This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 607. 20 Things That Will Matter A Lot Less To You In 20 Years Part 1 by MarkShurnoff of MarkAnAngel.com and I'm Justin Molick, your very own personal narrator. Welcome to the podcast where blogs are read to you so you can take a break from staring at a screen and it is with permission from the authors. Today's author being Mark of MarkAndAngel.
Today's post is on the longer side but one of their most popular articles so I wanted to share it with you. I'm going to break it up into two. I'll read the first half today and finish it up tomorrow. So let's hear part one as we optimize your life.
20 Things That Will Matter A Lot Less To You In 20 Years Part 1 by MarkShurnoff of MarkAndAngel.com Too often we let the little frustrations of each day blind us to the beauty in front of us. We get caught up in our own heads and literally don't know our lives to be any better than the few things that aren't going our way. We call people to complain or we spew out our gripes on social media. Life is so unfair we yell and everyone agrees and throws their two cents into the gossip pool.
Other times we talk a big talk about a lot of stuff that really doesn't matter that much. We scrutinize and dramatize the insignificant until we're blue in the face and then we sit back and scratch our heads and bewilderment of how unfulfilling life feels. But the older we grow, the quieter we become and the less pointless drama and chaos we engage in. Life humbles us gradually as we age.
We realize how much nonsense we've wasted time on. Truth be told, the afternoon always understands what the morning never even suspected. Here are some things we tend to expend lots of mental and physical energy on when we're younger that we eventually realize matter a lot less than we originally thought. Number one, the inevitable frustrations of an average day.
99.9% of what's stressing you out today won't matter a month from now. Sooner or later you will know this for certain, so just do your best to let go of the nonsense, stay positive and move forward with your life. Number two, the little failures you often feel self-conscious about. When you set goals and take calculated risks in life, you eventually learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail and both are equally important in the long run.
Number three, how quote unquote perfect everything could be or should be. Understanding the difference between reasonable striving and perfectionism is critical to letting go of fantasies and picking up your life. Perfectionism not only causes you unnecessary stress and anxiety from the superficial need to always get it right, it actually prevents you from getting anything worthwhile done at all. Number four, having complete confidence before taking the first step.
Confidence is at inner inertia that propels us to bypass our empty fears and self-doubts. On the road of life, we come to realize that we rarely have confidence when we begin anew, but as we move forward and tap into our inner and outer resources, our confidence gradually builds. A common mistake many young people make is wanting to feel confident before they start something, whether it's a new job, a new relationship, living in a new city, etc. But it doesn't happen like that.
You have to step out of your comfort zone and risk your pride to earn the reward of finding your confidence. Number five, the intricacies of what's in it for you. Time teaches us that we keep nothing in this life until we first give it away. This is true of knowledge, forgiveness, service, love, tolerance, acceptance and so forth.
You have to give to receive. Such a simple point, and yet it's so easy to forget that the giving of ourselves without a price tag has to come first. It's the giving that opens us up to grace. Number six, being an online-only activist for good causes.
Online is fine, but sooner or later you realize that if you truly want to make a difference, you have to walk the talk, too. So don't just rant online for a better world. Love your family. Be a good neighbor.
Practice kindness. Build bridges. Embody what you preach. Number seven, the pressure is on making a big difference all at once.
When we're young, it seems like faster is better, but in time we witness the power of slow and steady at work. We come to learn that no act of love, kindness, or generosity, no matter how small, is ever wasted. The fact that you can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another, smile at someone, receive a smile in return, is proof that you can make a big difference in life and business even if it can't be done all at once. Number eight, the temptation of quick fixes.
The older your eyes grow, the more clearly they can see through the smoke and mirrors of every quick fix. Anything worth achieving takes dedicated daily effort, period. Honestly, I used to believe that making wishes and saying prayers alone changed things, and now I know that wishes and prayers change us and we change things. All details aside, when it comes to making a substantial change in your life, building a business, earning a degree, fostering a new relationship, starting a family, becoming more mindful, or any other personal journey that takes time and commitment, one thing you have to ask yourself is, am I willing to spend a little time every day like many people won't?
So I can spend the better part of my life like many people can't? Think about that for a moment. We ultimately become what we repeatedly do. The acquisition of knowledge doesn't mean you're growing.
Growing happens when what you know changes how you live on a daily basis. Angelina and I build daily life-changing rituals with our students and the goals and growth module of getting back to happy. 9. Having a calendar jam-packed with exciting, elaborate plans.
Don't jam your life with plans. Leave space. Over time you'll learn that many great things have been unplanned and some big regrets happen by not reaching exactly what was planned. So keep your life ordered and your schedule under-booked.
Create a foundation with a soft place to land, a wide margin of error, and room to think and breathe every step of the way. 10. Being in constant control of everything. The older we get, the more we realize how little we actually control, and there's no good reason to hold yourself down with things you can't control.
Learn to trust a journey even when you do not understand it. Sometimes what you never wanted or expected turns out to be what you need. 11. Hear that in tomorrow's episode.
You just listened to part one of the post titled, 20 Things That Will Matter a Lot Less to You in 20 Years by Mark Scharnoff of markandangel.com. We'll hear the next 10 in tomorrow's episode. I'll leave it there. I hope you're having a great week.
Time is flying. It's going to be the weekend before you know it. Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow where we'll finish up this post and where you're optimal life awaits.