Warren Buffet said he didn't do many things right but he did very few things wrong.
There are two lessons from this. Firstly he's saying he didn't take many risks but he did take some (some people never take any!), but the risks he did take were highly calculated from his exhaustive research and network of contacts.
The other lesson is that very successful people live in a different reality from most, he would have done quite a few things off this list right but to him they would have seemed obvious but to most people they aren't or if they are, they don't give them the attention they deserve.
So when you get to talk to successful people, as well as asking them what it is you specifically want to know remember to ask them the obvious questions the mundane questions as what's seems obvious or mundane to them is gold for us.
Level 1 surviving
Kids, dont do drugs or break the law.. Ridiculous statement of course. You may as well say don't do anything that is detrimental to your well being. Pointless.
The reality is, if you do only half the stuff on this list you won't even consider doing either. I only put it here because if you do do them you're probably fucked, very exceptional people make it back from drugs and crime. Is that really you? Really?
Understand that you have a value and a purpose and noone can take that from you because like every other living thing on this planet you were born with it, you have it whether you believe you do or not.
Level 2. Doing okay to thriving
Okay now you are surviving what next?
Determine what parts of what your parents are telling you is worth listening to. Validate what they say against the real world (my momma said women are the devil and that crocodiles are so aggressive because they have so many teeth and no toothbrush, thank you The Waterboy)
Get enough sleep, very very important if you want to do more than survive.
Understand that everyone except your closest friends and immediate family are way more interested in achieving their goals than yours. This includes your bank manager, stock broker, nurse, son's teacher, real estate person, lawyer, companies HR person. I'm serious.
Pick the right partner. A few myths to get rid of straight away, opposites attract, they should act like my father or mother, I don't need to tell them everything.
Pick the right job. If you don't know what that is then your parents have fucked up and you'll have to try different things until something clicks. You can narrow it down a bit by matching your basic personality type with vocations, ask yourself what gives you a sense of achievement (win help solve) and how do you solve problems (talk think do) then look at vocations and see what matches. Each job has all the elements but in different amounts match them against your amounts.
Try hard, harder than most other people
Find your passions (work or play) and develop them
Spend your money on things that develop your life skills or work skills
Help others where you can
Try to eat healthy and get a little exercise but don't obsess about it. You don't need to be vegan and you don't need to work out. But if you have an office job you do have to do something extra.
Be patient but know when to walk away.
Listen more than talk but always be the first to talk if you are in a new situation
Put your partner and kids above anything but not other family, they come after your most important goals.
Take notes and make lists, anyone (including yourself) who expects you to remember everything is an idiot
Get rid of any chips on your shoulder. You weren't the favorite son? You're an adult now you make your own life. You despise rich people? In general they just got further thru this list than most. Learn from them, yes some are assholes whose moral compass is way off but you can learn from them too they still did a lot of things right.
Level 3 get ready to really change the world
Understand that life is like an onion (Thank you Shrek) what seems obvious often isn't the right way to view things, keep an open mind and dig a little deeper.
Don't believe the press, end of 15 second sound bite.
Be humble and listen to and follow good advice from others who have done what you want to do. You don't have to make the mistakes they made to get to where they are that's a bunch of BS.
Take an interest and learn about the world. It's yours too, but after you've taken an interest in your family and goals first
Be generous with praise that's been earnt, even with strangers, and also point out issues, do both or do neither.
Always look for the thing people are avoiding talking about. Be brave but kind. Make friends with the elephant in the room and then politely but firmly escort him out of the building.
Learn how to leverage your money
Learn to take calculated risks
Play a sport competitively. Individual and team. You can learn a lot about yourself thru both.
Meditate on these words "strength is weakness and weakness is strength"
