6 lessons I Wish I Had Learned Sooner

Summary

This video script emphasizes the importance of learning life lessons early to avoid pitfalls and make informed choices. It shares six key lessons: prioritizing health, controlling your environment to manage habits, staying true to oneself, the necessity of mental rest, managing energy over time for productivity, and focusing on making everyday moments enjoyable for a great life. The speaker encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences and share lessons they wish they had known sooner.

Takeaways

• 💪 Health is paramount: Never take your health for granted and prioritize it to avoid regret and enjoy life fully.
• 🌞 Prioritize self-care: Implement habits like getting enough sleep, exercising, and managing stress to protect and enhance your health.
• 🏡 Control your environment: Shape your surroundings to facilitate self-control and make positive behaviors more accessible.
• 🧠 Be authentic: Embrace your true self to attract genuine connections and avoid the disconnection that comes with pretending.
• 🧘‍♂️ Mental rest is crucial: Recognize the need for mental breaks and avoid overloading your brain with constant information consumption.
• 🚶‍♂️ Opt for effective breaks: Engage in activities that allow your mind to relax, such as walking without electronic devices, for true mental recovery.
• ⏳ Manage energy, not time: Align tasks with your natural energy rhythms to enhance productivity and achieve a healthier work-life balance.
• 🌟 Consistent good days build a great life: Focus on making everyday moments enjoyable rather than just seeking grand events.
• 🔄 Adaptability is key: Be open to learning new lessons and adapting your life rules as you grow and gain new experiences.
• 💡 Share and reflect: Engage in sharing and reflecting on personal growth lessons to continue learning and improving.

Q & A

What is the first lesson emphasized in the transcript about living a fulfilling life?

The first lesson is that health is everything, and it should not be taken for granted. It's a reminder to appreciate and prioritize one's health to avoid regret and consequences.

Why is it important to avoid trading health for wealth according to the speaker?

The speaker argues that health is wealth and that trading it for money is not a good trade-off because health allows us to enjoy life to the fullest, and without it, we become limited.

What practical steps are suggested to maintain and enhance health?

Practical steps include getting enough sunlight, ensuring adequate sleep, exercising regularly, avoiding unnecessary risks, junk food, soda, alcohol, smoking, and learning to manage stress.

How does controlling one's environment relate to self-control according to the transcript?

Controlling one's environment can make self-control easier or even unnecessary by setting up the environment in a way that reduces temptations and distractions, making positive behaviors more accessible.

What is an example given in the transcript to illustrate how optimizing one's environment can help with self-control?

The example given is the speaker not eating sugary foods for months, not because of exceptional discipline, but because they made it difficult to access such foods by not keeping them at home.

Why is it better to stay true to oneself according to the speaker?

Staying true to oneself is better because it allows finding people who like you for who you are, rather than for a persona you're pretending to be, leading to more authentic and fulfilling relationships.

What is the Solomon Asch experiment mentioned in the transcript, and what does it illustrate?

The Solomon Asch experiment illustrates the powerful need for social acceptance and the pressure to conform, even at the cost of one's own judgment and authenticity. It showed that participants often conformed to a group's incorrect opinion despite knowing the correct answer.

How does the speaker suggest giving the mind a proper rest?

The speaker suggests taking a break from mental activities by engaging in simple activities like a 30-minute walk without electronic devices, which allows thoughts to run free and recharges mental batteries.

What is the significance of managing energy over time according to the transcript?

Managing energy over time is significant because it aligns tasks with natural energy rhythms, leading to increased productivity and quality of work. It also promotes a healthier work-life balance by reducing work hours and allowing more time for rest and personal pursuits.

How does the speaker define a great life, and what is the key to achieving it?

The speaker defines a great life as having good days consistently, emphasizing that life is a string of days. The key to achieving it is to improve the average day, focusing on everyday moments and finding contentment in the routine and mundane.

What is the speaker's perspective on the balance between work and enjoyment in life?

