Life & Brain Tips

Your brain doesn't have to be made of jello.

Don't think your brain is a poodle.

If the thought comes eventually, that's half the battle. Then all you have to do is remember it. Or, just be hyper-creative.

Some of the smartest people don't even realize it. Never take an I.Q. test, it will ruin you.

Study easy subjects and then apply them to hard ones.

Work hard on things you are sure to accomplish.

Solve big questions as soon as possible.

Make logic depend on big questions.

Ignore triviality unless you want to solve problems, or if it entertains your mind.

Write until you gain experience, then write better.

Every now and again, add new technical tools to your vocabulary.

Work at your own level unless you want to learn something.

Choose your attitude wisely.

Behave like your superiors or you will miss the show.

Orient yourself towards the most profound quest.

Identify the trouble-makers.

Avoid gambling and other poor financial choices.

Learn the harmony of your body without causing distress to your spirit.

Believe in gods, but more than that, believe in the gods' arguments and truth.

Latest Advice from Centenarians

"If you're female, expect excitement."

"It might be important to force the cure, if the timing is good."

"Return to the moments where you are most alive!"

"Even saying hello might be a ritual."


"Ritualized time!"

"Don't look at the far trees: focus on the near trees."

"The key is not to feel foolish when you're 100..."

"Bitterness can be left alone unless it's good medicine."

"Nature is larger than time."

"Less paint, more art!"

"Sometimes our every manifestation is old from the very beginning."

"The more right you are, the more immortal you are!"

"There is just one recipe: patience."

"Have a reason to be happy. And don't make mistakes."

"Suck the juice out of life. Make it permanent."


Judging from the above, one might expect living to 100 is an average activity for people with good ideas. Maybe that is how it is now.

What is the Best Way to Enjoy Life and be Successful at It?

My sense of the wisdom of how to live a good life is both tentative and absolute:

1. Retract attachment to all people and things. You don’t want to be persuaded by mere opinions, as this will lead to confusion and bad feelings.
2. Think about the good life. What is most worth doing? Can you do it? Is it difficult? How much work will it take?
3. Develop a secure home base. Find an income that is reliable, even if it is very small. This may require convincing relatives that you are worth it, committing to a job, completing your education, or taking charity. Use your home base to create a reliable platform for success.
4. Now, indulge your feelings about the good life without feeling regret. What are small things you can do to improve your life? What are you doing slightly wrong? What are dangers you can avoid? What would be most helpful? Can things just continue as they are? Are you being unrealistic? What can change? Have you found your center?
5. Create more or less structure where necessary. Remain optimistic. Change will occur.

What you have to watch out for is that some people have achieved all these steps in high school. But relative success is still possible.