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Kofi Baah

25 Lessons at 25

I turn 25 in a few weeks. These are the most important lessons I've learned.

  1. How you spend every day is how you spend your life.
  2. Saying yes to one thing means saying no to everything else.
  3. You can only have one priority.
  4. Your desires are controlled by the people around you.
  5. Find what feels like play to you, but looks like work to others.
  6. Once you do, be consistent and let compounding do the work.
  7. Anything is possible within the laws of physics.
  8. Fear is what’s stopping you.
  9. Learn the basics.
  10. Focus on one thing at a time.
  11. The obstacle is the way.
  12. A problem solved is problem forgotten.
  13. “Once I have X, I will be fulfilled forever” is the perennial illusion.
  14. The easiest person to fool is yourself.
  15. Look for the third way.
  16. You always have a choice.
  17. Some decisions have permanent consequences. Not every decision can be reversed.
  18. Most decisions can be reversed.
  19. Your decisions will have second-order effects long into the future.
  20. The worst-case scenario is unlikely, but not impossible. Don’t be naive, but don’t be anxious.
  21. Think in likelihoods, not certainties.
  22. Life is more random than it seems.
  23. You don’t need to give yourself a hard time.
  24. Thoughtful feedback is a gift.
  25. Most advice can be ignored.