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100 Ways To Live A Better LifePosted on Aug 22, 2009 in Getting Things Done • Personal Development • Relationships & Society •Spirituality &
Beliefs • Success & Wellness by Dragos Roua 326 Comments
Tags: commitment, evolution, Personal Development
You don’t like your life? Change it! Change your life for the better! Don’t have any clue on how to do it?
Here’s a list of 100 ways in which you can improve your life. Feel free to add yours in the comments. This
post is a response from a challenge I got from from Mike King in this great post 100 Ways To Be A Better
Leader, which in turn got inspired by this one Tackle Any Issue With A List Of 100 , from Luciano
Passuello. [Later edit: you may also be interested in this sequel 100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life.
[ Update: There is an ebook based on this! Go ahead and read the post, or scroll down to the end
of it for more details! ]
Without further ado, let’s go.
1. Accept Your Mistakes
You’re human. We, humans, are making mistakes. Accept what you did wrong and try to do better next
time. No need to punish yourself forever. In fact, accepting your mistakes is the only way to make them
disappear.
2. Accept Your Friends Mistakes
Maybe you got hurt by somebody. Happens. Just accept it and deal with it. People are making mistakes
and if you can accept that for yourself, accept it for your friends too. In the end, all you need from them is
their love.
3. Create A New Habit
We’re doing a lot of stuff on autopilot. Try to integrate in this category new things you want to attract into
your life. Habits are powerful. Harness their energy for your own good. Start by creating a habit in 15
days.
4. Build Self Discipline
Don’t wait for other people to impose discipline on you. Start early. Create your own discipline. Although it
sounds a little bit harsh, self discipline is a facilitator for many things in your life. It’s hard to get but great
to have.
5. Make New Friends
Reach out. Don’t be afraid. Establish new contacts. The worst thing that may happen to you is to be
rejected. Well, if that’s the case, move on. The reward of having true, long-lasting friendship is worth all
the potential rejection.
6. Get A New Job
Shaking your comfort zone will often create a lot of value in your life. If you’re not satisfied with your job,
just get a new one. The pitfall of not having money for a limited period of time is temporary, get over it.
7. Start A New Diet
You are, in a vast proportion, what you eat. Trying a new diet would often be the only needed change for
a dramatic boost of your health and energy. Don’t necessarily have to be raw food, or even vegetarian,
whatever works for you.
8. Keep A Journal
Write down you feelings, your ideas, your goals, your activity. Journaling is by far one of the most useful
things I’ve done to change my life for the best. It works in such a silent, yet effective way. All you need is
pen and paper.
9. Create And Keep A Morning Phrase
Whatever you say to yourself in the morning, it will most likely come true during the day. Why not taking
advantage of it? Create a simple morning phrase and say it to yourself first thing in the morning. Is that
simple.
10. Travel Far Away From Your Home
Traveling long distance is incredibly rewarding. It’s so exciting and full with unknown events. I only
recently started to travel really far away from my home, but I do wonder how could I ever made it until
now without this.
11. Learn To Take Risks
Your life may be so boring and fade because… err, you made it like this? When was the last time your
tried something really difficult? When was the last time you challenged the odds doing something
risky? Do it now.
12. Start Your Own Business
Be your own boss. Work your own hours. I know, it sounds so shallow, for you, who hate your job but still
have to stay there because of that mortgage. Well, unless you make the first step, nothing is going to
change. That’s for sure.
13. Change Your Work Space
Clean up your desk. Re-arrange furniture. Add some color to that space. Make the place where you work
really enjoyable. So enjoyable that work there won’t be perceived as work anymore. It will be something
you love to do.
14. Learn A New Language
Challenge your mind. Constantly. If you’re going to do number 10, you’re going to learn some new
languages too. From my experience, learning a new language is a fantastic mind opener. Sometimes you
don’t even have to travel there.
15. Find Reasons To Agree
Rather than disagree. We have this mindset of competition which makes constantly arguing over things.
Well, stop that. You don’t have to force yourself into agreement, if it’s not the case, just trying to find some
reasons will be enough.
16. Pay Yourself First
You can’t give something if you don’t have it. You can’t spread light onto others if you don’t have light
from within. You can’t give wealth to others if you don’t have it for yourself first. Make yourself a service
and pay yourself first.
17. Wake Up Early
This is not a habit, this is a lifestyle. Don’t just wake up early without a purpose. Be early. Be there before
others. Look for opportunities and embrace them. Waking up early means keeping your eye open to every
available opportunity.
18. Train Your Focus
Your focus is in fact your reality. Use it wisely. Train it constantly for it will enhance your reality in ways
you never imagined. Keep your focus sharp as a razor blade and be prepared to experience life in
fantastic shapes and colors.
19. Start A Blog
On whatever topic you want. Not only it will give you the opportunity to create something new and
valuable but it will also bring new people into your life. Blogging is far more than a hype, is a personal
development tool. A very good one.
20. Write An Ebook
You may think you don’t have a talent, but that’s completely wrong. And the easiest way to prove it wrong
is to start writing an ebook. Any ebook. You pick the topic. It might be something you know or want to
learn about. Write it. It’s fun.
21. Be Better, Not Perfect
Striving too much for perfection will ruin your life. It will wipe out all those little imperfections which are
making you… human. Being better, on the other side, is rewarding. Look back at the yesterday you and
just say: I’m better!
22. Stop Self Sabotage
You’ll be surprised by how much of a burden you can be to yourself. You are literally self sabotaging.
Most of the time, unconsciously. If you have a long history of failure behind, that could mean you’ve
become your worst enemy. Stop it.
23. Find Reasons To Love Your Life
Maybe life wasn’t fair with you. Yes, I know, I’ve been there: life is never fair. But it’s fantastic. It’s unique,
unrepeatable, one of a kind, beautiful, simple, challenging, sweet, hard… Just take a step back and
find reasons to love your life.
24. Try Something New
Maybe you’re sad because you’re bored. Have you ever thought about that? Just reach out and try
something completely new. Go for a challenge, learn a new sport, pick a different restaurant or go for a
comedy movie (if you’re the drama type). Just try it.
25. Avoid Fighting
Fighting is the biggest energy leak of your being. Trying to prove another guy wrong is so against your
true nature. You’re here to acknowledge life’s wonders, not to prove anybody’s wrong. They’re not wrong,
just have different opinions. And that’s part of life.
26. Stop Wasting Your Power
Are you doing something that you think you shouldn’t be doing right now? Well, that’s wasted power.
That’s meaningless stuff promoted to the honor of being a part of your life. How long are you going to
approve this? Why wasting power?
27. Learn To Ignore
I think they should be teaching this one in schools. We’re so focused on so many topics and think we
have to do so many stuff, that our life is literally clogged with stuff. It’s good to do stuff, but learning to
ignore stuff is much better.
