14 Life Lessons That My 92-year-old Grandfather Left Written in His Secret Diary

#4. Don’t tell everything. Leave something for yourself. Feed the mystery.

I always wished my grandfather could send letters from heaven.

But this year, a miracle happened: My mother found his secret journals tucked in a plastic bag behind some bricks in his townhouse.

I’ve been reading and decrypting his rare handwriting ever since.

And I want to share 14 little excerpts from his diary, which are so powerful that they can improve your life.

Let’s start

The most significant advantage in life is arriving at the future with the zest of the past. If you don’t lose your enthusiasm, you will beat your competitors. If you get tired, you get bored, and if you get bored, you make mistakes that can cost you dearly.
Talent is worthless if you don’t work hard. Talent is a chisel with which the sculptor sculpts the rock, but without willpower, the chisel will never carve the rock.
The life of every human being is like the passion of Jesus. Youth is the cross you have to carry, where you make mistakes. The adult stage is where you bleed crucified and give the best of yourself. And in old age, if you did well, you are resurrected and have peace.
Don’t count everything. Leave something for yourself. Feed the mystery. You don’t do it for you, but for them, so they don’t lose interest and always believe that you have an ace up your sleeve and can save them from themselves, even if it is not so.
Please don’t underestimate the person who adds up with their fingers because they either check things a hundred times or disguise their cunning as ignorance. They are like the poacher who shoot their prey at night, collect the shells to leave no trace, and pretend they spent the night at home praying.
Solve problems, and people will knock on your door. Create issues, and people will close their doors on you. Be a problem solver; you won’t lack work, friends, or romance.
The secret to not fearing death is doing things right. Good people do not fear death because they have a clear conscience. He who does it pays for it in the hereafter. Walk straight, recognize your mistakes, keep your word, and don’t twist yourself. And you will be happier than average because pleasure and excess lead to pain in this life and the next and discipline to reasonable and sufficient happiness to make it worthwhile to face the horrors of this world.
Be careful where the money you earn comes from. Better a peseta (old Spanish currency) made cleanly than ten duros (another Spanish currency of more value) earned illicitly. Sin leaves a stain, and there is no one to clean it.
You will lose absolutely everything you have one day. We are all one tragedy away from being ruined, one mistake away from losing our lives. Don’t take anything you have for granted. Be thankful for what you have to eat on your plate today because if you live long enough, you will lose everything.
Distrust even your shadow. Be loyal, but trust no one. Those closest to you are the ones who can hurt you the most. Even a family member can betray you. Check things as many times as needed to silence that feeling of intrigue that your chest or belly feels when you sense something strange. Remember that your friend Paco was betrayed by his brother-in-law and told the Nationalists where he was hiding. They ended up imprisoning him and his battalion of Republicans. In this life, everyone looks for survival at the moment of truth.
Whatever happens, life goes on. Do not give up. Keep walking despite the blows. That is what life is all about. Stumble, get up and walk. When you want something, do as you do with horses: put on a pair of blinkers so you don’t look to the side and never lose sight of your goal. But once you achieve it, don’t forget to live. Enjoy as much as you can (but don’t overdo it with the wineskin; it will take its toll on you in the morning when you mow the fields).
The mind has a garbage can where you throw everything you don’t want to remember. The problem is that every garbage can has a limit; if you overdo it, it overflows and turns your head into a pigsty. When you do evil to others, you do it to yourself. Remember that many of those who did not die in the war later fell prey to their demons and regrets. The baker’s son hung himself in the mill; who knows what he would do in the war? Some barriers should not be crossed. There is shit that doesn’t fit in the bucket.
Take care of your elders, especially if they don’t deserve it. Life takes many turns. And those who take care of their elders when they grow up are rewarded. Besides, intelligent people do not trust words because today, you say one thing, and tomorrow, it may be another. Smart people look at everyday actions. And the one who takes care of their elders is trustworthy. And someone good to do business with. — To behave well with the weakest in your house is the best business card you can have.
Tempus Fugit (time flies), so don’t waste it arguing. Every passing day makes your time more valuable because you have less left. If you forget, look at the clock on the wall.

My grandfather’s original wall clock

I hope some of what you have read will be useful today. To finish, I leave you with a saying that my grandfather always told me when he saw me sad,

“Problems come and go. People come and go. But the time you lose never came back.”

A virtual hug

Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