The speaker believes in finding a balance where the average day is enjoyable rather than enduring long periods of misery for the sake of occasional enjoyment. They encourage structuring one's day in a way that brings personal satisfaction and contentment.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Prioritizing Health for a Fulfilling Life

The speaker emphasizes the paramount importance of health, which is often overlooked, especially by younger adults. They share personal experiences, such as catching a cold annually, to illustrate the value of good health and the consequences of neglect. The speaker counters the common pursuit of wealth at the expense of health with a rhetorical question, urging the audience to consider the impracticality of wealth without health. They advocate for a lifestyle that enhances health, including sunlight exposure, adequate sleep, regular exercise, risk avoidance, and stress management, warning of the regret that comes from poor health choices.

05:01

🔑 Controlling Your Environment to Control Your Life

The speaker discusses the concept of self-control and argues that discipline, while important, is often overrated. They share their personal strategy of environmental optimization to reduce the need for self-control. By making unhealthy choices inconvenient and healthy choices easy, they have successfully avoided temptations like sugary foods. The speaker suggests that by structuring one's environment to support positive behaviors, such as having a water bottle always in sight to encourage hydration, one can more effectively manage habits and, consequently, the trajectory of one's life.

10:03

🌟 Staying True to Yourself for Authentic Relationships

The speaker reflects on the realization that adapting to social circles by pretending to be someone else is not a sustainable way to gain social acceptance. They argue that authenticity is key to finding people who appreciate you for who you truly are. Drawing from the Solomon Asch experiments, which demonstrated the strong influence of group conformity, the speaker encourages the audience to resist the pressure to conform and to embrace their individuality. They suggest that being true to oneself is essential for forming meaningful connections and avoiding the alienation that comes from inauthentic relationships.

🧠 The Importance of Mental Rest for Cognitive Health

The speaker highlights the need for mental rest, paralleling it with the well-recognized need for physical rest. They point out that cognitive work, such as programming, can be as draining as physical labor, yet mental fatigue is often overlooked. The speaker dispels the myth that passive activities like watching TV provide a true mental break, instead advocating for activities that allow the mind to relax without the influx of new information, such as walking without electronic devices. They stress the importance of giving the mind regular breaks to maintain mental health and productivity, suggesting that this approach leads to better work quality and a more sustainable lifestyle.

⏰ Managing Energy, Not Time, for Enhanced Productivity

The speaker introduces an alternative approach to productivity that focuses on aligning tasks with one's natural energy rhythms rather than strictly managing time. They share their personal experience of scheduling demanding tasks during peak energy times, which has significantly improved their work quality and efficiency. This strategy has allowed the speaker to reduce work hours while maintaining productivity and has encouraged a healthier work-life balance. The speaker suggests that recognizing and working with one's energy patterns can lead to a more effective and satisfying work experience, even for those in manual labor.

🌈 Consistently Good Days Lead to a Great Life

The speaker concludes by discussing the concept of a great life, suggesting that it is not built on occasional grand events but on the consistent quality of everyday moments. They argue that life is a series of days, and making average days good is the key to a great life. The speaker shares their own transformation from chasing success at the cost of daily happiness to finding contentment in their routine. They encourage the audience to focus on improving their everyday experiences, as this is what truly constitutes a fulfilling life.

Keywords

💡Health

Health is defined as the state of being free from illness or injury. In the context of the video, it is emphasized as the most important aspect of life, something often taken for granted until it is compromised. The script mentions that health allows us to enjoy life to the fullest and that without it, our activities become limited. The speaker shares personal experiences of getting sick and how it serves as a reminder of the importance of health.

💡Self-control

Self-control refers to the ability to regulate one's own emotions and actions. The video suggests that while discipline is often praised, it can be energy-consuming to constantly exert self-control. Instead, the speaker advocates for controlling one's environment to make self-control easier, such as by not having tempting foods at home, which aligns with the theme of making life choices that support a healthier lifestyle.

💡Environment

Environment, in this video, refers to the surroundings or conditions in which someone lives or operates. The concept is tied to the idea that by controlling one's environment, one can exert more control over their life. The speaker gives examples of how making healthy choices easier and unhealthy choices harder can lead to better habits and an improved life trajectory.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity is the state of being genuine and not false or copied. The video stresses the importance of being true to oneself rather than conforming to social expectations or fitting into a certain social circle. Authenticity is linked to finding people who appreciate you for who you are and not for a persona you might be pretending to be.