28. Experiment Gratitude
When was the last time you said “thank you”? With all your heart? Everybody knows that an attitude of
gratitude is the key to success, but almost nobody practices it. Well, start by experience gratitude first,
and take it from there.
29. Recycle Your Aggression
Don’t throw it away, recycle it! Use it for something you really want! Call out those wild forces inside of
you and put them to work. Aggression is part of your being, so don’t try to reject it, because it will only
grow stronger. Recycle your aggression.
30. Release Your Guardians
Don’t touch that! Don’t eat that! Don’t go for that opportunity! Those are the sentences you hear when
going for something you really want. Those are your guardians, your mental constructs made to protect
you. Release them, you’ll be much better off.
31. Clean Up Your House
It’s fun. And it’s good for you. Make a habit out of cleaning up your house with joy and happiness. What’s
outside is a mirror of what’s inside. If your house is a mess, probably your internal life is a disaster. Neat
that stuff, it’s easy.
32. Write A Personal Mission Statement
You’re here with a reason. No matter how small you feel now, how insignificant others may made you
feel, you have a purpose. Take the time to write your personal mission statement. It will bring light and
direction into your life.
33. Dissolve Negative Opinions About Yourself
Whatever you think you may do, it’s half of what you can really do. And that’s because you have so
many negative opinions about yourself. You can solve them. Just accept the fact that you have them and
then start working on them.
34. Build Different Skills
Don’t stop learning. Don’t remain stuck in a single career, it’s boring and limiting. Learndifferent skills,
possibly from completely unrelated fields. You never know when life will ask you to use them. Besides, it’s
a lot of fun.
35. Manage Your Time As You Manage Your Money
Have you ever thought what would be if you would manage your time the same way youmanage your
money? Just give it a try. See where you spend most of your time, what the return of investment is and
how rich are you in time.
36. Exercise
You don’t have to break the world record, or something. Just make sure you exercise constantly. It will
make your body healthier and your mind clearer. It’s also one of the simplest and most affordable ways to
improve your life.
37. Be A Parent
Having kids doesn’t necessarily means you’re a parent, and I know that very well. Being a parent will
surely change your life forever: filling it with unconditional, life lasting love, care and warm feelings. You’ll
live in love. And learn.
38. Throw Away One Object A Day From Your House
Maybe your life is breathing so hard just because it’s suffocated by objects. Learn to let them go. You
may donate them, give to charity or simply throw them away, but don’t let the clutter stay in your way.
You’re not the objects you have.
39. Read A Book Per Week
Or, alternatively, a fine selection of blogs. That will keep your mind alert and your focus steady. Reading
is like good food for your brain, without it, it will go lazy, obese and unresponsive. But with the proper food
it can become your best friend.
40. Start A Monthly Challenge
Being it physical, mental or social. Intend to acquire something new in your life in 30 days. Improve your
health using new methods, or your relationships by starting new things together. Make it count. And count
on it.
41. Call An Old Friend
It’s enlightening to meet somebody you haven’t talk to in the last years. Go right now and call an old
friend, or a relative. It will bring up memories and it will create new opportunities. Don’t let the dust settle
on your relationships.
42. Follow A Coincidence
Well, there aren’t any coincidences, I lied. Everything has a purpose. If you witness something which may
seem like a coincidence, then you’re very lucky, you just got a sign. Follow it with trust, it will lead you
well.
43. Play A Game
Any game. Just play. Like a child. Allow yourself to do something just for fun, without any goals,
pressures or deadlines. Will make you understand that everything is a game. Sometimes a little bit
harder, but still a game..
44. Forgive Somebody Out Of The Blue
Don’t hold that grudge for that past insult. Grudges are heavy and tend to make the take off for a new life
a little bit difficult. The longer you hold that grudge, the more difficult the take off will be. Forgiveness will
lift you off.
45. Stop Solving The Wrong Problems
You are not here to witness the bad things in your life. Nor the performance in itself. You are here to enjoy
a journey. To become aware, To grow. So, stop solving the wrong problem and focus on what really
matters.
46. Make Peace With An Old Enemy
That’s more than forgiveness, that’s the actual process of reversing a situation. Make peace with
somebody. Turn it into your friend. I’m not saying this is easy, I know it first hand. But I also know it works.
Enemies count down, friends count up.
47. Make A Promise To A Close Person And Keep It
It doesn’t have to be something big. It doesn’t have to be for someone special. It doesn’t have to be
difficult also. But it has to be a commitment to somebody. Just reach out, make a promise, keep it and
then enjoy the feeling after.
48. Break Up With A Person You Don’t Really Like
Maybe you’re friend with somebody just by habit, chemistry being dead for a long time now. Just break it
up. Tell him. Ok, let’s unfriend us, this will not work. It will bring up something you thought you lost it long
ago: courage.
49. Get A Thing You Wanted For A Long Time
But you didn’t had time or money to get it. Just go out and get it. Not only it will boost your self-respect,
but it will also free your desire channel, which may be a little bit clogged by having one and only one
desire for such a long time.
50. Stop Being Judgmental
With others AND with you. Excessive criticism will kill your enthusiasm. And if you think this post is
something you shouldn’t read in the first place, then, my friend, you really are judgmental. Lighten up.
Accept life as it is.
51. Change Your Wardrobe
You don’t know how much are you tied to what you wear. If you’re on the gray loving side, put some color
in your clothes. If you’re on the black and white, try some gradients. Of course, your clothes are not you.
Hence, they’re so easy to change, right?
52. Smile At Least 10 Times A Day
And I mean it, start to count that. Smiling is a sign of honesty and power. Everybody can cry over a
disaster but only the most powerful can take bitterness with a smile. Exercise that power. And then try to
go for 20 times a day.
53. Burn Some Old Memories
Maybe the notebook from your 7th grade? Maybe the teenage dumb poetry you wrote? Whatever it might
be, break up. It might be difficult, but it might also be a sign that you’re so attached to the past that you
can’t advance in your life anymore.
54. Plant A Tree
Or take care of a flower. Do it for at least several months. It will give you a sense of potential. Seeing that
tree or that flower growing will make your self-confidence go up. If a flower can make it, why can’t I? Of
course you can, now do it!
55. Move To Another Town Or Country
Maybe it’s time to change the environment? Take the plunge, move over. Pick another town or even
another country. Like all the good stuff, it might be pretty difficult in the beginning, but you can bet it would
shake everything really good!
56. Join A New Group
Go to a bikers meeting. Or, if you’re not a biker, to a toastmaster meeting. Join a group and see how you
fit in. It will help if the group will be focused on some of your passions, of course. It will reveal a lot about
your social skills.
57. Stop Watching TV
Television evolved a lot from the balanced news provider it was in the beginning up to the current
manipulating tool. Just stop watching it for a week. And then for a month. Meanwhile, assess your
psychological progress. You may be amazed.
58. Start A Totally Unexpected Hobby
Start making trains out of matches. Raise cobras. Put tiny vessels into tiny bottles. Do whatever it takes to
move your mind from your problems for a while. And if you can create something nice in the process, why
not doing it?
