Reflections On Turning 6-ZERO

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This week, I turn 60. I graduated college 40 years ago. Holy Shit!

Entering the spring of old age is no tiny matter.

While allowing that tidbit to sink in, reflecting on a six-decade journey is worthwhile.

Here are some lessons learned the hard way.

  1. Distractions Rule: Distractions are the rocket fuel to escape your true self. Everyone’s guilty. The key is being selective with your choices. People work, run, lift, drink, gamble, do drugs, watch porn, and binge Netflix for many reasons. It’s easier to make to-do lists than quit a job you hate or play endless rounds of golf to avoid an unhappy marriage. The thought of death is the ultimate breeder of distractions. While this is an effective short-term strategy, dodging the Grim Reaper is impossible. It’s better to face problems head-on than hide behind gerbil wheel productivity. The sooner you realize the motivations for why and how you spend time, your quality of life will take a great leap forward.
  2. Philosophy Is Underrated. A core philosophy is essential for making good choices. Stoicism, Buddhism, or sticking to a core religious faith (preferably one that doesn’t tell you to kill non-believers) limits distraction, helps you focus on the importance of the present moment, and limits worrying about things you can’t control. Being a great coder is terrific, but this skill loses its power if you can’t control your monkey mind. Naval Ravikant says it best: We study science to learn how to get what we want. We study philosophy to know what we want in the first place, 
  3. Check Your Ego At The Door. The Universe is estimated to be about 13.8 billion years old. It can’t expand forever. It will eventually cool as Stars burn out and Galaxies drift apart. Scientists believe this heat death will occur in a few trillion years. Putting things in perspective, if a person lives to be 110 years old, it’s only a rounding error to a rounding error based on the current age of the Universe and its expected lifespan. The Universe could care less about you for the first 14 billion years; the same goes for the next trillion. Think about that next time you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown over something you won’t remember in six months.
  4. Do What You Enjoy With People You Like. This concept is the only logical conclusion if you understand our limited time on this planet, no matter how young you are. Make it a priority to eliminate Toxic people from your daily routine with extreme prejudice. You acquire the characteristics of the five people you spend the most time with. Choose wisely.
  5. Legacies Are Overrated. Don’t believe me? Ask the Sumerians. They lived in what is now Iraq between 4100 and 1750 BCE. Sumerian accomplishments include but are not limited to Developing one of the world’s first writing systems, Inventing the Wheel, Urbanization, Building massive Temples, and developing Mathematics, Astronomy, and Legal Codes. I defy you to find more than one in a thousand people who could give you a detailed description of this great civilization. If people could care less about this, the odds of them remembering your accomplishment a few centuries from now would be less than zero. Forever is fake news. Keep this in perspective, and for God’s sake, stop taking yourself so seriously!!!!!
  6. Mind Your Mind. All your thoughts about an unchangeable past and the impossible-to-predict future can only occur in the present. We are our thoughts; if we let them run wild with insane extrapolations, our life suffers accordingly. Understanding your mind has no shame is vital for the welfare of yourself and those around you. You and your thoughts are separate entitities. The here and now is the only thing in life that’s guaranteed. Don’t live in a world of When I Finally…

These aren’t easy choices, and it’s a struggle every day. The alternative of unrestricted Nextism is far worse.

Ultimately, we are all just making it up as we go along. Anyone claiming to have all the answers is either a fool or a liar and not someone to spend precious time with. I have no idea what the future brings, but I can say this:

I know much more than I did 40 years ago, which should count for something.

Youth isn’t wasted on the young; it just goes by too fast.

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