The Series
A Letter to My Younger Self
Some advice I wish someone had written down and slipped under the door. A new piece of advice, every Sunday, until we reach one hundred.
No. 01 / 100
“in your life you will go through many trials and tribulations whether you want it or not. All of this will be useless if you don't learn from them.”
Every experience leaves a piece of advice behind. Learn the advice, write it down, reread it, memorize it. Let it be at hand when you need it.
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No. 02 / 100
“Nothing is certain.”
After certain experiences in life will lift you to the ninth heaven, others will bring you to the ground.
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No. 03 / 100
“At fourteen, you need to study hard: The Code of Good Manners, Shogun by James Clavell, and at least one serious book about nonverbal communication.”
In a world where children are encouraged to call their parents by their first names, this is essential. It matters both for the parents who started down this road (because maybe it is not too late for them to realize where they went wrong, when they went to the mall in flip-flops and talked loudly in the movie theater), and especially for the children who have never been clearly shown what is good and what is bad, what an educated person looks like versus an uneducated one, what etiquette is and what simple common sense means. They all need to read what I would call a cornerstone of human evolution. You will need it, because one day you will find yourself in places where these things are noticed, where they open doors—or close them. If your destiny was only to be left running cows on the hill, then yes, these books would be useless to you.
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No. 04 / 100
“If you know something that must never become public, then never tell anyone. Ever. It could not be simpler.”
Every person has a few skeletons in the closet, things they hide from others for different reasons. Sometimes these are matters of shame; other times they are simply matters that demand absolute discretion. If you truly want to be safe from the humiliation of seeing such things exposed, then there is only one reliable method: keep them to yourself.
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No. 05 / 100
“Be close to your parents”
As time passes, you begin to understand that life moves like sand through an hourglass: quietly, irreversibly, and often faster than we expect. Most of the time, we do not notice how little time remains until someone we love is suddenly no longer there. That is why your relationship with your parents should never be neglected. Be present for them, not only out of duty, but out of gratitude, because they were, in one way or another, the foundation on which you were built.
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No. 06 / 100
“Friendship has six signs: giving and receiving, eating and hosting, asking and confiding.”
A friendship is not proved by words, photographs, or the number of years two people have known each other. It is proved by balance. It is proved in small gestures repeated over time, in the ability to be present without keeping score, and in the certainty that both people carry part of the relationship.
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No. 07 / 100
“When you have a conversation, learn to listen. Be silent as much as possible—and listen.”
If you want to understand people, truly understand them, learn first to listen. Listen not only to the words they choose, but also to what they avoid saying, to where their voice changes, to the stories they repeat, and to the details they rush past. People often reveal far more than they intend to when they are given enough space to speak.
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No. 08 / 100
“Everyone has an opinion about everything. Form your own opinion—but listen most carefully to those who have knowledge, experience, and the intelligence to use both well.”
Everyone speaks now. The internet has given every person a platform, and many confuse the ability to express an opinion with the ability to form a valuable one. But an opinion is not automatically wise simply because it is strongly stated, loudly defended, or repeated by thousands of people.
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No. 09 / 100
“You need determination in life: the determination to finish what you start, and the wisdom to walk away when something is already lost.”
Determination is not simply stubbornness. It is the ability to remain committed when enthusiasm disappears, when the work becomes difficult, and when nobody is there to applaud you. Many people begin things with energy: a course, a job, a relationship, a project, a promise to themselves. Far fewer have the discipline to continue when the first excitement is gone.
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No. 10 / 100
“Trust yourself. Trust that, if you remain an honest person, good things will eventually come to you. Let that be the foundation of your being.”
Self-confidence should not mean believing that you are better than everyone else. It means knowing who you are, understanding what you can do, and remaining steady when others doubt you—or when life becomes difficult.
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No. 11 / 100
“As a person—and as a modern man—it is important to be clean and well groomed.”
First, because of your health; then, because of the image you present to the world. From intimate hygiene to aesthetic care, cleanliness is a form of respect.
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No. 12 / 100
“In these days, it is very important to learn to eat what is healthiest for you from the moment you begin making your own choices.”
There comes a moment in life when your parents stop deciding what goes on your plate. You begin choosing for yourself: what you buy, what you cook, what you order, what you eat late at night, and what you call “a quick meal” because you are tired or in a hurry.
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The 13th piece of advice…
88 more to come, one each week.