My Non-Negotiables for life

I turn 22 today. Nothing special about the age, but I do feel it’s a turning point.

This last year was a year of broken plans. I should have graduated, I didn’t. I should have launched business, and I didn’t. I couldn’t even commit myself to surfing, and I live in an island.

After some reflection, I have identified that behind all these failures is lack of structure. Hopping from trend, to novel idea, to weekend project is fun, but it has led me no where.

I have identified some non-negotiables in my life. These are the things I will never compromise on. I hope someday people will find this post and use it as a guide to understand me. The why behind my actions. I am making it public to hold myself accountable.

The following list of 5 comes from my experiences up to now: one rule learnt from 22 years prior, one rule learnt from my parents, one rule learnt from my grandparensts, one rule learnt from the dead and one rule learnt from the alive.

My 5 non-negotiables

1. Be truthful. Trust one of lives greatest intangibles. It is easily broken, hardly restored. A moat hardly replicable. Never lie, not to others, but specially, not to yourself.

2. Be kind. Never underestimate the power of a smile. Kindness is a virus, spread it around.

3. Settle only for perfection. Perfection is impossible, but aiming for the stars may get you to the moon, and getting to the moon is pretty cool too.

4. Play the long-term game. Life is about legacy. Your name may be forgottem, but your life must live on through your actions. It may be a business, it may be an idea, or it may be through family. You don’t matter, but what you do does.

5. Always be learning Life is a constant learning process. There is always something new to learn. There is always a new skill to master. There is always a new problem to solve.

Wisdom comes from the unexpected, and I want to end this post with a quote I heard from none other than Thimotee Chalamet

You can be the captain of your fate, the master of your soul, but you’ve got to realize life is comming from you and not at you, and that takes time.

To everyone, and to my future self, always remember.