To my future child,
Over the years I have collected a lot of advices and kept the ones that are quite useful. Here are some simple rules so you can navigate the boring stuff of life and enjoy the less boring parts of it.
I hope that they will help you and that you may add some more to them, pass them along so people you care about will enjoy life with you, because a life in solitary and with no one to share what you know with, is a life not well lived.
People don't want to be happy. What people actually are looking for is to have less negative emotions. They don't want to be miserable, they want to be free of pain, free of anxiety.
When there is no need for electronic devices, don't use them. If you can do one thing better with a pen and paper, use that. Don't try to emulate everything with electronics. Use it when it makes sense. It will make you robust and you will not lose touch with things that have been around for a very long time.
Here are some examples of manifestation of negative emotions: Frustration - when approaching a goal and you are blocked. Disappointment - when pursuing a goal and it doesn't work. Grief - when loosing something. Pain - marker for damage. Anxiety - marker for the possibility of damage.
Be with a partner that is emotional stable and mature. He/she should have figured out his/her emotional problems and be mentally healthy.
When you have less, you are more antifragile to life. You have less to lose, less of a status quo to lose, less financial burdens, less psychological problems.
If you need something of value (e.g. a TV,a new phone or a expensive piece of clothing) wait for a couple of days or weeks (if it more expensive). This will force you to consider if you needed the item in the first place.
When you try to predict the future, consider that the present is here. The probability of it existing is very high, you can feel it and see it. The closer the present is to now, the higher the probability is that you can predict it.
When somebody says that this never happened before is no indicator that it may not happen in the future. When white swan's are observed, doesn't mean there aren't any black.
Ask the below question to quickly evaluate a business: 1. Did it invent a service? 2. Did it invent a formula? 3. Did it invent a delivery method? 4. Is anything what the business doing patentable or a unique user experience? 5. Did the business find an isolated market segment? 6. Is the concept branded?
Never ever be with someone that is jealous, needy or a stalker.