59. Randomly Hug A Stranger On The Street
Ok, this might be a little bit dangerous, but only if you think at it. If you’re doing it, chances are that you’re
going to get your hug back. It will also help raising your adrenaline up to levels you never had for a very
long time.
60. Set Up A Surprise Party
For your or for a friend. It’s always good for your mood, even if – or especially if – you’re down. Do a
thematic one, invite friends and tell them to bring their friends. And then expect to meet new, wonderful
persons. And of course, have fun.
61. Go Hiking
Do it for at least one week-end. Nature is more powerful than our human created environment. We don’t
know how to channel the energy into our artificial habitats. If you want to recharge, go outside and stay in
connection with the wilderness.
62. Get A Pet
Whatever works for you, a bird, a guinea pig, a dog or a cat. It will keep you alert and it will cheer you up
when you’re down. Taking care of a pet is also easier if you’re overwhelmed with human interaction. Even
from a pet, love is still love.
63. Write A Thank You Letter
You can send it or not, the real catch is to write it. Pick someone who helped you in the past. Start writing
the letter and say everything you want to say to that person. It will make you understand what are you
really grateful for in your life.
64. Meditate Daily
It’s the easiest thing you can do. True mediation acts like a mind emptier, leaving you open to the whole
flow of the sensations and experiences you would otherwise ignore. You don’t even need a complicated
technique, meditate as you see fit.
65. Say Something Nice To Somebody
Just like that. Out of the blue. Pick an unknown person and say something nice. After the initial surprise
you’ll be amazed by the unmasked joy and gratitude they’re expressing. Admit it: you would like that too,
isn’t it?
66. Say Something Nice To You
Ok, but if nobody is telling you nice things, why not start this yourself? Do it in whatever form you think it’s
appropriate: send yourself emails, write in your calendar or leave yourself nice postits on the desk. With
something nice just for you.
67. When I Doubt, Improvise
Being so scared for not knowing the answer, so nervous that you may screw thigns up… I know the
feeling, I’ve been there too. Just go with the flow. Improvise. It will be so good for your unconscious mind.
The real answer will be surprising.
68. Don’t Argue, Win Or Lose
This goes hand in hand with avoiding the fight, but it’s a little bit different. If you get caught in an
argument, just accept that you can have only two outcomes from it: win or lose. Settle with one and just
move on.
69. Stop Faking Your Life
It’s so easy to get caught in a flow of fakes. Society wants us to politely lie and you need to lie sometimes.
Just stop it. Being authentic is the best thing you can do. No need to hide your sorrow, nor your joy.
They’re both part of life.
70. Define Goals
Again, that goes hand in hand with writing a personal mission but it’s more than that. It’s the habit of
clearly deciding – and, subsequently, describing – where you want to go. Do you have a goal? A passion,
maybe? Go for it! And be verbose.
71. Help Others
Reach out and try to see if you can help others. You don’t have to be a Samaritan, just go out there and
support somebody. The biggest trick of helping is really surprising: although it seems you’re giving, you’re
in fact receiving a lot more.
72. Go Social
Mingle, interact, go out. Get used to meet new people. Make this a habit and you’ll soon get used to do
new things too. The goal is not to be the best networker in the world, but to be connected to as many
energy sources as you can get.
73. Spend Some Time Alone
Subsequently, make sure you set aside enough time for your own. You don’t necessarily need to
recharge, but you need this time in order to get a new perspective. Stop for a while and look around.
Where are you? Where do you want to be?
74. Fix Something By Yourself
Go fix a broken window, or a scratch on your car. Don’t call for a specialist, get involved, see how you can
have an impact on things around you. Work with your hands, prepare to sweat. It will instantly make you
feel better.
75. Create Value
Make things that others need too. Make something useful. Don’t follow blind or outdated commitments, go
for what really makes a change around you. Creating value is the core of your activity here and the only
thing you really have to strive for.
76. Do A Random Act Of Kindness
Doesn’t have to be in the form of a nice compliment this time. You don’t even need to communicate it to
the target person. Just do an incognito service to someone. See how this makes you feel. Think how
many times you received that.
77. One More Second
Create the habit of looking at things for one more second. Spend one more second before taking an
important decision. Delay something. Time will follow your intention and open some unexpected window
for you. Slow it down a little.
78. Understand What People Want From You
What you can do is not always what people want from you. Clearing that confusion alone could bring an
immense relief to your life. You don’t have to immediately provide what they’re wanting, but if you do, you
may have some big surprises.
79. Break An Old Bad Habit
Breaking a bad habit is difficult. But breaking an old bad habit will free an incredible amount of time into
your life. Quit smoking or stop talking on the phone for hours. Whatever you break, it will change your life
for the best.
80. Stop Complaining
Complaining is like an open invitation for troubles. The more you complain about something, the more of
that something you invite into your life. Cut it out. You don’t get any comfort out of complaining, only
troubles.
81. Reject What You Don’t Want
It’s so simple, yet so underrated. Society wants us to complain even when we don’t really like stuff. Like
forcing us to smile when we don’t find it funny. Allow yourself to walk away from something you don’t like.
Just do it!
82. Being Is Better Than Having
Too much and too often we shape our life’s fulfillment degree to the amount we possess. The
fundamental mistake. If you’re doing it, stop it right now. You’re not what you’re having. Being is so much
better than having.
83. Listen To Your Critics
This one might be difficult in the beginning but once you get used to it it’s fantastic. You may find out a lot
of stuff about yourself that you didn’t know about. You think you are one kind of person, but others may
disagree.
84. Don’t Take It Personally
Never. Your world is shaped by your reaction to things, not by the things themselves. Don’t get upset,
don’t think that somebody knows you enough to make right assumptions about you. Acknowledge and
move on.
85. Laugh
This time is not about smiling. It’s about laughing. Don’t you ever miss another opportunity to laugh.
Especially at yourself. The longer your laughing sessions, the shorter your misery ones. Looks like a nice
deal, isn’t it?
86. Go With Passion
Don’t let your rational mind stand in the way of your passion. If you found – or at least felt, even
occasionally – something that thrills you, you’re there. You don’t need a confirmation on this from
anybody. Go with your passion.
87. Trust Your Emotions
Don’t underestimate your emotions. Or overestimate them. Your emotions are your feed-back system and
for that they are very important. Trying to ignore your emotions is like depriving yourself from lights in a
car running in the middle of the night.
88. Live It Like A Holiday
Ever observed how nice you feel during your holiday? How light, joyful and authentic? Everything is just
wonderful. Well, you are on a continuous holiday here. It starts with your birth and end with your death.
Live it like a holiday.
89. Make A Story Out Of It
Do you like a good story? I love it. Make everything in your life story-worthwhile. Make it as it would be a
fantastic journey and you will be at all time the observer, the hero and the narrator. Create the story of
your life.
