its 3am and a few ppl messaged me for some advice after i unexpectedly left

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1, don’t date low-value boys/girls

It’s no secret that you end up becoming those that you surround yourself with. Often people forget that this relates to those that you hold intimate relationships with, specifically that of your partner. Do not date people that you consider low-value (not necessarily from the perspective of prestige, but instead from the perspective of virtues).

• tbh best relationships are when both feel that they are ‘punching above their weight’

2, rising tides lifts all boats

No matter where you end up going in life, please live a life of service to others. So much of modern struggle can be attributed to the undisputed emphasis on the individual, rather than that of the collective. It is a small world and the more friends you have, the better off you will be.

ALSO consider the compounding nature of relationships, you should be in the continual habit on making new friendships

• ‘the selfish reason to help others is that it gives you something to care about more than yourself’
• relevant essay on friendship

3, become philosopher king **

“to become a philosopher king, start with being a king, not being a philosopher” (taleb)

Similarly, if you would like to become ‘rich and happy’, perhaps it is easier to start with being rich, and then become happy. This does not necessarily suggest that money should be the motivation of your life, but it does suggest that there are temporal hierarchies that should influence your decision making.

• easier to become AA then BB, than, BB then AA

4, stay risky

Leverage your youth to take asymmetric bets, where the upside is much greater than the downside. It is easy to stay on the beaten track, especially as a young person; the downside with this logic is that there are only limited opportunities to take on risk. This is especially true given the increasing amount of responsibilities that come with age. “Would you really subject your family to financial instability by leaving your job when you finally have that ‘breakthrough’ startup idea”. Avoid midlife crisis by avoiding being mid (haha i am genz too)

• my thoughts around minimising regret

5, optimise luck

Build your character so that luck becomes your destiny. Unbeknownst to most, but there are several buckets that ‘luck’ can be categorised under. (marc a + naval)

1 Blind Luck (finding lottery ticket on the ground), 2 Luck through perserverance (swiping on 1000 girls on hinge before finding wifey material), 3 Spotted Luck (studying stock analysis then looking at stocks), 4 Luck that finds you (Become known for XXX, so that when people need help with XXX, then you are top of mine)

• example: imagine you have a character of being the best deepsea diver in the world, if a fisherman were to find sunken treasure, you would be top of mind. consider 1000 fisherman within your ecosystem, if any of them get ‘lucky’ (type 1), then they come to you and now you are lucky (type 4). congratulations! luck has now become your destiny

6, don’t live someone else’s dream

People are incredibly susceptible to mimetic desire, ‘you want XX because other people want XX’. Within the context of undergrads, you want consulting/banking/bigtech because other people want these. Invest time into understanding what are the unique aspirations that you have for yourself. There is noone more you than you, that is your competitive advantage.

ALSO generally don’t fall for opportunities that offer more prestige but less freedom. winning status and influence isn’t worth it at the cost of your time and self-expression

• not so hot take: being happy will be driven by your ability to leverage your independence
• be impatient with what you want most in life !

7, become temporarily immortal

You should hold no fear greater than that of wasted potential. Believe that you have something important to contribute to the world, and that the world would be a lesser place without that contribution. It is to live in service to this contribution, that you should never compromise your personal integrity. Become the main character of your story and live your life as if you are being watched and have something to prove.

• Become disciplined and overcome the various mimetic games played by others; once you are able to do this, you will achieve all things.
• do not fear commitment, especially commitment to yourself

8, work towards the big three

Health → go gym + eat veggies + drink water

Wealth → get rich so you can free yourself from mundanity

Happiness → most easily achieved by living a life of service to others

9, noone is coming to save you

Take ownership of your life and recognise that you are solely responsible for your outcomes . Accept the divine imperative to become the best version of yourself.