What I Would Tell My Twenty-Something Self
I Had Energy and Drive. Now I Have Experience and Wisdom.
You have inspired a list of things I wish I had known when I was in my twenties. When I was young, I had energy and drive. Now I have experience and wisdom. So what advice would I give my twenty-something self? Here are my top 20 lessons learned.
Don’t drink and don’t smoke. Drunk people are embarrassing and pathetic. They are boring, not interesting.
Work out regularly and eat right. Stay fit so I don’t have to take care of you.
As you go through life, act your age, but don’t think your age. There is nothing worse than an old guy who acts like he’s forty.
Start riding motorcycles. Stay interesting by getting out of the house and taking a risk.
You still have a lot to learn, so keep learning. Get better at what you do. My father used to make fun of his cousin. In Italian, he would say, “Pete, the-know-it-all.” He laughed at him because no one knows it all. Stay hungry to learn.
Travel. Meet new people. Speak. Write. See how others live. Test the truth by sharing the truth.
Allow yourself to be bad at something new. Fail. It’s okay. Force yourself to do the things you know you want to do but are afraid to try. This will make you less boring.
You can take advantage of business opportunities that come your way. Shutting down is a cop out. They’ll make you a better businessman. Don’t waste them.
Make friendship a priority, and seek out differences. Different ages, faiths, races, and nationalities. This is the richness of life.
Be willing to start a new career. Crazy, right?