7 Pieces of Wisdom I Wish I Knew When I Was 18 Years Old

The best lessons come from experience.

I am a rebel.

Back in high school, I used to skip classes to play video games. As a result, my parents used to hate me. But, playing video games helped me understand the real world.

If you want to get ahead in life, here are the 7 lessons you should know before you turn 18:

1. School achievements do not matter in the real world.

I am not a straight-A student.

I used to value grades because I came from a family of educators. But grades are not the true measure of success. True success comes from knowing how to apply knowledge in life.

You should focus on learning new skills rather than grades.

Successful people understand that money comes from your ability to solve problems.

2. Writing is the most important skill you can learn.

I used to think that great writing happens by accident.

After reading over 10 books about writing, I learned that I was wrong. Good writing can be learned. You need to practice your craft if you want to see improvement. For example, Lee Child started writing books in his 40s but he is one of the best-selling fiction writers right now.

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, clinical psychologist and best-selling author of 12 Rules of Life, says “If you can think, and speak, and write, you are absolutely deadly.”

Young men should learn how to communicate their thoughts instead of watching porn and drinking alcohol.

3. Avoid listening to loud music to avoid tinnitus.

When I was 22 years old, I was diagnosed with chronic tinnitus.

According to Penn Medicine, tinnitus is the medical term for “hearing” noises in your ears. Tim Denning also has tinnitus. There is no cure for it. I sent him an email on how to write great content after having tinnitus. He said that you will get used to it.

As an artist, you should turn your suffering into creative achievement because people will get inspired by your story.

4. Asking for help will accelerate your learning speed.

Asking experts will help us save time and money.

The best teachers tell stories about their profession. This is why consultants get paid a lot of money. They solve complex problems and they ask different questions to business owners.

If you want to make progress, do not hesitate to ask for help.

5. Being different is okay.

Being different is different from crazy.

Stephen King writes 10 pages every single day. He is different but he is not crazy. People have different values and they have their ways of solving new problems.

Embracing our uniqueness will help us create a different future.

6. Invest in books if you want to improve your life.

Successful writers have a library.

They love to read fiction. Great stories are based on truth. Reading books will help us understand how experts think about different problems.

Personal development books will help solve our problems.

7. You need to know how to lead if you want to be successful.

Great leaders create new leaders.

They want to inspire their followers. The best leaders are driven by purpose. You can become a leader regardless of your age.

Leadership can be learned.

You just need to have courage and persistence.

Thanks for reading!

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