Twenty-five Suggestions (for Life)
About a week ago, I was asked to answer the following question on Quora (www.quora.com): "What can a twenty-year-old do today that will help [him or her] immensely in the future?"
Provided below is the answer I posted.
Here are my top twenty-five suggestions for things to do (or begin to do) today that will serve you long into the future:
If you haven't already, give your heart to Christ.
Pray and meditate every day. Create a daily structure and program for yourself. Like nothing else, it will renew, restore, retrain, and feed your instincts.
Be present, and stand tall with your head and shoulders lifted high.
Live for the praise of God's glory.
Adopt the following mantra/slogan: You are forgiven, even before you act. Use it throughout each day to guide how you respond to those who hurt, offend, or snub you. Strive to become unoffendable. An unoffendable person is one in whom Heaven dwells unequivocally.
Begin a program of moving A LOT throughout each day. Learn first to move healthily and then, to move as often as you can in as many ways as you can.
As Michael Pollan writes, "Eat [real, whole] food, not too much."
Go to bed early; wake up early. Do it the same way every day. And when you get up up in morning, make your bed.
Go barefooted as often as you can.
Pursue true and genuine community with like-minded individuals.
As Stephen Covey writes, "[in any interaction or negotiation with another human being] seek first to understand [what the other person (or group) is trying to communicate] and then to be understood."
As Jordan Peterson writes, "Always speak the truth (or, at least, never lie)."
Honor your parents and elders. Love them.
Live minimally.
Smile—A LOT!
Be a generalist—someone who's able to do a lot of different things reasonably well.
Train in the combat arts (wrestling, boxing, shooting, etc.).
Understand that, ultimately, flesh and blood is not your enemy. Recognize who the true enemy is (of humankind and of everything else that's good), and go after them/it with everything you've got.
Look for opportunities to empty yourself into others; be selfless.
Spend less than you make, and carry no debt.
Invest at least $50 per month, and give away at least 10% of your income.
Strive to help those you work for to succeed and get more of what they want in life.
Become Lovingkindness. Don't just love; be love—especially to the significant people in your life (your parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, children, etc.).
Fight for what you want and believe in. (To do this, you must first know who you are, why you exist, what you want, where you want to be/go, and what you believe.)
Own everything about your life—the good, the not so good, and everything in between. Own it ALL! This is the definition of what it means to take responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings, actions, and present life-conditions.
IKIGAI Weekly Blog Schedule (per The Training Trinity):
Mondays: Meditative Prayer
Wednesdays: Holistic Discipline
Fridays: Martial Arts Practice
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