Fortune Cookies

Life wisdom in bite-sized pieces. Some from actual fortune cookies, some from conversations, some from that moment at 3am when something finally clicks. These are the breadcrumbs I’m leaving for my kids—and anyone else who finds value in them.

Growing older is mandatory, growing up is not

Growing older is mandatory, but growing up is not. That’s not cute. That’s a warning. Growing older just means that time passed. Growing up is something else entirely. It’s when you stop playing. When curiosity gets traded for efficiency, when you label wonder as childish and then discard it. Most people don’t grow up. They give up and they label it maturity. But you don’t have to. You can get older, but still ask questions, still try things, still look a little ridiculous. So today, let the years do what they will do, but guard your wonder.

The best time to plant a tree was 100 years ago

The best time to plant a tree was a hundred years ago. But the second best time, that’s today. This isn’t about trees. It’s about that thing you’ve been putting off. The gym you should have started months ago, that habit you keep breaking. The project you’re convinced you’re already behind on. Guilt’s keeping you stuck in the past. But action only lives in the present. So start today. Not dramatically, not perfectly. Just start. Because in a year from now, you’re going to look back and be grateful for that moment that you finally started.

Cannibals prefer those without spines

Cannibals prefer those without spines. This is a little grim, but there’s a real truth here. When you don’t have a spine, when you say yes to everything, you go along with every request, every distraction, you’re going to get eaten alive. Not by cannibals, but by other people’s commitments. An essentialist knows this. Your spine, it’s your filter. It’s your courage to say no to all those things that don’t really matter. So today, stand up straight. Protect your time. Choose deliberately because when you live like an essentialist, the cannibals lose.

Failure is not disaster, it’s data

Failure is not disaster. It’s data. Look, we beat ourselves up so quickly when something doesn’t go the way we want. But failure, it’s not a verdict on who you are. It’s just data about what happened. It’s the universe saying, “Try a little different.” If you’re going to look at your failures without shame, you can use them. You can adjust. You can improve. They’re an opportunity. You can steer in a better direction next time. So, whatever went wrong today, don’t label it a disaster.

Grandfather dies, father dies, son dies

Grandfather dies, father dies, son dies. This sounds like the shittiest fortune cookie ever, but actually it’s the best. Imagine the alternative. I’m a father, and there’s no nightmare I can imagine that’s worse than burying my son. Sometimes what sounds grim is really the blessing of things happening in the right order. Remember, even if something seems sad, it might be the best possible outcome.

Success is falling down seven times and getting up eight

Success is falling down seven times and getting up eight. When you see success, it’s so easy to want that outcome, to be inspired, and just start. But soon enough, sometimes very soon, you fall down. And let’s say you don’t give up. You grit your teeth, brush yourself off, you stand up, and you fail again. Here’s the thing. When you do something hard, you will fail. And you’ll fail again and again and again. And then one day you won’t. And that’s what success is. So when you’re falling down, instead of dwelling on feeling like a failure, be grateful because every failure is just one step closer to success.

Your shoes feel uncomfortable until you meet the man with no feet

Your shoes feel uncomfortable until you meet the man with no feet. It’s life in a sentence, right? We’re quick to see every little problem, the pinch, the blister, the hassle, but we miss what we already have. When you’re struggling to feel grateful, imagine losing the thing you take for granted. Be it your health, your friends. But gratitude isn’t ignoring pain. It’s remembering what you still have.

You will rust out before you wear out

You are going to rust out before you wear out. What does this mean? So, if you’re from a state where it snows, you know they put salt on the roads and that salt, it rusts the car and eventually the whole body falls out. In human terms, you croak. So, that’s what it means to rust out. You’re done. People hold back. They think, “I’m too old. What if I get hurt?” But here’s the truth. It’s not enough time long before you rust away from doing too much. You still have to do it safely, but do it. Keep moving. Keep living.

Unrecorded

Fortune cookies waiting to be recorded

The life that you want is on the other side of the work you’re avoiding.

Make sure you’re playing the real game, not some more complicated game you’ve made up for yourself. — Lesley

If you watch MasterClass instead of doing the work, it becomes productive procrastination. If you watch it after or alongside real practice, it can be multiplicative.