90. Stop Being A Follower
Admiring is nice. But being admired is even better. Stop trying to fit in other people’s shoes. Find your
own path. If that means breaking up completely your lifestyle, so be it. If you are “like” somebody else you
can’t be “like” yourself anymore.
91. Watch Your Beliefs
Your beliefs are not you. But they are shaping your life constantly. You have the power to change them at
any point in your existence. But in order to do that, you must first start to observe them, to isolate them, to
accept them.
92. Stop Lying
To others and to yourself. Although it might ease a complicated situation, a lie is not good in the long run.
The trick is that if you’re telling a lie you’re altering your reality. And a distorted reality will be impossible to
handle.
93. Stop Reacting To Stuff
And start acting on stuff. Initiate things. Start projects. Predict situations and be there before the hurricane
hits. Reacting to stuff is a victim paradigm. Stop being a victim and start acting. Create your life instead of
being the creation of others.
94. Live Today
Not yesterday, not tomorrow. Go for what you can do today and leave yesterday behind for good. It’s not
here anymore. And tomorrow doesn’t even exist yet, so why bother. All you have is today. Don’t waste it.
95. Expect The Unexpected
If there’s something unusual that happens to you, go for it. The unexpected is a signal of an opportunity. It
will not always be nice, this unexpected, but whenever it’s around, magical things are happening. Wait for
it. Praise for it.
96. Enjoy
Like being in joy. Like giving permission to yourself to extract joy from any situation you’re in. Even if it’s
bad. Or especially if it’s bad. Joy is everywhere, you just have to let it manifest through you. Don’t resist
joy. Don’t reject it.
97. Make Your Own Rules
And stick with them. Go for what works for you, not the others. Go for what you want, not the others.
Including me. Make your own system and be proud of it. You may upset some people in the process, but
hey, that’s life.
98. Love
Unconditionally. Totally. Constantly. Restlessly. Love is the only glue that keeps your life running. You
were born out of love and you carry it deep down in your being. Love is never about the others, it’s about
you.
99. Get Rid Of Labels
Things are what they are. Don’t use labels anymore, use directly the things. Your notion of “right” and
“wrong” are nothing but labels. In a different country your “right” might be “wrong”. Don’t charge yourself
with this unneeded burden.
100. No Regrets
Regretting something is another form of not accepting reality. What you can do about it now? It’s gone. It
doesn’t exist anymore. Focus on what you can change: your present moment. Not yesterday, not
tomorrow. Now. Live now.
100 Ways To Screw Up Your LifePosted on Dec 2, 2009 in Personal Development • Relationships & Society • Success & Wellness byDragos
Roua 130 Comments
Tags: life, Personal Development
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post about 100 Ways To Live A Better Life. The post got featured
almost instantly on Delicious, Reddit and StumbleUpon. Since then, it gets a few hundreds hits every day
and a new comment every once in while (although it’s more than 2 months old now). But re-reading it the
other day I spotted a slight imbalance. Couldn’t tell at first what it was, but it was an imbalance. Like a
picture with too much pink.
Then it hit me: life is not pink. It’s rough and challenging and filled with tests and temptations. And this is
what makes it beautiful, after all. Living a better life stems most of the time from making a lot of mistakes
and learning from them, rather than from avoiding challenges. Better try and fail than isolate yourself in a
sea of delusion and non-action. As pink as that sea might be.
So, I realized I know at least 100 ways to screw up your life too. And I also realized that this list would
make an honest companion to the first blog post. Like a mirror or something. Oh, and if you wonder, the
following 100 ways to screw up your life were personally verified at some point in my life by yours truly.
And now I’m pretty happy about that .
[Update: There is an ebook based on this. Go ahead and read the post, or scroll to the end of it for
more info. ]
Without further ado, let’s start:
1. Regret Stuff
Feel sorry about what happened to you. Spend time and energy on things that aren’t even there, but you
feel are “unsolved yet”. Keep your focus on the past and ignore the present. This is what regrets do: they
tie you down to things in the past that doesn’t matter anymore. Well, you can’t do anything about them
anyway: accept and move on.
2. Accept to Be Lied To
Even if you know you’re lied. Accept to be told lies in the name of something “bigger” than you: a family, a
career, anything. Eat it up every day while knowing the truth and still accepting that other, twisted reality,
hoping at some point things will go better. They won’t. And there is no such thing as something bigger
than you.
3. Stay in the Wrong Partnership
Wrong partnerships may be both personal or professional. You may think it’s just temporary or even “it
might be good for you” but you’re just deluding yourself. Wrong partnerships are nothing but swamps:
they’ll slowly drag you down. If you don’t get out of them the moment you realize they’re wrong for you,
you’ll become one with the swamp.
4. Succumb to Addictions
Make them “bigger” than you. Call it alcohol or just an addiction to fight. Call it work, as in workaholic, or
eating much more than you need. Call it drugs or just an addiction to a person (co-dependence). Giving in
to addictions is a conscious act of surrender. You accept to lose a battle. And then another one. Slowly,
you’ll going to lose the war.
5. Dream Without Taking Action
Daydreaming is good. It opens your heart to new universes and goals. But daydreaming without action is
useless. Sitting on your fat ass while waiting for all your intentions to manifest, without taking the smallest
action for moving things forward, won’t change anything. Oh, sorry, it will change something: you ass will
be fatter.
6. Sleep More Than You Need
Because you’re too tired of doing the same stupid things again while you’re awake. Or because you’re
avoiding your real life, searching for a shallow refuge under the pillow. And, of course, lose all the
opportunities you could embrace while you’re sleeping.Becoming an early riser, on the other hand, is
more than often priceless.
7. Play The Guilt Card
If you did something wrong, instead of a) assessing what was really wrong, b) learn the lesson and c)
move on, play the guilt card. Feel guilty for all the bad things you did, until you start feeling guilty
for all the things you did. Playing the guilt card is closely related to religion, but it can occur outside
religion too. Just get over it. Guilt can’t pay your rent.
8. Victimize Yourself
If you lost something, act like you’ve lost everything. Be a victim. Ask for other people’s compassion. Play
like every people you meet makes whatever omelet he wants from you. Victimizing yourself in exchange
of compassion is far more common than you think. It’s contagious too. Just remember you may lose a
battle, but that’s not making you a victim.
9. Avoid Introspection
As difficult as it seems, every once in a while you should step back and interview yourself. Bite the bullet
and ask yourself a bunch of tough questions. Better give a wrong answer now to a difficult question, but
move on with your life, than ignoring what’s going on with you and remain stuck. Introspection always
pays forward.
10. Work Harder Than You Can
And ruin your health while pretending you’re sacrificing for the good of the … (fill in the blanks: family,
friends, boss, career, planet). You have physical limits and usually that’s a good thing. Breaking up your
physical limits in the name of a stupid cause will screw up your life faster than you think. And for a long
time. Work smarter, not harder.