💡Social Acceptance

Social acceptance is the approval or recognition by others in a social group. The video discusses the powerful need for social acceptance and how it can lead individuals to conform, even at the cost of their own judgment and authenticity. The script references Solomon Asch's conformity experiments to illustrate this point.

💡Mental Rest

Mental rest is the concept of allowing the mind to relax and recover from cognitive exertion. The video emphasizes that just as the body needs physical rest, the mind also requires breaks from mental activity. The speaker suggests activities like walking without electronic devices as a way to provide this mental rest and recharge.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of producing desired results. The video presents a unique approach to productivity by focusing on managing energy rather than time. It suggests aligning tasks with natural energy rhythms to enhance focus and quality of work. The script provides the speaker's personal experience as an example of how this strategy can lead to increased productivity and a healthier work-life balance.

💡Energy Management

Energy management, as discussed in the video, involves understanding and scheduling tasks according to one's natural energy fluctuations throughout the day. This concept is presented as a strategy to optimize work output by performing high-focus tasks during peak energy times and less demanding tasks during lower energy periods.

💡Great Life

A great life, according to the video, is not solely defined by grand events or achievements but by the consistent quality of everyday experiences. The script encourages viewers to focus on making their average day better, as this will cumulatively lead to a great life. The concept is used to argue for finding contentment in routine and ordinary moments.

💡Contentment

Contentment is a state of satisfaction with one's circumstances. The video suggests that finding contentment in the mundane aspects of daily life is key to building a great life. It is presented as an alternative to seeking happiness only in extraordinary events or achievements.

💡Pitfalls

Pitfalls are hidden problems or dangers. In the context of the video, pitfalls refer to the common mistakes or negative outcomes that can be avoided by learning certain life lessons sooner. The script implies that being aware of these potential pitfalls can lead to more informed choices and a more fulfilling life.

Highlights

Health is the most important aspect of life and should not be taken for granted.

The consequences of neglecting health often become apparent only when something bad happens.

An old adage emphasizes that health is wealth, yet people often prioritize money over health.

Avoiding unhealthy habits like junk food, soda, alcohol, smoking, and vaping is crucial for maintaining health.

Managing stress and getting enough sleep, sunlight, and exercise are essential for health.

Controlling your environment can lead to better self-control and habit formation.

Discipline can be overrated; making self-control easy through environmental setup is more effective.

By making unhealthy options less accessible, one can reduce the need for willpower.

Staying true to oneself is more important than fitting into social expectations.

Being authentic attracts people who appreciate you for who you are, not for a persona.

Solomon Asch's experiments showed the powerful need for social acceptance and its impact on individual judgment.

The mind needs rest just as much as the body does, and mental exertion can be draining.

Mental breaks should not involve passive consumption of information but rather activities that allow the mind to relax.

Managing energy, not just time, can lead to increased productivity and a healthier work-life balance.

Aligning tasks with natural energy rhythms can improve the quality and efficiency of work.

Consistently having good days is the key to living a great life, rather than relying on occasional grand events.

It's important to find contentment in everyday moments to build a truly great life.

Transcripts

Over the course of our lives, we all learn some  lessons that we wish we had learned sooner.

These lessons often come from  a combination of experience,

reflection, and the advice others give us.

They shape who we are, guide our decisions,

and provide a framework for living a  more fulfilling and meaningful life.

That’s why the sooner we learn  or at least become aware of them,

the better it is for us, as they can help us avoid  common pitfalls and make more informed choices.

I’m going to share some of the lessons I’ve  learned with you today, in no particular order.

But they’re not just lessons, rather  they’re more like rules I live by,

because as long as I stick to them, I’m  able to enjoy my life to the fullest.

Now, without further ado, we have number one:

Health is everything.

Yet, most of us take it for granted.

This is especially prevalent among  younger adults in their early 20s,

who often forget that actions have consequences.

