Monthly Archives: December 2019

Build Something That Lasts

This new year brings about a new decade: the 2020s. As I reflect on my 2010s, I see that I have spent much of my time, energy, and resources on things that I won’t be able to take with me into my 2020s. This is an area of improvement. I want my effort to give me something back that isn’t temporary. If it is temporary then it is lost over time, so it didn’t matter anyway, so it wasn’t important to spend on. I want to spend on important things that I can look back and say: wow, good thing I got that so that today I am better.

Conclusion: Build something that lasts.

Ok, what follows is more of my thoughts on the topic.

I want for myself for the next 10 years to have a plan to have something that will last into my 2030s. To help me make this plan, I’m going to reflect on what has gone right and wrong in my life.

I know that entering my 2010s, I had a lot of skills. I was sharp in intelligence, reasonable in physical health, and progressing in emotional awareness.

I regret in my 2010s investing in relationships that didn’t last. I regret putting my trust in the wrong people. I regret relying on incorrect assumptions that I should have spent more time validating.

Looking back at my 2010s, I don’t regret learning. I don’t regret improving myself. I don’t regret being happy.

With all that being said, I think a good plan for me for the next 10 years for my 2020s is to: invest more in myself, do more things that make me happy, learn more, train my skills for work, health, and relationships. Don’t rely on others, learn to rely more on myself.

The week before 2010, I feel like I can take over the world. The week before 2020, I don’t even know if I can go through tomorrow without breaking down and crying. The week before 2030, I want to feel once more that I can handle it. I will be OK. Things will be OK. I want to build a mindset that “it will be ok” and I want this mindset to last past 2030.

Human Nature Lessons

Above all, people want to believe they are good people and they will do every mental trick in the book to believe it. 

Either they will focus on the intent and say they had good intentions so focus on that, or they will say they had good impact and say focus on that. Rarely will they own up when there is a mismatch in intention and impact and apologize for having bad intentions but good impact or for having good intentions but bad impact.  They will focus on the good so that they can sleep at night thinking that they are good people.