{"id":2083,"date":"2022-08-11T09:05:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timporter.com\/seconddraft\/?p=2083"},"modified":"2022-08-11T18:42:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T01:42:11","slug":"birthday-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.timporter.com\/seconddraft\/?p=2083","title":{"rendered":"Birthday Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Today is my birthday. I am almost a quarter of the way into this new century after having been alive for more than half of the latter one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent podcast tipped me to a list of gained wisdoms <\/a>compiled by Wired magazine editor Kevin Kelly on the occasion of his 70th<\/sup> birthday. Herewith, I offer my own list. As always, your mileage may vary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Never be ashamed of borrowing a good idea, but always hat-tip the source.<\/li>
  2. Take credit for your successes and responsibility for your losses.<\/li>
  3. Eat a good breakfast.<\/li>
  4. Make time to be with friends.<\/li>
  5. Make as much time to be alone.<\/li>
  6. No matter how smart you think you are, it\u2019s not enough.<\/li>
  7. Everything breaks, including people.<\/li>
  8. Nothing you\u2019ve fixed, whether it\u2019s a software conflict or an education system, stays fixed forever.<\/li>
  9. It\u2019s likely that many people think more highly of you than you do of yourself.<\/li>
  10. To keep your body alive, walk; to keep your mind alive, read.<\/li>
  11. No win is worth hurting someone.<\/li>
  12. Take care of your teeth.<\/li>
  13. You will never feel as old as your face looks.<\/li>
  14. The past is gone. Get over it.<\/li>
  15. Being successful often depends more on where you were born, your economic level, and your race than how hard you worked. It\u2019s a lottery.<\/li>
  16. That said, work hard. It feels good.<\/li>
  17. Learn another language. It will change your life.<\/li>
  18. When someone speaks to you in their second, or third, language, listen closely. This person is doing the work.<\/li>
  19. Resumes are useless.<\/li>
  20. Always listen to your gut \u2013 even if all it tells you is that it\u2019s time to eat.<\/li>
  21. Sleep more rather than less.<\/li>
  22. If you get the upgrade, take the window seat so no one climbs over you while you sleep. If you don\u2019t, take the aisle so you have the extra legroom.<\/li>
  23. Good shoes are worth the extra money.<\/li>
  24. No one cares about your version of God.<\/li>
  25. If it seems too good to be true, it is.<\/li>
  26. When you interview someone for a job don\u2019t ask them what they\u2019ve done, ask them: What do you know how to do?<\/li>
  27. Failure is an option.<\/li>
  28. Don\u2019t eat crap food.<\/li>
  29. If you\u2019re an addictive person, get it out of your system when you\u2019re young. Aging is hard enough without a habit.<\/li>
  30. Don\u2019t lie \u2013 especially not to yourself.<\/li>
  31. If you say you will do something, do it \u2013 whether it\u2019s make a phone call or love somebody.<\/li>
  32. Keep children in your life. They don\u2019t need to be yours.<\/li>
  33. Stuff is fun, but it\u2019s just stuff.<\/li>
  34. Learn how to do something really well that is not your work.<\/li>
  35. Sometimes pain is nothing more than a reminder that you\u2019re alive.<\/li>
  36. When given a choice, take happiness.<\/li>
  37. Apologize as needed.<\/li>
  38. Hug whenever possible.<\/li>
  39. When you\u2019re talking to someone from another culture and don\u2019t understand them, chances are they don\u2019t understand you either.<\/li>
  40. Success cannot be sustained simply by doing what made you successful.<\/li>
  41. Yes, young people don\u2019t know what you know, but neither do you see as wide a horizon they do.<\/li>
  42. Inexperience is a teaching opportunity.<\/li>
  43. If you have more than you need, start giving.<\/li>
  44. After a conversation with someone, if you don\u2019t know more about that person that when you started then you didn\u2019t ask enough questions.<\/li>
  45. Why is more important to understanding than who, what, when, or where.<\/li>
  46. Eat food that seems weird to you. At least once.<\/li>
  47. It is not necessary to like everything \u2013 books, music, food, whatever. Not everything is for everybody.<\/li>
  48. A good sunrise can erase a night of bad dreams.<\/li>
  49. Stretch.<\/li>
  50. If you mother\u2019s alive, call her often. She won\u2019t always be there.<\/li>
  51. Take nothing for granted.<\/li>
  52. No one likes a complainer. If you need help, ask. Otherwise, work the problem.<\/li>
  53. A smile is the best greeting.<\/li>
  54. Please will open almost any door; thank you will keep it open.<\/li>
  55. Try before you buy.<\/li>
  56. Everyone is dealing with something you know nothing about.<\/li>
  57. Kindness multiplies.<\/li>
  58. Aging requires you to ignore your body most of the time, except when its most critical. Learn how to tell the difference.<\/li>
  59. When you\u2019re young, take chances; when you\u2019re older, use the lessons learned from those chances.<\/li>
  60. Don\u2019t assume that everyone \u2013 or even anyone \u2013 thinks like you.<\/li>
  61. Learn the names of as many plants and animals as you can. You\u2019ll feel smarter when you\u2019re outdoors.<\/li>
  62. Have a bad habit that doesn\u2019t hurt anyone else (mine are tortilla chips).<\/li>
  63. Words have consequences. Choose with care.<\/li>
  64. Children believe what adults tell them. Honor their innocence.<\/li>
  65. What happened yesterday does not have to happen again today. Change is both possible and inevitable.<\/li>
  66. Listen more.<\/li>
  67. You have no control over what other people do \u2013 even if those things make you feel terrible. Your only choice is to do things that make you feel good.<\/li>
  68. Having money is better than not having money, but sometimes the greatest rewards come from doing something for free.<\/li>
  69. Look out the window each morning. What you see might be your last day alive. Then get going.<\/li>
  70. Tell someone you love them every day.<\/li>
  71. Say something nice to everyone you meet. Small talk produces big rewards.<\/li>
  72. Be grateful you\u2019re here \u2013 at any age. So many aren\u2019t.<\/li>
  73. Don\u2019t look back. It\u2019s what ahead that matters.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Today is my birthday. I am almost a quarter of the way into this new century after having been alive for more than half of the latter one. A recent podcast tipped me to a list of gained wisdoms compiled … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[816,814,815],"class_list":["post-2083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","tag-advice","tag-birthday","tag-wisdom"],"yoast_head":"\nBirthday Advice - Tim Porter's Second Draft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seventy-three things I've learned in as many years of life, a birthday list of small wisdoms gleaned over the years, from a photographer and journalist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.timporter.com\/seconddraft\/?p=2083\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Birthday Advice - 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