When we’re going about our day-to-day lives and

everything is fine, we don’t appreciate  how healthy we are. Why would we?

It’s only when something bad happens that  we realize just how lucky we really were.

I’m no different in this regard.

Usually, once a year, I’ll catch the common cold and be out of commission for a few days.

It’s always an unpleasant experience,

but it’s also a stark reminder  not to take health for granted.

There’s an old adage: health is wealth.

However, people often neglect their health in pursuit of money.

Which I don’t think is a good trade-off.

Consider this: would you trade your life with someone who’s worth 100 million dollars,

but they’re so ill that they can’t even leave their bed?

I know I wouldn’t.

Most people would be willing to spend all of that money just to be healthy again.

Because health is actually what allows  us to enjoy life to the fullest.

Without it, we become limited. And unfortunately, we often

come to this conclusion too late, or only  realize it when something bad happens to us.

That’s why I believe it’s important to make  decisions that protect and enhance your health.

Get enough sunlight. Ensure you get enough sleep.

Exercise regularly.

Stop taking unnecessary risks that  could lead to permanent injury.

Avoid junk food. Avoid soda and alcohol.

Don’t smoke or vape. Learn to manage stress.

These are just a few of the steps you can take.

Appreciate and prioritize your health,  or suffer the consequences and regret.

Number two: If you can control your  environment, you can control your life.

When we think about self-control, we  might think of someone with an iron will

who can force himself to act against  his instincts through sheer discipline.

While this is one way to think about self-control,  I’ve learned that discipline is often overrated.

Constantly powering through distractions  and resisting temptations requires

a lot of energy and brainpower. Instead, setting up your environment

in a way that makes self-control easy or  even unnecessary is a much better approach.

For example, I haven’t eaten  any sugary foods in months.

But it’s not because I dislike sugar or have  exceptional discipline. Quite the opposite.

If you put an ice cream in front of me,

I’ll eat all of it in seconds. My self-control is that weak.

However, I’ve optimized my environment in such a  way that I don’t have to resist ice cream at all.

Occasionally I’ll get a craving  for it, especially during summer.

But if I don’t have any at  home when the craving hits,

it becomes a chore to get some, since  I’d have to go all the way to the store.

And by the time I get there, either  my rational brain takes over,

or the craving subsides on its own. Essentially, by making it difficult

to get my hands on ice cream, I barely  have to use any brainpower resisting it.

Now when it comes to any positive  behavior I want to practice more often,

I make it as convenient as possible. Whether it’s  reading, exercising, working, or eating healthily,

I ensure these activities are easy to  engage in by making them readily available.

If I wanted to incorporate a new habit, let’s  say drinking more water, I’d just make it

incredibly convenient for myself to do so. I’d always have a water bottle within arm’s

reach or somewhere visible as a reminder. I’d practically be tripping over it,

but that easy access would ensure that  staying hydrated remained effortless.

And yes, this approach of optimizing your  environment works exceptionally well.

Because by creating obstacles for  things you shouldn’t do and making

things you should do more convenient, you  can manage your habits more effectively.

And if you can control your habits, you  ultimately control the trajectory of your life.

So try optimizing your environment if you  haven’t already. You won’t be disappointed.

Number three: Stay true to yourself.

One of the biggest epiphanies I had in my  teenage years was that I could make almost anyone

love or like me, simply by adapting to the social  circle I was in. Essentially, if I acted how other

people wanted me to act, and told them what they  wanted to hear, I was able to fit in anywhere.

However one of the biggest epiphanies  of my 20s was realizing that it’s better

to just be yourself.

Not because it makes you more likeable, it absolutely doesn’t.

But because only by being yourself can you

find people who like you for who you are, rather  than for the character you're pretending to be.

By pretending you’re someone you’re  not, you attract people who only like

the persona you’re portraying, not the true you.

You’re just going to end up feeling  disconnected from those people.

And is their approval really  that important to you?

All the while, the people who would  have fallen in love with the true you,

they will pass you by, because that  side of you is never presented.

