68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

68 Bits of Unsolicited(ˌənsəˈlisidəd) Advice

By Kevin Kelly

It’s my birthday. I’m 68. I feel like pulling up a rocking chair and dispensing(dəˈspens) advice to the young ‘uns. Here are 68 pithy(ˈpiTHē) bits of unsolicited advice which I offer as my birthday present to all of you.

• Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend(əˈfend) you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.

• Being enthusiastic(inˌTH(y)o͞ozēˈastik, enˌTH(y)o͞ozēˈastik) is worth 25 IQ points.

• Always demand a deadline. A deadline weeds out the extraneous(ikˈstrānēəs) and the ordinary. It prevents you from trying to make it perfect, so you have to make it different. Different is better.

• Don’t be afraid(əˈfrād) to ask a question that may sound stupid because 99% of the time everyone else is thinking of the same question and is too embarrassed(əmˈberəst) to ask it.

• Being able to listen well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them “Is there more?”, until there is no more.

• A worthy(ˈwərT͟Hē) goal for a year is to learn enough about a subject so that you can’t believe how ignorant(ˈignərənt) you were a year earlier.

• Gratitude(ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od) will unlock all other virtues(ˈvərCHo͞o) and is something you can get better at.

• Treating a person to a meal never fails, and is so easy to do. It’s powerful with old friends and a great way to make new friends.

• Don’t trust all-purpose glue(glo͞o).

• Reading to your children regularly will bond you together and kickstart their imaginations(iˌmajəˈnāSHən).

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https://kk.org/thetechnium/68-bits-of-unsolicited-advice/