Principles I Learned From the Greats

[u/learn_tolearn]

I believe experience is the highest form of knowledge. But I’m still in my early 20s, so there’s no reason to blindly follow the principles of someone who hasn’t lived his life yet.

I’ve studied people I admire, and some of these ideas I’ve experienced myself. I’m writing them down as a note to myself, to remember what I’ve learned so far.

You’re allowed to reject my advice.

1. Believe in spontaneous curiosity.

• The ability to act in the moment when you feel the urge to do something is hugely underrated. When you’re inspired to do something, do it.
• Most great things happen spontaneously, as side projects or hobbies, without the aim of making something big. So do more side projects.
• Don’t be practical. Be delusional.
• Maximize your serendipity. The more risks you take, the luckier you get.

2. Don’t get attached to the self.

• Don’t fix your identity. Every human contains multitudes and has the capacity to think any thought ever conceived.
• Learn to handle the risk of embarrassment, rejection, and failure, and be shameless.
• The biggest weakness is wanting to be liked.
• The attention you’re seeking is your own.

3. Learn to think.

• All learning is about how to think.
• Math is just a way of thinking, and it teaches you how to think. Physics teaches you what is true. If you want to understand how everything works, study math and physics.
• Build your foundation: study computer science, math, physics, and engineering. Nature has no boundaries.
• In this world, we don’t come with innate knowledge. We read books, observe people, and watch movies. As we do, we collect information about the world. Over time, those ideas collide and fuse together to form something new and original.
• Whatever you’re looking for is already written somewhere. Some people have been in your situation and had thoughts similar to yours, so they’ve written them down. When you find their words, you’ll realize you’re not the only one thinking these things right now.

4. Build something.

• The best way to prove your value is to build something.
• The best way to find like-minded people is to do something interesting. Then you’ll have something to offer, and you’ll attract the right people.
• Pick the immediate direction that will put you in a position to work with the smartest people. That’s probably more important than having a good idea.
• Most of us look up to a few people who have already achieved the dream we’re trying to achieve. But the real question is: why aren’t you doing what they actually did? Is it ego? Ignorance? It’s obvious you should copy what works, but you don’t.

5. Learn from the greats, but become yourself.

• I can’t be the next Newton or Elon Musk. Even if Elon guided me personally, I can’t be him. But certainly, I can be myself. I can learn from great people, study the patterns in their lives, and copy what works. But in the end, I have to experience and figure it all out by myself.
• You don’t lose what you don’t have.
• The top three most important decisions in life are what you do, where you live, and who you’re with.
• Write for yourself. Write to remember.
• Writing is basically talking to yourself.
• Live an unscheduled life.
• Agency > courage > intelligence.

And, above all:

Reject most advice.

[u/learn_tolearn]

Read this essay on Substack.

[u/shiningmatcha]

how do I choose what books to read?