It's not often that you get to hit the reset button on your life. That's exactly what it felt like, soaring 30,000 feet over the air and watching the tiny bursts of fireworks light up the night sky. When you watch fireworks from the ground they can seem majestic and prominent. Not up here. A quick change of perspective makes them tiny and insignificant. I had just quit a fantastic engineering job at a great company to join the ranks of the self(un)-employed. Like my view of the fireworks I felt small and insignificant and wondered if I had actually made a huge mistake.I want to be a writer, but I'm not quite sure what that entails yet. Every piece of writing advice boils down to a simple truth: Write Every Day. And while my past has certainly shaped who I am, there is no reset button. So instead I'm going to reset my mindset and try to live my life according to what I've learned from the world during my short stay. Here is the list I came up with (in no particular order):
1) Keep perspective
2) Listening and observing are usually better than speaking and acting
3) It's okay to be insecure; it's not okay to project them on other people
4) Be open-minded
5) Try things that scare you
6) Eat healthy
7) Exercise every day
8) Cherish relationships with family and friends
9) Be passionate in your endeavors
10) Be confident in everything you do
11) Write often and about anything
12) Fail at things; it will teach you to get back up
13) Stay focused and motivated; remember why you're here
14) Stand up for yourself and the people you love
15) Don't be petty
16) Be realistic
17) Don't hold grudges or harbor ill will
18) Reward future Mike
19) Once you've learned from the past, let go of it
20) Take advantage of being young, single and unburdened
I plan to add and revise this as I go, but for now this will do. Time to start over (sort of).
Flying on holidays is sobering. I once flew on Halloween night. Its weird being in transit on a day where most people are already where they want to be. Good luck.
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