The Goal of This Post

This post is a synthesis from the book How to Live, by Derek Sivers, sharing bold, inspiring and conflicting ideas on how to live a meaningful life.

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1. Pursue Pain

• Everything good comes from some kind of pain.
• If you avoid pain, you avoid improvement. Improvement is transformation.
• How you face pain determines who you are.

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2. Do Whatever You Want Now

• The only real time is this moment. So live accordingly.
• You don’t need a schedule. Just pay attention to what excites you.
• You don’t need plans. Plans are just predictions about what you might want in the future.

Happiness is something to do, someone to love, and something to desire.

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3. Be a Famous Pioneer

• The power of the pioneer: to enable the impossible.
• To open a new world of possibility. To show others that they can do it too.
• Go to extremes. Show what can be done.

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4. Chase The Future

• Live in the world of tomorrow. That’s where life is made.
• Go where things are going. It’s the most exciting way to live.
• Ownership binds you to the past. Replace your personal daily routines.

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5. Value Only What Has Endured

• The longer something lasts, the longer it will probably last.
• Proven things are worth time and attention.
• Let the test of time filter everything. Value only what has endured.

Truly important things are quiet. Life is incredibly peaceful when you shut out the noise.

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6. Learn

• Learning is underrated.
• Don’t believe what you think. Have questions, not answers.
• Be surprised by something every day.
• Communicate knowledge to others to make sure you understand.

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7. Follow the Great Book

• You don’t lack direction. You have too many directions.
• Rules give you freedom from your desires.
• Discipline turns intentions into action.

Choose the pain of discipline, not the pain of regret.

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8. Laugh at Life

• Humor means using your mind beyond necessity, beyond reality, for both noticing and imagining.
• Humor shows internal control. To laugh at something is to be superior to it.
• Humor puts distance between an event and yourself. Comedy is tragedy plus time.

Humor is the spirit of life – a sign of a healthy, vibrant mind and soul.

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9. Prepare For The Worst

• The future will test your strength. Train your mind to be ready for whatever may come.
• Never worry. Just anticipate and prepare. Vividly imagine the worst scenarios until they feel real.
• Own as little as possible. Your biggest enemy is insatiability.
• Focus only on your thoughts and actions. Distinguish between what’s in your control and what isn’t.

Instead of changing the world, just change your reactions. Your goal is grateful indifference.

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All content credit goes to the author(s). I’ve shared the bits I’ve enjoyed the most and found most useful.

Cheers ’til next time! Saludos!
Alberto