I've known Kevin for over 30 years (ever since he was the editor of The Whole Earth Review) and we've remained friends ever since. (And for the last 10 years, I've been his business partner at Cool Tools Labs, where we write the Recomendo newsletter with Claudia Dawson). Kevin turned 70 today, and to celebrate, he posted 103 bits of wisdom he wishes he had known when he was young.
Here are a few:
- Cultivate 12 people who love you, because they are worth more than 12 million people who like you.
- When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.
- Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks, and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.
- The biggest lie we tell ourselves is "I don't need to write this down because I will remember it."
- Ask anyone you admire: Their lucky breaks happened on a detour from their main goal. So embrace detours. Life is not a straight line for anyone.
