and talking about whatever it is all the time. If all of this does not happen, do not settle and keep looking.
When you’re young, particularly when you’re working on #3, who you do stuff with is more important than what you do. In the words of David Senra: “Relationships run the world.”
Get out of wherever you grew up. Move to a new place, meet new people, get into new social circles, and make connections with others that have the same interests as you. This sounds cliche but seriously, it’s so good for your personal growth.
Chances are you’re not thinking about your life on a long enough timespan. You should be thinking in decades.
Mornings are sacred. Learning to go to bed early and get up early is a superpower. Aside from your brain being more alert and focused in the morning, nothing feels better than getting so much accomplished before you even start your day. Don’t believe me? Just try it once.
I cannot emphasize this enough: prioritize your health over everything. Eat clean, stay away from the bad drugs and alcohol, exercise, stretch, learn a martial art, go outside, and constantly get good sleep. You focus on these things to optimize your healthspan not lifespan. You may think this is not a big deal while you’re young, but having your life plagued by problems when you’re older is not something you want to experience.