I get inspired today.
I was going to start writing my today’s article, but I decided to have a quick look at Medium to see what was going around there.
I started reading this Sergey Faldin’s article, and I got hooked! In fact, I read it three times.
Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Sergey for being so clear, pragmatic, and direct, especially at his age.
Secondly, I’d like to say that I felt 100% identified with his words. I’ve seen myself totally reflected in his story.
Today, October 13th, 2020, he’s 22, and I’m exactly twice his age, 44.
I perfectly know what “living in a rush” means.
I studied computer science engineering while I was working at the same time. I worked in three big companies.
Later on, I moved to big consultancy ones, spending (I see them as investing) there 4 years. I went into their crazy “ladder race”, an endless position career, increasing my salary year by year.
In 2002, I jumped into entrepreneurship, creating my first company.
I kept on running and, even though I have 3 different companies right now operating simultaneously, almost 5 years ago, I decided to slow down A LOT.
That was my decision after feeling that chronic sensation of tiredness. The one that makes you wake up already tired. The one that takes you down physically and mentally. You think those are the typical sensations of today’s human beings until you become aware of some other life out there.
As with almost every critical point in life, all essential issues begin with a stupid event: a book you read, a person you meet, something you listen to somewhere…
In my case, it was a free eBook that talked about how important it is to be fit. Something we hear everywhere, something everyone knows, but the way that eBook talked to me impressed me.
Parenthesis:
Don’t be afraid of writing about a topic or subject millions of people write about because, as you can see, each of us has our point of view, perspective, experience, and way of communicating it.
This eBook is just another example of how you can help people by telling them a message that we’ve seen millions of times before.
End of parenthesis.
Continuing my story, since then, since this epiphany, my life changed for the better:
- I started working out two times a week (three times nowadays).
- I started to eat healthily.
- I started to go deep into my mindset using all kinds of techniques, such as meditation, yoga, and much more.
- Even though I was a productivity geek, I navigated more in-depth into the subject, becoming even better (you can always be better at anything in life).
- I started improving my English so I can communicate better with people and expand my world.
- I started learning French, so my world became even broader.
- I started writing because it had been my dream during my whole life.
- I joined Medium last month.
- Here I am.
- …
But the most important lesson I learned during these last 5 years was to slow down my life.
Slowing down my life allowed me to enter the most productive period in my life.
Slowing down is how you’ll get healthier (what matters you at 40s) and wealthier (what matters you at 20s).
It sounds awkward, but that’s how it is. I have never produced more outcomes in my life.
- Slowing down equals speeding up your productivity.
- Slowing down helps you to focus on things in a way you’ve never done before.
- Slowing down allows you to “savor life”.
It’s not easy to understand that when you’re 19, 22, or even 30 something. For me, it took me 40 years to understand it.
The concept of time changes throughout your life. It’s not easy to understand what your parents tell you. You have to experience it. To learn trying and failing.
It’s failure that makes you grow, mature, know what this story (life) is all about.
Reading books, articles, listening to podcasts, to older people can help, but human beings are experiential living beings. We learn just experiencing things.
Anyway, I believe the sooner you start thinking about these things, the better you will take your life to the most productive one, the one everyone’s looking for, the one that will take you to that fulfillment and rewarding sensation of happiness.
We stay very long living on this planet. We don’t know it, but, as you get older, you understand we receive billions of seconds to spend.
No matter if you fail, if you succeed. There’s always time for recovery.
Just taking one year in the right direction will drive you to awesome places. Imagine where you can reach in 3, 5, or 8 years. Imagine where you can be decades from now.
I started this new way of living only less than 5 years ago, and I’m a completely different self.
Doing little tiny things every day is how you achieve the hugest changes in your life. I tried it on myself, and it works.
It seems to me that Sergey learned this before I did, and I’m so happy for him, but that doesn’t matter. Any day can be the right one to start working on your better future self. Fortunately, you don’t need a massive amount of time to become a totally different person.
Just follow this process:
- Think about your future self.
- Think about the things you should do to become that.
- Start doing just one “stupid” thing.
- Later on, keep on adding “stupid” things.
- Without you noticing it, you will be doing lots of “stupid” things every day, which equals doing a great one thing over time.
Sergey, thank you for your inspiring words. I hope mine will inspire others. Sharing is the key to growth. That’s something you also learn as you get older.
No need to rush.
Photo at the top courtesy of Caique Silva on Unsplash.