Member-only story
Unconventional Insights I Have Gained At 45
I have just hit the big 4–5.
And let me tell you, it has been one hell of a ride.
As I sit here, sipping my overpriced artisanal coffee (because apparently, that’s what middle-aged intellectuals do), I can’t help but reflect on the bizarre, sometimes painful, often hilarious lessons life has thrown my way.
So, I present 45 unconventional insights that I have gained at 45 below.
The stuff they don’t teach you in self-help books or TED talks.
Enjoy.
1. The “follow your passion” advice is often bullshit. I believed in it for years. I now believe that passion follows competence. Get good at something useful, then you’ll become passionate about it.
2. Curiosity is sexy. It’s the intellectual equivalent of a six-pack. Cultivate it.
3. Most people are winging it. Even the ones who look like they have it all figured out. Especially them.
4. The ability to sit with discomfort is a superpower. It’s also the least sexy superpower ever.
5. Your twenties are for making mistakes. Your thirties are for making different mistakes. Your forties? You guessed it — new and improved mistakes.