11. Don’t Play
Because it’s stupid, it wastes your time and energy and it doesn’t give you any measurable results. Don’t
play and lose the only divine thing that you get for free. Don’t play and let your inner child become a gray
adult with heavy topics to discuss every minute. Don’t play and watch how your life gets seriously
screwed up.
12. Stop Learning
Because you already know too much or because what you will learn will not give you any competitive
advantage in the narrow niche you’re playing now. Stop learning because there’s so much to discover
that you won’t cover it even in a dozen lifetimes. Stop learning because it gets so difficult and it takes you
out of your comfort zone. Yeah, why bother? Screw it!
13. Gossip
Talk bad about other people. That’s a 100% sure way to screw up your relationships, your social
credibility, your personal values. The way you talk about people often determines the way you act towards
them. Gossip is a heavy weapon and, no matter how skilled you get at using it, it always destroys its
owner. Do it often. It will accelerate the decay process.
14. Aim To Be Famous
And do all the stupid things other people expect from famous people in the process. Beg for attention,
hunt the hype, dress like a douche. Cheat your friends for the sake of some media visibility or discard
your personal life. Being famous is not at all a guarantee that you will automatically live a fulfilling life.
Most of the time, the opposite is true.
15. Follow The Money
While this could be a very precious advice for an entrepreneur, living your entire life in a continuous chase
of money will most likely screw you up. Hunting money is difficult because money is a very volatile
concept. A big part of it lives only in your mind. And money can only buy things. See what you can do with
a bank check in a morgue. Pretty much nothing.
16. Don’t Make Friends
Stay alone. Don’t connect. Because you’re ashamed of something in your behavior or look. Or because
you think you’re too good for them. Whatever the reason, just stay away for people, and, by all means,
don’t make new friends. And you will get the most exquisite place at your own drama movie, in which, you
guessed, your life eventually gets screwed.
17. Fight Your Enemies
Which comes down to first make and then keep some enemies. Which is all round stupid. Enemies are a
mental construct. You can’t have enemies unless you’re ready to give away your power to somebody
else. Nobody can really hurt you unless you allow this to happen. Fighting your enemies is in fact feeding
your enemies.
18. Be Lazy
Like in not doing any type of work. Totally avoiding responsibilities. Waiting for others to do stuff for you.
Staying away from anything that might remotely put you in the position to actually do something helpful for
other people. Laziness is a disease in itself. Allowing it to spread into your life is like inviting an illness to
take over your body.
19. Don’t Take Risks
Live a cozy life and always keep it into your comfort zone. Don’t get out of there. Taking risks is… well,
risky. You can get hurt. You can lose your money. You can fail. But taking risks is also the only way you
can grow. There is no real growth without risk. There is no victory without even starting a battle. There is
no better life without challenges.
20. Be Selfish
Do things for yourself and for yourself only. Act like you’re the only one in the Universe. Don’t share
anything. Aim to be the richest, most powerful and influential person in the world. Selfishness is an
incredibly effective limitation factor. You will become the richest person in the world, if you really want to,
only your world will become incredibly small: you’ll be its only inhabitant.
21. Gamble
Start fighting with randomness. Hope that one lucky hit will end up all your troubles. Gambling is really
funny as an entertainment activity, but once you make it the core of your life, you’re sinking into a swamp
of despair. You can’t use gambling to solve your problems, you’re simply not designed like this. You’re
designed to create and enjoy the process.
22. Be Stuck in a Job You Hate
Because it pays well. Or because you’re too scared to look for another one. Or because somebody told
you when you were a kid that you have to have a job. You spend more than half of your lifetime at your
job so if you chose to stay in a job you hate, you’ll surely end up hating your entire life. In my experience,
it happens rather sooner than later.
23. Don’t Listen
Pretend you know everything. Or act like you don’t need any advice, suggestion or feed-back. Don’t listen
to your partner, to your friends, to your intuition. And lose all the new perspectives you can get, all the
fresh answers you never thought of and all the opportunities that could arise. Don’t listen and be prepared
to face failure really fast.
24. Lie To People
Because you want to get something from them. Because you find pleasure in deceiving them. Because
you think it’s just an innocent play. Or because you can’t stand telling the truth. Lying to other people is an
addiction because it gives you a temporary feeling of relief: you passed this challenge, now you can move
on. Only you can’t, really.
25. Lie To Yourself
Don’t believe what you’re feeling or experiencing. Avoid facing the truth and delude yourself. Live in a
land of fantasies and hope everything will be great (or worse, if you’re a pessimistic by nature). Just don’t
listen to your inner voice and succumb to social pressure, bad habits or negative emotions. Lying to
yourself is a suicidal activity.
26. Don’t Ask For Help
And live like on a desert island, isolated and alone. It’s ok to ask for help every once in a while. It’s ok to
be taken care of every once in a while. Just don’t make a habit out of it and you’ll be fine. But remember:
you won’t be able to cope with everything in your life just by yourself. You’ll get by with a little help from
your friends.
27. Don’t Exercise
No need to become an athlete but if you’re not taking care of your physical body, it won’t take care of you
either. Avoiding physical activities, as small or insignificant they may seem, it will slowly degrade your
physical performance and make you prone to illness. And if you just think how easy it is to take a walk in
the park…
28. Eat Junk
From the same category as the one above: feed yourself crap and you’ll produce crap. And I’m not talking
about the residual crap we’re all producing in the process, I’m talking about the direct result of the
process. We’re very much influenced by what we eat and any imbalance in this area will be visible
instantly. Junk food creates junk life.
29. Don’t Spend Time in Nature
We’re pretty far from creating a perfectly balanced artificial living environment. Our cities are sucking up
our power instead of feeding us energy. We’re still children of the nature. Avoiding nature in the name of a
super-civilized lifestyle will subtly deprive us from one of the most forceful sources of energy, slowly
weakening our strengths.
30. Don’t Clean Up Your House
How not cleaning up your house can screw up your life? Well, it will not screw you directly, unless you
chose to have a date with the love of your life in your messy house, in which case your chances will
dramatically decrease. But, generally speaking, it will set up the field for other bad things to happen, like
procrastination or just plain, old laziness.
31. Procrastinate
Postpone tasks. Avoid doing stuff. Daydream. Procrastinate and delay everything you have to do. That
will surely help screw up your professional relationships, your personal life and your self esteem. If you
want to became a master in procrastination, here’s a small tutorial which will even help you procrastinate
in a more productive way.
32. Spend More Than You Can Afford
Because you don’t have any idea what money is or just because you want to keep up with the Joneses.
Spending more than you can afford will not only sink you in debt, but it will make it really difficult to get out
of there. It’s not how much you have but how much you are. Not to mention that spending more than you
have will never make you rich.
