Life Advice | 4-28-25

A quick intro

I try to be conscious of how little I really know about the real world. I definitely still have a lot to learn, but I hope that anyone who comes across this little digital diary can derive some meaningful benefit from it. Therefore, I will be sharing what little I know to see if anyone can find a small blessing in it :) I’m aiming this post specifically at younger people because I know that when I was younger, I would’ve loved advice on what direction to take my life in and what steps to take to maximize my opportunities in the future.

1. Play a Sport!

Honestly so proud of my parents for putting me on this one early. Although I picked up a pretty weird one (squash), I tried out a bunch of other sports beforehand, which really set me up well for good exercise habits and social skills. Even if you’re not athletic as a kid, I recommend trying stuff out and developing some fine motor skills in a sport, without putting much pressure on the raw athletic ability: That stuff comes in pretty well as you grow. Speed, strength, and agility can all definitely be trained. Having a solid technical foundation in really any sport from an early age is an unbelievable gift when you start to hit growth spurts. Sports can also set you up really well for relationships with your peers, especially if you play sports at school and/or on club teams. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is to have a wide community of like-minded athletes who you share the best and worst experiences with.

Sports are also extremely helpful for college admissions! Since I’m gearing this post towards younger kids, I hope that any readers have a decent amount of time to progress in a sport before college. Sports can get you noticed by colleges and really expand your opportunities. However, I’d definitely advise against relying solely on sports for admissions, because study skills and academic excellence are helpful no matter what your career path post-graduation. Also, you need to make sure you prioritize good conduct and sportsmanship. This is important on a moral level first and foremost, but also because if you are a potential recruit, you have to project good character and behavior.

2. Read Books

Books are basically a massive cheat code. Whenver you’re bored or really feel like you have nothing to do, reading a book is 100% the best option, second only rarely to exercise. Reading books exponentially improves your knowledge and the amount of facts that you can draw on in any situation. They also teach you to think, an extremely valuable skill in modern society. Books don’t get as much attention these days with screens overtaking their role in children’s lives. However, I cannot overstate the benefits of being well-read, especially in classic books as well as nonfiction. They nurture creativity, curiosity, and good mental habits. Also, not least importantly, fiction books tend to relay subliminal moral messaging to young children, teaching you how to be a good person in the process.

In life going forward, being well read can assist you in so many ways. I never had to study SAT vocabulary questions because I was highly confident in my acquired vocab from books I had read, and my ability to infer from context clues. Being able to succeed in SAT English was certainly a plus in my book! Also, being able to effectively communicate is an absolute must for any position of power or sought-after job. The reason that successful people are able to acquire these opportunities is their superior ability to communicate their ideas and their motivations. Books help you develop this skill, and are definitely worth the investment of time because of it.

Reading doesn’t have to be an all or nothing activity. I’ve definitely had to scale down the magnitude of reading time I’ve been able to fit in my schedule. It’s nothing to be ashamed of: anything is better than nothing at all.

3. Treat Everyone as Your Equal

This is a variation on the classic Golden Rule. Don’t treat anyone worse than you would like to be treated, because everyone is equally deserving of happiness and kindness from other people. No one is on a lower level than you because of their “social status” or their friend group. Most of all, no one is more or less deserving because of your perception of their intelligence.

Now to the hot take. As a kid, it sometimes feels like you should aim to be nice to everyone. But sometimes, it also feels as if some people don’t deserve your kindness. I’m here to tell you that’s perfectly fine. If someone doesn’t respect your time, your effort, your happiness, your personal space, or your identity, then you have every right to disengage. Completely ignore them. If you react, that’s warranted as well, but try to be the bigger person and just ice them out. If someone believes that they’re better than you, you should have absolutely zero tolerance for it.

Treat everyone as if they’re exactly on your level, nothing more. Treat them with complete respect, but nothing remotely resembling fanatacism. Obviously, there are exceptions in the workplace or in deference to elderly members of society, so don’t take this advice too far. I’ve just found that this trick helps with anyone your age or similar status, because it weeds out people that don’t have your best interests at heart and self selects for people with strong moral fiber. It’s also a great general rule for treating other people with respect, regardless of any societal circumstances they may find themselves in. You are not better than anyone else, and no one else is better than you.

To Be Continued

I definitely have more little lifehacks to share, but these are the broadest-ranging tips that can help you live a more fulfilling life going forward. I hope that most of these are pretty obvious, and shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, but I also hope that my individual take on each of them gave you a little bit of insight. Life hacks are never simple. They require effort, but when applied correctly, they can give you huge benefit. That’s how I choose to interpret the term “Life Hack”: Not easy, but simple and replicable. The power of compound interest personified in pithy recommendations.

-Luke