But we are social creatures, and we  all struggle with finding balance

between being true to ourselves and  conforming to social expectations.

In the 1950s, Solomon Asch conducted a series of  experiments that vividly illustrated how powerful

the need for social acceptance can be.

In his experiments, participants were asked to match the length of a line on one card 

with one of three lines on another card.

While this task was very  simple, it came with a twist.

In each session, there was  only one real participant.

The rest of the group were actors  who were in on the experiment.

For the first few rounds,  everyone gave correct answers.

But then in later rounds, the actors started  to unanimously choose an obviously wrong line.

The real participant, unaware  of the setup, faced a dilemma:

Go with the obvious correct answer or  conform to the group’s incorrect choice.

Astonishingly, 72% of participants conformed  to the incorrect group opinion at least once,

even when the correct answer was clear.

Participants often reported feeling self-doubt and a desire to fit in with the group,

even when they knew the group's answer was wrong.

This experiment underscores the immense  pressure to conform, even at the cost

of one’s own judgment and authenticity. It highlights our inherent need for social

acceptance, which can lead us to suppress our  true selves in favor of fitting in with the group.

However, by doing so, we only  alienate ourselves further.

So next time you find yourself in a situation  where everyone seems to agree on something,

don’t be afraid to offer a different  perspective, even if it feels challenging.

It’s also completely fine  to be wrong about something.

Be authentic, stay true to yourself,  as that’s the only way you’ll find

the people that truly resonate with who you are.

Number four: Your mind needs rest as well.

We often advise people to take a break after  physical activity, reminding them of the necessity

of rest and recovery for their bodies.

Yet, how often do we extend this advice

to those who have spent their day  engaged in intense mental activity?

In today’s world, many jobs  demand significant mental effort.

Think of a programmer who spends  the entire day writing code.

To an outsider it might seem like  he’s just chilling at his desk.

But his brain could be working  a hundred miles per hour.

And this type of cognitive effort can  be just as draining as physical work,

despite not being measured as easily.

Now unfortunately, while physical  exertion gets a free pass since it’s

more tangible, mental exertion often does not.

We’re told to suck it up and push further instead.

But just as our muscles need time to  recuperate after a strenuous workout,

our brains also need a break after  prolonged periods of mental exertion.

And our brains are actually constantly  working, whether we notice it or not.

When we’re studying, reading, or just  going about our day, we’re filtering

and sorting all the information  we’ve consumed throughout the day.

And yet, the need to rest our minds is  frequently overlooked and neglected.

However, it has to be noted that  not every break is created equal.

It’s a common misconception that activities  like watching TV, scrolling through TikTok,

or browsing Instagram provide a mental break.

In reality, these activities only distract us while continuing to overload

our brains with new information.

This cycle of constant consumption is a common  trap that prevents true mental relaxation.

What I suggest as a solution is a simple  30-minute walk, without any electronic devices.

This type of break allows our  thoughts to run free and can

significantly recharge our mental batteries.

Activities where you keep the body active, but can turn the brain off, like:

walking, showering or doing mundane chores,

free us from the constant influx of new information and actually let our brains relax properly.

Not only that, but you’ll also find that you tend  to get your best ideas during these activities,

as they allow you to finally stop overloading  your brain and process all the information.

A prevalent issue among insomniacs is the  inability to quiet their ruminating minds at night.

As they lie in bed, trying to fall asleep,  they often find themselves mulling over the

day's events and worrying about the future.

This mental overload happens because bedtime

is often the only break their  brain gets throughout the day.

So if you want to maintain your mental health and  productivity, it's essential to give your mind the

rest it deserves, by not consuming more content.

Give it a proper break, let it rest and run free.

Number five: Manage your energy, not your time.

This is a slightly different approach to  productivity that is often not considered.

But basically what it hopes to achieve, is to  align your tasks with your natural energy rhythms.

Throughout the day, our energy levels fluctuate,

creating periods of high  focus and times of fatigue.

And through personal experience,  I’ve discovered that scheduling my

most important work around my peak energy  time significantly enhances my ability to

produce high quality work and with greater ease.

