Here are the life lessons I wish I could pass down to my younger self 10 years ago:
It will work out if you don’t give up. It probably won’t happen the way you imagine it, but it will happen if you don’t quit. And honestly, it will be better than what you had planned.
Commitment is just caring enough about the thing, the person, or the project to not quit. Yes, there will be times of inaction. Rest and creating space are essential to continue working toward bigger goals. It makes the journey more sustainable because you can’t sprint for 50 years.
Protect your mind. Getting a concussion over a year ago changed my life. I’ve been working my tail off to get back to where I was, and in certain aspects, I’ve surpassed where I was. It just looks different now. My mind doesn’t operate from the exact same perspective it did last year.
From 22 to 27, life will kick the crap out of you with your partner going through cancer. Understand that there is no perfect way to deal with this; there is no manual or guide provided. Do the best you can, and know that you did the best you could.
In the moment, it will feel like you are making so many mistakes, and you will beat yourself up. Don’t. You did your best with what you had, and know that Jen appreciated you for it. Remember that you are a good person, because you’ll forget that sometimes simply because you couldn’t heal her.
Rest, rest, rest. I can’t emphasize the importance of it enough. I used to see rest as being lazy because I lived in a culture of “hustle,” but my most life-changing ideas and actions came from the space of doing nothing.
Doing nothing for extended periods of time (which is what I use my monthly 7-day digital detox for) has led to the most productive weeks of my life when it comes to ideas, self-discovery, and self-growth.
Working harder will only get you so far, and it will get you sick at some point. Eventually, you have to learn to work smarter.
Prioritize relationships. I’ve seen too many rich people on their second or third marriage. Money, freedom, and free time don’t matter if you don’t get to share them with the people you love. Always choose people over everything.
Take care of your body. Training like an athlete is cool, rewarding, and good for the ego at times. BUT if you don’t stretch, prioritize mobility, focus on recovery, and take time to heal from injuries, you’ll end up like me at 33 with knee and body pains you shouldn’t have at this age. That is the reality of training like an athlete for 20 straight years.
Learn to sit down. Your inability to sit still and do nothing is what causes stress, reactive decisions, saying things you don’t mean, and making you work harder than you have to. Learning to sit still for hours on end staring at nature changed my life and my mind.
Pursue all the goals that you want because you will learn so much from each of them. It will build a strong mind and give you cross-skills and insights that apply to new goals in the future. As Steve Jobs said, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking backward.
Lastly, understand that everyone is just figuring this out. We live in a world with so many new technologies, so much new information, and access to more knowledge than ever before. Everyone has the ability to reach thousands or millions of people online to document their journey, lessons, and beliefs. What someone currently holds as true is just true for them right now, and it might change in 10 years as they evolve through life. Take things with a grain of salt, check in with your gut, and learn to make your own decisions.
Hope this speaks to someone who needed to hear it today.
Maxime Sigouin
Ps. I wrote this right before going on my social media detox that I do on the first seven days of every month, so look forward to reading your comments and replies when I get back online ❤️
So much good insight and always helpful to be reminded of it. Thanks Maxime 🙏🥰
Awesome text 🥰