33. Limit Your Social Life
Stop going out. Isolate yourself in the safety of a job, a limited family life or a perpetual and meaningless
daydreaming. We’re social animals, even though sometimes we’re not that good at it. If you stop going
out you’re cutting up your feed-back loop, slowly going down in a spiral of self-sufficiency and mediocrity.
Get out, see people!
34. Chose a Career Instead of a Lifestyle
Too often we’re planning our life career-centric. We’re making all the necessary steps foracquiring skills,
titles and diplomas. We try to fit in a more or less guaranteed career. What we forget in the process is that
a career is not identical with our life. At the end of the day we often ask ourselves who was the person
who talked with our mouth…
35. Treat People Like Assets
Instead of treating them like human beings, with their own lives and expectations. This is especially true if
you live by the one above, judging your own life expectations in business terms. People are not assets,
like a computer. They have lives and hopes and ups and downs. Assets are dead, people are alive, with
all the good or bad that comes with being alive.
36. Chose (And Stay In) The Wrong Friendships
You know they’re the wrong ones when you have to do things you don’t really want, just to be accepted in
their circle. You know, drinking your life every night or just dressing up in a certain way. A real friend will
never put any condition on your relationship. If you don’t have the courage to step out of this bad circle,
expect the circle to eat you.
37. Reject Criticism
You don’t know everything in the world. So, instead of rejecting criticism, you should accept it. Maybe
they won’t be always right about you, but at least you’ll have a feed-back loop. Many people fear criticism
but in my experience this fear is not justified. Be thankful for your critics, it means you’re still worth
something. And it also means you’re improvable.
38. Buy Your Relationships
Substitute the warmness of a normal relationship with the practical coldness of money. While this will
certainly ease your day to day living, it will deeply affect your emotional level. Many marriages are putting
so much strain on this aspect that they succeed in destroying any trace of true emotional bond between
the partners. Just live and let live.
39. Follow The Rules
Eat everything they feed you, talk like they teach you and, by all means, don’t swear when you feel like.
Just don’t exercise your own choosing abilities and you’ll soon become a perfect social puppet, ready to
be manipulated with invisible strings by the first puppeteer who finds you. Following rules should always
be backed up with your own judgment.
40. Don’t Manage Your Money
We still live in a world where money plays an important role. Several generations from now
maybe money won’t be necessary, but, until then, you should be able to manage it now. That means
making day to day living up to investing or building a lifestyle. Just pay attention to it and manage it, that
enough will save you from some nasty troubles.
41. Promise More Than You Can Do
Because you’re ashamed to admit you can’t do more, or because you hope things will magically get
better. Promising more than you can cope with is often perceived as a way to push the destiny to obey
your wishes. I think it’s the other way around. The more your promise without cover, the more you piss off
your fate.
42. Don’t Keep Your Promises
Not keeping promises is another way to say to the world: “I’m not a reliable person, please go away from
me. I may be very good at promises and make you believe I can offer a lot, but instead, I’m just lying to
you.” Better not promise at all than not keeping your promises.
43. Overdo
Improve where there’s no improvement needed. Strive to do things nobody really wants. Do more than
you have to just to show off. Many people think that going way over what they are expecting to, in order to
impress or just hunt for a promotion, will make their life easier. Too bad that when you get that promotion
you’ll be too dried out to enjoy.
44. Quit
Quit doing what you’re doing best. Quit your friends when they need you. Quit your partner because you
got bored. Just quit. Instead of staying there and do what you have to do, just run away, cover your eyes
and pretend it never happened. Being a quitter is one of the most relaxing ways of living. It’s also the
safest way to screw up your life too.
45. Say Only Yes
Be submissive even if you don’t agree. Accept others around just because you’re too scared to tell them
they are annoying.. And, by all means, don’t you upset anyone. Saying only “yes” it’s incredibly
disempowering. You can’t say “yes” to anything in your life. At some point you’ll have to disagree. Be
happy about it: it’s a healthy thing.
46. Say Only No
Be a naysayer. Disagree no matter what. Tell them you know better. Or just don’t accept anything around
you because you have such “high” standards. Playing the “No” card every time will create higher and
higher walls around you. Being a naysayer will be as bad as being a yes-man. Balance your “No”’s and
“Yes”’s with your own judgment.
47. Be A Control Freak
Try to control everything in your life. Your happiness. Other people happiness. Your colleagues or
employees. Your emotions. The weather. Being a control freak will eliminate any trace of authenticity in
your life. It could drastically improve your discipline and self-awareness, but without authenticity you’re as
screwed as a robot.
48. Walk Your Life In Somebody Else’s Shoes
Be somebody else. Chose a role model and stick with it until the boundaries of your own personality are
melting and you don’t know who you really are. When you answer you will speak his answer. When you
chose, you will make his choices. Chose to be somebody else and leave your true life behind. While
totally screwing it, of course.
49. Be Cheap
Try to bargain everything in your life. Negotiate while shopping up to the point every salesman will be
pissed off and give you stuff for free. Do this for your relationships too. And, in the end, without even
noticing, you’ll become cheap too. Things of value requires value. Looking only for cheap relationships
will lower your market value too.
50. Abuse Others
Overuse. Dry out. Obtain things by twisting people arms. If possible, make it in the name of a higher
cause. Take other people resources. Doesn’t make any difference if the resources are emotional or
material, just take them without asking. Only because you can. And before you’ll know it you’ll become
the first target of your own abusive behavior.
51. Accept To Be Abused
Be somebody else’s toy. Because you “can’t do better”. Or because “you deserve it”. Or because “this is
how it is and it can’t be changed”. I know you won’t agree but accepting abuse is on the same vibration
with abusing. Although in certain contexts it seems you can’t escape being abused, you always have a
choice. Always.
52. Try To Please Everybody
And lose every single trace of authenticity and originality you have. There are billions of people on this
Earth and during your lifetime you will meet several dozens of thousands. How can you possibly imagine
you will be able to please each and every one of them? Unless all you need from this life is a perfectly
numb mediocrity.
53. Feed The Trolls
At some point in your life you will meet the trolls. People who live to disagree no matter what. People who
make a living by talking bad about other people. If you’re up to something in your life, they will spot you.
The biggest mistake you can do is to feed them, to talk to them and make them believe they’re important.
Don’t. Let them talk and starve.
54. Don’t Look People In The Eyes
Eye contact is fundamental for relationships. How do you feel about people who are talking to you while
looking in a completely different direction? Well, this is exactly how they feel too about you, without eye
contact. Without looking in the eyes of your conversation partner, you’re talking to the ghosts in your
head. Sooner than you think, you’ll talk only to them.
55. Don’t Believe In Signs
The universe is giving you hints. All the time. With patience and trust you can learn how to read them. It’s
nothing supernatural, just a way of living in the flow, instead of feeling disconnected and powerless.
Ignoring the “signs” it’s like going to a live concert with your ears clogged. You may not get a cold, but
you’re also going to miss all the fun.
