43 life lessons at age 43

It’s my 43rd birthday and I’ve lived a little, laughed a bunch and learned some stuff along the way. Here are 43 lessons on life, money and happiness that I’ve collected along the way. Caveat emptor!

1. Always show others compassion. Everyone is suffering in their own private way.
2. The marginal utility of the next dollar flatlines pretty quickly.
3. When you find a really good fitting t-shirt, buy 6 of them.
4. It’s possible to build a kick-ass business while working 30 hours per week.
5. You’re probably consuming too much sugar.
6. Turning your life into a series of social posts is a sad way to live.
7. The best days begin with me keeping my phone off for the first hour. (Yes, you can get a real alarm.)
8. Living walking distance from your kids’ school is the ultimate life hack.
9. The best sleep happens when when I shut my phone down at 7:30 pm.
10. Going outside is never the wrong decision.
11. Resentment is a silent relationship killer.
12. When you lose someone close, you’ll second guess how you acted. You get a second shot with those still here.
13. Most business books are a waste of time. Reading a blog post and listening to a podcast gets you the 80/20.
14. Clinging to identities causes suffering.
15. Making money is easy. Making money in alignment with your values is hard.
16. If you have negative feedback, say it immediately. That sh*t doesn’t age well.
17. If someone asks you the same question 3x, make it a public Google Doc.
18. Freedom is cool. But it doesn’t help overcome your insecurities or lead you towards fulfillment.
19. Being able to communicate through writing, storytelling and public speaking is a professional cheatcode.
20. Reading can be $10 work. Distracting you from the thing you should be doing but can’t motivate yourself to do.
21. If u need to listen to it at faster than 1x speed — is it really worth it?
22. Strengthening the small muscles in your shoulders and ankles is a good long-term decision.
23. Money stress plummeted when we realized we don’t want to leave our kids a meaningful inheritance.
24. Sending birthday videos to friends makes many people smile.
25. There’s nothing you can buy that will bring enduring happiness.
26. LA has the world’s best weather.
27. Ditch the storks — Always talk to your kids like they’re grown ups.
28. When someone makes you mad, look inside to analyze what’s really going on.
29. Fights about the the dishwasher are not about the dishwasher.
30. Everyone wants to feel seen. Yup, you and me too.
31. If you always need to check something, you ain’t rich. I don’t care what your bank account says.
32. A little bit of business planning goes a long way.
33. You can’t fake genuinely caring.
34. The goal line is always moving. Its moves just get sneakier.
35. The more texts you send, the more you get back.
36. Every couple years, blow up your identity. It’s cathartic.
37. Blaise Pascal was right — all of mankind’s struggles stems from his inability to spend 15 minutes with his thoughts
38. Long stretches without any thoughts are rare (and blissful).
39. Don’t exercise while listening to podcasts or Audiobooks. Is that really gonna activate “Beast Mode?”
40. Making unspoken norms “spoken” eliminates a ton misunderstandings and quarrels.
41. Wearables are more stressful than informative.
42. When in doubt, call your parents.
43. Accepting that we’re finite beings is freedom.