You are the CEO of your life

Q: What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life?

A: Here are the top 10 lessons people most often learn too late in life:

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1. Hustle is the antidote to fear.

When I was in high school, I wanted to ask out a girl to prom but was afraid of being rejected. So I bought a guitar, learned how to play “I Want to Grow Old With You” (Thanks Adam Sandler) and serenaded her in class. I changed the lyrics to “I want to go to prom with you.” Guess what? She said yes.

When I wanted to start my motivational blog CEO Lifestyle, I had no idea how to build a nice website or how to build a community following. I was also pretty scared of failing again. What if I wrote for years and no one ended up going to my website? What if no one really cared about motivation?

And then I realized, even if only 10 people signed up, I would still feel awesome about making a difference in 10 people’s lives. And that was enough to get me started. Ever since then, I’ve been hustling non stop. I’ve now written 109 Quora posts and have over 4.8 million views. Oh, and that blog? It has over 6,500 subscribers in just 7 months. #Hustle

Still need more encouragement to go out there and make it happen? Take note from this quote from Richard Branson – “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

Stop fearing. Start doing.

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” -Richard Branson

2. Simple is good.

Life has so much clarity when you keep things simple. For example:

• Want to better understand? Listen.
• Miss a loved one? Call. (Or text, Facebook message, Snapchat)
• Want to achieve? Hustle.
• Want to laugh? Watch Youtube videos.
• Love someone? Say it.

3. You can go fast alone, but you go further together.

When you work alone, you can move really fast. There’s no red tape. There’s no management that you have to check in with. There’s no team you have to collaborate with. So what does that mean? You can create and test with an incredible amount of speed. However, it’s really hard to go far alone.

For example, I love writing for my motivational blog. However, I can only write so much material every week (it’s pretty intensive in terms of time invested). So I can continue doing this writing all by myself to build an audience or I could work smarter by working with others. For example, I’ve started working with a famous writer by being on his podcast. He has over 10,000 followers that he’ll probably be sending that podcast to. I’m guessing almost all of those don’t subscribe to my blog and this will expand my audience. Pretty safe to say that’s a good idea. Just a hunch. #FurtherTogether.

4. Sacrificing your health to pursue wealth isn’t worth it.

One of my best friends had cancer. Do you know how many times I heard him say, “Gosh, I really wish I made more money or worked more hours?” Not once. Take care of your body. Fruits and vegetables are your best friend. Work out regularly. Cardio, lifting weights or workout classes should be a big part of your life. Invest in your body today so that you’ll have a brighter future tomorrow.

5. Worrying is not a good use of energy.

I built a dating app once. I was worried our competitors would copy us and we would lose over the long term because we didn’t have the marketing budget that they had. Guess what? It didn’t matter. We got 13,000+ downloads but couldn’t get our users to come back frequently enough to the app to make it an engaging experience. So I spent all that energy and time worrying over…nothing. Worrying is one of the biggest wastes of energy. Stop worrying. Start hustling. Noticing a recurring theme?

6. Work can be fun.

You know that feeling you get when your alarm rings at 7 AM in the morning? That feeling of dread? Guess what? It doesn’t have to be that way for the next 50 years of your life. Find work that you’re passionate about. Find a mission that you want to get behind 100%. Find your calling. Do that and you will wake up with a renewed sense of energy.

7. Happiness is a state of mind, not a destination.

Looking back on my life, the most unhappiest moments of my life occurred when I always thought I had to achieve a certain goal to be happy. That’s not the way happiness works. You can be happy right now. Be happy that you’re alive. You’re breathing. You’re here in this incredible moment that we call life. That gives you all the reasons you need to be happy.

8. Things that are worthwhile often take time.

It feels like I see a new success story every week. “New technology startup raises $100M at a $1B valuation!” People see the overnight success. What they don’t often see are the late nights at the office until 2 AM. Whether it’s love, work or friendship, everything worthwhile takes time. So learn to be patient. And invest your time wisely.

So learn to be patient. And invest your time wisely.

9. Awesomeness is contagious.

I try to surround myself with positive, upbeat people that want to make a difference in the world. Every time I do that, I walk away feeling energized and passionate about life. Find 3 people that you deeply admire and spend time with them. Seriously, ask them to coffee, lunch or yogurt. (I’m a fan of Yogurtland personally, and no, they did not pay me to write that.)

Notice how you feel after you meet with them? You should be saying “I feel awesome.” Combine that awesome feeling with a dose of yogurt – that’s borderline life changing. If you’re lactose intolerant, I’m sorry. #GetInspired

10. You are the CEO of your life.

You’re responsible for your own life. Simple as that. Now go out there and build the life you’ve always dreamed of.

You’re responsible for your own life. Simple as that.

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Source: Nelson Wang on Quora.