56. Don’t Travel
Stay at home. Don’t leave your city, your country, your continent. Don’t expose yourself to new situations,
to new cultures, to new people. Don’t experience the thrills of discovery, don’t risk your life among perfect
strangers. Without traveling, you’re limiting your possibilities and completely screw your life by total and
undeniable boredom.
57. Don’t Read Books
No. They’re evil. They can open your mind, challenge your creativity and feed your curiosity. Don’t touch
them. Reading books can be extremely dangerous for anyone settling for a boring, limited and tasteless
life. So, if you plan to totally screw up your life, stay away from books. In some occasions, they alone can
change your life completely.
58. Live by Assumptions
Don’t verify what they tell you or what you think it’s true. Just assume it’s right. Living by assumptions is a
sign of weakness and lack of courage. Have the courage to face the things and find out the truth. If you
don’t do that, your reality will be affected the same way a house is affected by a faulty row of bricks. At
the next earthquake, it will crumble.
59. Be Shy
Don’t express yourself because you fear other people reactions. Shyness is a social disease. And, as any
other disease, it may be cured. If you think this is how you are and you can’t be changed, you’re letting
your shyness to control your life, your opportunities, your relationships. It takes courage to use courage,
so all you have to do is the first step.
60. Live By Habit
Spend your life on autopilot. Don’t get out of routine. Create a new habit for everything in your life, from
eating to making love. And then give your consciousness away to thosehabits. Live outside new
challenges. Sleepwalk from the second you wake up to the moment you go to bed. And you won’t even
recognize how screwed you are.
61. Avoid Mistakes
Chose the fool proof way. Don’t try something that could potentially lead to a mistake. Because, you
know, your position may be compromised, or your career could suffer from it. Mistakes are in fact
disguised opportunities. It feels bad when you’re wrong, I know, but it feels even worse to realize that you
didn’t learn anything from it.
62. Pay Yourself Last
Sacrifice your time, money and energy in a totally screwed altruism. Ignore your own needs and try to
fulfill others needs just to receive some appreciation. You can’t really give something unless you have it
first. Becoming an altruist when you don’t even have your own house or income is a sign of delusion. Pay
yourself first.
63. Hate
Use all your energy to hate others. Because they have a different skin color, a different religion or just
more resources than you. Hating uses the same process as love: it connects you with somebody else.
But at the end of the connection hates puts destruction, while love puts union. Whenever you’re hating,
you’re using your own power against you.
64. Be A Perfectionist
Try to reach perfection instead of just being better. In the process, screw up everybody around, including
yourself. Perfection is a mind concept, it doesn’t exist in real life. Perfection has everything you have,
minus real life. All perfect things are dead things. So, aiming to be perfect in what you do or want to
become is a dead end too.
65. Sabotage Yourself
Self-sabotage is more powerful than you think. It works in such a subtle way that you may even take it as
a normal act of thinking. Whenever you’re close to a big achievement, watch your self-
sabotaging reactions: are you ashamed of success? Afraid of it? Do you think successful people are bad?
Congratulations, you’re sabotaging yourself.
66. Waste Your Power On Useless Stuff
Ok, you gathered enough power to do something great, but instead, you waste it on meaningless stuff.
Welcome to the world of shallowness. Having power is not enough, you got to double it with
consciousness and vision. Without these ingredients, your power will most likely diverge and decay,
aimlessly pointed at things with no meaning.
67. Be Ungrateful
Like in just avoiding saying “thank you”, or “I’m glad we did this”. Gratitude is a magnet, it attracts a lot of
what you’re associating it with. When you don’t use gratitude, you let things floating away in a Brownian
motion, totally random and out of your control. On the contrary, when you experiment gratitude, you let
things you’re grateful for flow your way. Is that simple.
68. Think Bad About Yourself
Instead of repeating to yourself that you are unable to do this or that, you may as well shoot yourself in
the foot. Just by thinking you’re no good, you’ll actually become a person who is not good. You literally
are what you think about you. The good news is you can dissolve those negative opinions. All you have to
do is to first admit you have them.
69. Fake It Till You Make It
There is this advice of “being in sync” with what you want, largely based on the Law of Attraction. While
this is certainly a valuable approach, faking your desired goal will not bring it closer, on the contrary. What
you should do is to try to feel comfortable in the skin of you new “you”, not to pretend you’re the new
“you”. The Universe always knows when you’re lying.
70. Don’t Manage Your Time
Time is the only non-renewable resource you have. Not managing your time is almost as bad as
not managing your money. Only worse . You can make more money later, but you can’t create more
time. Each and every second you have is a new chance. But if you don’t stay on top of your schedule,
somebody else will use your chances.
71. Solve The Wrong Problems
Keep your focus on the wrong side of the problem. Like in how much you can save, instead of how much
you can really gain. Inverse evaluation is one of the trickiest things in our life. We tend to evaluate a thing
by its opposite. Like being happy when we eliminate 2 kilos of trash from our house, instead of just
keeping it clean day by day.
72. Be Judgmental
Criticize constantly. Focus on the bad stuff. Don’t even think to bring in the bright side of the things.
Disapprove, be negative, hypercritical and deprecating. Reject any trace of appreciation or balance. In
just a few weeks, your life will be totally screwed. Who wants around a guy who is never, ever able to see
the full half of the glass? Nobody.
73. Complain
About everything, everywhere, every time you get a chance. Complaining is another powerful magnet,
just like gratitude. But instead of attracting the good stuff, it attracts its subject. Basically, the more you
complain about something, the more of that something you are getting. If you want to fail at something,
start by complaining about it.
74. Accept Crap
Instead of just rejecting the thing you don’t want, take it up. Instead of making your point, expressing your
desires and throwing away everything you don’t really want, accept crap. And you’ll get it. Most of the
time the only reason we get crap in our lives is our express authorization: please, give me more.
Sometimes, all you have to do is to say “stop it”.
75. Take It Personally
Like you are the center of the Universe and everybody has something against you. Take it personally at
the weather, at the politics, at the economical crisis, at everything. Just move forward with this mindset
and everything around you will actually start to have something against you. Don’t take more pun than
you’re expected to.
76. Don’t Laugh
Be serious. Grave and sober. Don’t smile and, by all means, don’t allow yourself to laugh. Because
laughing will bring down your walls, it will crush your entire black edifice of a stony-faced, serious person,
preoccupied with important issues. Not laughing is the stupidest thing you can do to yourself. Laugh is for
free, everything else in life is not.
77. Envy
Look up to everything other people have and feel bad you don’t have it too. Envy their lifestyle, their
richness, their freedom. If possible let them know that as often as you can. Envy is a form of worship: only
instead of praising its object it’s diminishing its performer. Every time you envy somebody you’re in fact
lowering yourself.
78. Leave The Passion Out
Don’t put your heart in your life. Leave it away and try to get on with cold calculus or with bare logic.
Leave the passion out of your life and become an empty carcass, walking only by the law of physics.
