Learn from my mistakes before it’s too late.
There are many ways to ruin your life, but not all are obvious.
When I smoked three packs a day, drank a bottle of whiskey every night, and slept with any stranger who said something nice to me. I knew I would pay for all of that.
But when I was done with all that, I started to realize that it wasn’t the only thing that was screwing up my life. There were other ways in which I was constantly self-sabotaging myself, just as dangerous but that I was unable to see.
I want to share them with you so that you realize it in time and save yourself some pain.
1. Having the schedule of a striptease club
After working for years in a nightclub, I lived at night and slept during the day.
Going to bed at 11 p.m. and getting up at 7 a.m. is not the same as going to bed at 7 a.m. and getting up at 3 p.m. It’s eight hours, but it’s not the same.
It’s eight hours, but it’s not the same eight hours.
It’s not the same as sleeping at night when everyone else is asleep as it is to try to sleep during the day when all your neighbors are awake, making all kinds of noise. Your sleep is not as deep. And you don’t rest.
I used to wake up with a disgusting feeling like I was hungover, my blood bubbled more than a freshly shaken bottle of coke, and during the day, I had a tremendous headache.
After meals, I would fall into a horrible sleepy state, making all my work mediocre because I was half-zombie.
Lesson: if you feel bad, you work poorly. If you perform badly, your life is terrible. Period. (Don’t go to bed late unless you work late at night)
2. Becoming a modern-day digital hermit who doesn’t talk to anyone.
Over-prioritizing myself was the worst of my mistakes.
Living by and for yourself leads you to isolate yourself from the world. And then you get social phobia.
It’s like if you spend a lot of time in the dark and then you expose yourself to the sun, the light hurts you.
The same thing happens when you isolate yourself from people.
You start by not wanting to discuss and saying no to all the plans proposed, and you end up avoiding any uncomfortable conversation, appointment, or conflict, which ends with your self-esteem.
Lesson: walking away from conflict is only sometimes the solution. When you stop exposing yourself to social adversity, you weaken, and then any tiny setback with others feels like an insurmountable obstacle.
3. Believe you are a mix between Jordan Belfort, Aquaman, and Good Will Hunting.
Believing myself to be better than I am left me lonelier than the moon on a starless night.
Believing you are better than you are makes you think you are better than others. And that prevents you from learning and makes you ignorant. And ignorance is worse than wickedness.
My grandfather always said, “The wicked milk the cow that is not theirs; the ignorant kill it by overfeeding it.”
Moral: evil people want something from you; they will always squeeze you, but not to the point of sucking you dry. Otherwise, they won’t get anything else from you. Ignorant people, however, can shut you down, thinking they are taking care of you or doing you a favor.
Ergo, ignorance is worse than evil. Because it makes you give bad advice, and as you think you are the f*cking master, you are unable to recognize your mistakes, which prevents you from learning.
Lesson: Humility is the quickest way to go from being ignorant (as I was) to stop being one.
A virtual hug
AG
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