Advice

Lessons Worth Remembering

A lot of what I write serves as a reminder, to myself. These are thoughts I’ve had, conversations I’ve had, podcasts I’ve listened to, or ideas I’ve read.

Most ideas aren’t original. They’re branches of other concepts, reframed through my experiences. So, if these ideas aren’t new to me, or maybe even to you, why bother writing and publishing them every week?

“People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” - Samuel Johnson

As a professor, that’s a tough pill to swallow. Maybe it becomes truer with age, but it’s reality. We learn so much throughout life that we can’t possibly retain every lesson.

I often tell my students they won’t recognize good advice until it’s too late. That’s just how life works. We go from believing our parents know everything to thinking they know nothing, only to later realize they might have known more than we gave them credit for.

Now, as a parent myself, I’m passing down bits of wisdom to my 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter. Most of it likely goes over their heads, but I can’t help but think that one day, they’ll appreciate some of what I’m sharing, or maybe they’ll think I didn’t know enough.

I see this dynamic with my students as well. They frequently tell me how much they value the insights I share, not just about entrepreneurship but about life. That reflection makes me think about the mentors I’ve had and the advice I didn’t fully appreciate until much later.

At the end of the day, advice is what you’d tell your younger self if you had the chance.

So here it is: the advice I’d give my younger self.

1. It Will Be Alright

Trust your gut when making decisions. Even if it's not the 'right' choice, you'll learn from it. Every decision shapes who you are. Don't fear failure - that's equivalent to fearing growth and learning. Embrace that you will mess up. You might not get everything you've ever wanted, or maybe you will get it only to realize it wasn't what you wanted after all. The advice to 'be your authentic self' is misguided when you spend most of your life trying to figure out who the hell you are. Authenticity is trusting your gut and moving forward. Trust that you'll figure it out.

2. Buy Assets and Never Sell Them

When I graduated college in 2008, the financial crisis meant assets were cheap. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to max out my Roth IRA every year, invest in low-cost ETFs, and let compound interest do its magic.

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.” - Albert Einsteint

I’ve purchased three homes and sold two. Both of those properties have more than doubled in value since I sold them.

Renting out real estate means someone else is paying for an asset that appreciates over time, and the tax benefits are significant. If you can, hold onto your properties.

3. Prioritize Adventures While You’re Young

Adventures become harder as you age and start a family. It’s a tough sell to leave your spouse and kids behind to climb a mountain, scuba dive a foreign ocean, or go hunting for the weekend.

When you’re young, travel. Take risks. Whether it’s by car, motorcycle, boat, train, or plane, get out of your comfort zone. Traveling to foreign lands changes your perspective of the world. Do things that will make great stories someday.

4. Learn a New Skill Every Year

Martial arts, painting, music, it doesn’t matter. Be someone who is always learning. Growth doesn’t stop when school ends; it’s a lifelong process.

When you’re in school, all you want to do is finish. But once you’re out, you miss it. Having the time to study subjects that interest me now seems like a luxury. Don’t take your education for granted.

5. Treat School Like a Job

I didn’t appreciate learning until later in life. If I could go back, I’d treat school with the seriousness it deserves. Dive deep into understanding each subject, not just passing the tests. Read everything you can. Knowledge compounds, just like assets.

6. Find Enjoyment in Suffering

Discomfort is inevitable, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. But suffering is where growth happens.

The hardest workouts make you stronger. The toughest challenges sharpen your mind. The most difficult situations teach you resilience.

Learn to embrace suffering instead of avoiding it. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Laugh at the absurdity of it all. There’s joy in pushing through pain, in proving to yourself that you can handle more than you thought.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang emphasizes that embracing pain and failure is essential for resilience and success. He states that, “People with high expectations have low resilience.” He encourages viewing setbacks as valuable learning opportunities that drive innovation and personal development.

On the other side of suffering is progress.

7. Get Comfortable Saying No

Opportunities are endless, but your time isn’t. Every ‘yes’ comes at the cost of something else. Learn to say no to distractions, obligations that drain you, and paths that don’t align with your vision. I’ve suffered most of my life from FOMO, the fear of missing out. See if you can embrace JOMO, the joy of missing out.

8. Your Network is Your Safety Net

The best insurance in life isn’t money, it’s people. Build strong relationships, stay in touch, and help others without expecting anything in return. When life gets tough, your network will be the difference between struggling alone and having a community to lift you up.

Advice Is Not Regret

Giving advice to your younger self isn’t about regret, it’s about understanding.

If I had followed all the advice above, would I have different advice now? Probably. Life is iterative. We learn, and we pass down what we’ve learned in the hopes that someone else might find it useful. Someday I may read this and laugh because my advice will be different. I hope so.

The real question is: will you recognize good advice when you see it?

Don't get captured,

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