Passion is the only thing that can completely shift your life. Leaving passion out of your life is living a life
of a walking dead man.
79. Be A Follower
Don’t start anything by yourself. Don’t do anything without asking permission. Be a follower and always
look for somebody ready to carry your responsibility too. That’s a perfect way to live a dull, gray and
futureless life. Being a follower will amputate your bravery and guts, leaving you at the mercy of some
mediocre role model.
80. React Instead Of Act On Things
Be always a second late. Don’t initiate. Don’t start. React instead of acting. This attitude, although
providing a little bit of safety, will put you at the mercy of events. Too often, people who are acting instead
of reacting are successful people. And those who are barely responding to stimulus, instead of jumping
ahead, are the self-proclaimed victims.
81. Live Outside The Present Moment
In the past or in the future, doesn’t really matter. Just stay away from the present moment. That will be
enough to live a life of no meaning, always in search of something that doesn’t really exists. The present
is the only time we got. The past is just a mark in the sand and the future an uncertain promise. All you
have is now. Don’t waste it.
82. Be Averagish
Not too much, not too little. Not too talkative, not too silent. Be in the middle. Talk in the middle. Live in the
middle. An averagish life is a wasted life. You don’t really live, you’re barely acknowledging a statistical
model of the reality. There’s not such thing like the average in real life. You’re either up to something,
either not. Chose to be exceptional.
83. Be Revengeful
Wait for the “right” moment and pay back that insult. Carefully plan and implement your revenge. And
you’ll soon become a predictable and much too easy to manipulate machine, ready to be used by anyone
smart enough to push the right buttons. Revenge will never make things even. It will make things worse.
Forgive and forget.
84. Be Resentful
Even if you don’t use revenge, keep some bad vibe about that person who insulted you. Resentment is
like drinking poison while waiting for your enemies to die, Nelson Mandela said. And I totally agree with it.
No matter at whom your negative emotion is directed, holding it long enough inside yourself will
eventually screw up your life.
85. Don’t Create Value
Do something that is either repeating somebody else’s work, either of no use for anyone. Do things that
are not valuable. Be a copy cat or a useless clerk. Creating genuine value is at the core of our life
purpose. If you chose to create value for others, as small as that value might be, you managed to be in for
something. You’re not screwed yet.
86. Avoid Confrontation
Don’t you ever confront your fears, your opponents or your critics. Leave, run, hide and don’t face your
phobias. Avoid your rivals. That’s one way to lose the most valuable feed-back you can get. Confrontation
requires courage, that’s right, but without it, you’ll never really know what are you up to. Living only in
“potential” means not living at all.
87. When Going Through Hell, Stop Walking
And you’ll get stuck forever. Every time you bump into some hard times, just keep going, as Winston
Churchill said. If you stop, you’ll get sucked. Every hard time you encounter is a test, as undeserved at it
might seem. The only way to get out from it is to keep going, otherwise you’ll get burned. Even hell can be
passed, if only you keep going and don’t stop.
88. Don’t Clean Up Your Lenses
Your life could be blurred at times. Happens. Your life lenses got stuck or you have some dirt on them. If
you keep them dirty, you won’t change your perspective and will keep stumble until you fall. Cleaning up
your lenses should be a habit for anyone who really wants to adapt to change. Because the only real
thing we have in this life is change.
89. Fall For “Free Stuff”
There is no such thing as a free lunch, they say, and they say that for a reason. Nothing really worth
having is free in this world. We tend to value things based on how much we “spend” for them. Hence, a
freebie will be worthless. Anything presented as “free” is in fact a trap, a trap which will require more from
you than you are willing to pay.
90. Race Against Others
The only real competition is with you. The others may serve as a comparison at times, but you can only
win against yourself. Chasing your goals the same way dogs are chasing mechanical rabbits at a dog
race is just stupid. Once the race is over, what would you chase next? Do you really want to live a life of a
racing dog?
91. Be An Information Junkie
Live by the news, sleep by the news, wake up by the news. Information is supposed to be useful. How
much are you really going to use out of what you’re exposing yourself to? Being an information junkie will
give you the illusion of control. You’ll be much better if you master the art of ignoring, instead of practicing
information overload.
92. Talk More Than You Have To
And piss off everyone else in the process. Talking should be a way to connect, to express your feelings
and creativity. Talking too much, as harmless as it can seem, could really cut off from your social circle,
not to mention that it will shift your focus from what you’re doing to what you’re … talking about, of course.
Do more, talk less.
93. Be Late
At your job. At your social gatherings. At informal meetings. Show up later and you’ll slowly get out of
touch with everything else around you. Being punctual is an art. It’s not too much about reliability and
respect, as it is for spotting and grabbing opportunities. A belated person will never catch an opportunity:
he’ll be there too late, of course.
94. Accept Frustration
Yes, life can be a bitch. Yes, it can make you want to cry out loud. But there’s no need to give in to
frustration. If something went bad, acknowledge and move on. Frustration is from the same family with
regret and share one very nasty family trait: it will dry you up and puts you in a no man’s land territory.
Don’t be frustrated it went wrong, be happy it happened.
95. Reject Joy
Don’t enjoy because joy is a silly way to behave. There are people who are making a living out of
rejecting joy. Because it’s a useless emotion. Because it could make you vulnerable. Yes, it will make you
vulnerable. But being vulnerable is the only way to really experiment life in all its dimensions. Life is not
safe. But it’s full of joy.
96. Give In To Pain
At some point in your life, you’re going to be hit hard. We all do. Pain is unavoidable. Butsuffering is
optional. If you give in to pain, you’re creating an attachment and from this attachment suffering will grow.
I know it’s way more difficult to do this than it is to write about it. I’ve been there too. And I really know that
suffering is just another choice.
97. Be Jealous
Do like many other people and think jealousy is a form of love. And totally screw up your life in the
process. Jealousy is a variation of the “control freak” syndrome, with a little bit of panic disorder.
Controlling the one you love or limiting his or her choices by constantly nagging him or her, will have only
one possible end: you’ll get dumped.
98. Think Happiness Is A Goal
Happiness is never a goal. It can’t be your new car, your new house, your new career. It can’t be your
family, your kids, your friends. Happiness is a process. It’s a continuous state of mind. Whenever you step
out of this state of mind, you transform happiness into an object. And objects are inconsistent, fluctuant
and unstable. Happiness is the journey, not the destination.
99. Panic
Give your power to circumstances. Whenever something is out of your normal routine, just panic. Lose
your head, follow the crowd and think the world will collapse. Panic is the ultimate form of submission.
You let some unexpected events to control your response. Yes, unexpected stuff can happen. Be happy:
every unpredicted event in your life it’s an opportunity.
100. Don’t Love
Turn your soul into a stone. Frost your heart. Don’t allow any feeling of love to reach to you. You won’t
need months to screw up your life when you do this. You won’t need weeks, or even days. The moment
you forbid love to reach to you, your life will be useless.