If there’s one thing I learned over the last two years, it is that I have to live faster going forward as I’ve wasted two years of precious life under intense lockdowns. The world is full of uncertainty and often, we struggle to keep pace so we delay the decisions that we need to make due to fear and instead, waste our days away fretting about the past, anxious about the future while being indecisive on the present.

Living a faster life doesn’t mean being busy or overwhelming yourself with a lot of activities or partaking in vices. It is about living more adventurously, figuring out your priorities, those things that you’ve always wanted to do in your bucket list despite fears and have the courage to start executing on them instead of leaving it for one day. Some people also get confused thinking living slow as having a lot of spare time but those spare hours in the day can be quickly filled up with uneventful administrative tasks if you don’t intentionally fill them with meaningful, quality activities. At the end of the day, it’s all about the priorities that bring enjoyment and the pace of life that brings satisfaction.

Here are some key takeaways that illuminate me over conversations with friends in the past year:

1. If you love someone, let them know and just ask them out. There is no such thing as losing a friend, you will either keep or lose them regardless as interests ebb and flow over time. Time is limited but attention is scarce.
2. If you are unsure about someone, spend more time with them until you’re sure or no longer interested. Red flags are everywhere, trust your gut instinct but also be ready to go on an adventure.
3. If you are spending time with someone, make sure it’s going to be an interesting experience. It doesn’t need to be fancy but should be memorable and a positive one, else you might not ever see them again. Life is too short to spend time with people who don’t appreciate us.
4. If you think the (next) company you work for is a lottery winner (10-100x within 5-10 years), buy a lot of lottery tickets (equity) and don’t fret about the price (salary). Remember, you can always quit but don’t quit too early.
5. If you think you have potential but the environment you’re in is not conducive to your growth, move to a new place or find some new friends. Every year that goes by quickly compound into stagnation, which will make you doubt yourself and your abilities even more.
6. Ask thoughtful questions, share useful information and be specific with requests. In general, people are always happy to help but if you’re too cagey, provide generic information without contextualising it and seek open-ended support, it might not be worth the return on time for the other person.
7. Writing things down is a powerful act of committing to your priorities. Life seduces us with temptations that force us to make micro decisions every day. Only when we write things down can we analyse and find clarity in our own thought process.
8. Imposter syndrome is real, no one truly knows the answer to anything. Our role is to live up to the challenge, not questioning whether we deserve the privilege bestowed upon us.
9. Ignore the doubters and forget the naysayers. This group of people are never, ever helpful. They can pretend to be but if they are helpful, they have already done so. They are the friction and resistance in your quest of getting faster towards your vision.
10. Put your whole heart into it. Study it. Write and publish it. Talk about it. Tell people to share it. Rejection hurts. Failure hurts. Disappointment hurts. Letting go hurts. Starting over hurts. Don’t regret. Don’t doubt. Don’t hesitate. For god’s sake, just do it.

Travel, share and get on with making ideas happen in and wherever they need to grow. – Chris Doyle

Make it happen. Just do it.