All the while my less important tasks are best

scheduled when I’m not as energetic, since I  don’t have to be as focused to do them well.

And identifying my energy peaks and droughts  has been one of the best ways I’ve managed

to increase my overall productivity.

This strategy has two main benefits.

Firstly, it has allowed me to  reduce my work hours dramatically.

Instead of working for six  hours with moderate results,

I can achieve 80% of the same workload in just  two hours by working during my energy peak.

Because my most demanding work receives my best  attention, I simply don’t have to spend as much

time on it, since I’m able to do complex  tasks with greater clarity and efficiency.

Traditional time management techniques,  which focus on organizing hours and minutes,

regardless of my own biology,  simply cannot match the results.

And secondly this strategy encourages  a healthier work-life balance.

Since I spend less time working,

it frees up more hours in the day for  rest, relaxation, and personal pursuits.

I’ve mentioned earlier how you  should give your mind a break.

But unfortunately many people look at breaks as a  waste of time or they feel guilty for taking them.

However, they are absolutely required if  you want to work at your peak.

You can’t do your best work if you’re exhausted.

Breaks ensure that you’re recharged and ready to perform at your best during the next energy peak period.

And since work gets done faster, there  shouldn’t be any guilt for having some rest.

Of course it's important to recognize  that this approach may not be as easily

applied to manual labor, which often  requires consistent physical effort.

Nonetheless, it can still be useful to schedule  physically demanding tasks during times of

higher physical energy in order to maintain  stamina and reduce the risk of injury.

Still, this method encourages a  more intentional approach to work,

where the quality of effort you put in is  prioritized over the amount of time spent working.

And it leads to a more effective,  satisfying and sustainable work experience.

Number six: Have a good day, have a great life.

What does it mean to live a great life?

Is it having a well-paying job or a lot of money?

Is it about fame and status,

or maybe it’s traveling the world  and learning about other cultures?

Perhaps it’s having great  relationships and a loving family?

One could argue that all these things  contribute to a fulfilling life.

However, when you break everything apart, what it eventually boils down to is having good days consistently.

Because what life really is, is a string of days.

And if you can make your average  day good, you’ll live a great life.

This is a simple, yet for many,  a very profound realization.

Yes, we all experience bad days, and  we all have amazing days as well.

There are certain big events that bring  us immense joy and pleasure, as well as

those that cause significant dips in our mood.

Think of going on an amazing vacation or attending

a fantastic party, compared to catching a cold  or dealing with the drudgery of doing taxes.

But these events are just that: events.

They are merely anomalies that occasionally  find their way into our everyday lives.

If you really think about it, most of  our days are actually routine, and it’s

those days that you should look to improve,  rather than just focusing on the big events.

However, if you look closely,  many people have it backwards.

Most go into jobs they absolutely hate,

enduring misery for 50 weeks a year just  to enjoy a lavish 2 week vacation.

To me, that doesn’t sound appealing at all.

50 weeks of misery for 2 weeks of enjoyment.

The proportions are all off.

But I’m not one to judge, as for  the longest time I was that person.

Chasing success and money, not realizing it  was causing me an immense amount of despair.

It took me many years to change my perspective,  but it was one of the best decisions I made.

My average day is now actually something  I look forward to, instead of dread.

Of course many people would  consider my usual day boring,

but I’ve structured it in such a way that I  enjoy it, and that’s all that really matters.

After all, it’s my day and  my life, not anyone else’s.

And I encourage you to do the  same. Make YOUR average day better.

Whatever that means for you.

A great life is not built on the

occasional grand events but on the  consistent joy of everyday moments.

And it’s only by finding contentment  in the routine, the ordinary,

and the mundane, that you’re able to lay  the foundation for a truly great life.

So those were the 6 lessons I wish I had  learned sooner, and are now rules that I follow.

I’m sure that over time I’ll  add some more to the list.

Now I’m also interested in what some of yours are.

Let me know what’s something you’ve learned that you wish you had known sooner, or what is something

that you follow and has served you well  over time.

Leave a comment down below.

As always thanks for watching,  and I’ll see you in the next one.