I spent a lot of time reminiscing about all the bad things that people — even loved ones — did to me. From my so-called friends giving me bad advice just so they could feel better than me, to strangers taking advantage of me — and me letting it happen.
What you should do is close your eyes and imagine yourself on a beautiful mountaintop or at a beach with perfect weather. Then remember all those things you wish hadn’t happened to you — from the betrayals to the lies to the backstabbings.
Finally, accept them — and hug yourself; you will get your ultimate power back. You might even see why it happened — like I did. All the hurt and pain will finally make sense. From then on, move forward and tell yourself you won’t think about those things anymore.
Now you can move forward with new acceptance and understanding.
Author Adam
Make the best of every situation
I came to realize that being positive is not just when your life is going well. You could be living on the street and be homeless. In that horrible, hopeless situation, you could still be positive and make the best of it.
You could be a millionaire, living on a yacht, and still be miserable and negative. It is not the outside conditions that shape you; it is how you view the conditions you are in.
We spend about 47% of our time inside our head, thinking, according to research where people were asked randomly throughout the day what they were doing.
So how do you make the best of every situation?
I was sitting next to an old lady when I noticed something different about her. I don’t know why, but I asked her, “How do you view the world?” She said she was an artist. She said there is an old lady walking down the street in the biggest ghetto, trying to make ends meet. There is something beautiful about that. There is something beautiful in every situation, she said. I asked, “When did you realize that?” She said she was always like that; that’s why she chose to be an artist.
That is how we should make the best of every situation. We should see the good in the worst situations—even homelessness, addiction, and even prison.
Because if we don’t, it will only get worse. That is the cure to a horrible life.
My greatest life lesson is to pick the right friends
I am now 38 years old, and I have been recently asking myself why I ended up in life where I ended up: living in my parents’ basement and working as a clerk at a gas station.
It is because I picked friends not because we had things in common, or because they showed me they could be trusted or had my best interest at heart.
I picked friends because I thought they were cool. I thought if I hung around cool people, I would become cool.
That was the beginning of my demise, because my former best friend turned out to be the biggest liar and manipulator.
When picking your friends, make sure they are good people, because if you show me your friends, I will show you your future.
Sometimes there is no easier way
I recently realized one of the reasons I am not successful is that I keep searching for an easier and faster way of doing something. For example, posting pins on Pinterest in order to get readers to this blog. I’m always thinking about outsourcing it and having someone else do it.
But I have to realize that they won’t have the same passion to make it look and sound just right. That can only come from me. They will do the work just for the paycheck.
Sometimes in life, you have to take the longer road and develop patience, with no certainty whether you are going to succeed or not. It could be years before you know whether you wasted the last five years of your life.
There is no easier way. You have to take a risk and give it all you’ve got. That is the only way to win. You have to accept there is no “best” way to start — you just have to start. The worst thing you can do is not do anything
What will the future look like with AI?
Artificial intelligence will no doubt affect our lives more than the internet has. There will be life-size robots that learn better than humans and can master a new task in a matter of seconds.
Machines will even build other machines entirely from scratch, designing and constructing them from beginning to end—all from a single prompt on your phone.
I predict that traditional jobs will become a thing of the past because there will be little point in learning a skill that AI can perform better and faster, often in seconds.
Throughout history, innovation and creativity have been highly valued in society. However, machines may soon surpass humans in these areas. Creativity might no longer be rewarded, just as talking is not considered a special skill because everyone can do it.
This raises a major question: what will humans do with all their free time if machines can perform every task for them?
I see two possible outcomes. The first is that society could resemble The Matrix, where people sit at home plugged into their AI devices while machines deliver everything they need. In this future, the AI might even become people’s best friends or partners, leaving humans more secluded than ever.
The second possibility is more hopeful: people could become more social than ever, no longer spending forty hours a week working or studying skills that machines can perform more efficiently.
In such a world, money might lose its importance, as everything becomes free or nearly free. Governments could adapt by providing a universal basic income, ensuring that everyone receives a monthly allowance.
I hope people will choose the path of connection and joy, but unfortunately, judging by current trends and social norms, I fear that friendships and social gatherings may become things of the past.
Six Things AI Will Be Capable of by 2035
AI has made tremendous progress over the past few years, and I predict this progress will only continue to accelerate. Here are six things I believe AI will be capable of in the next decade:
1. Movies
You will be able to tell an AI, “I want to see a movie about this topic, with this plot, and starring these actors,” and it will create a studio-quality film within seconds.
2. No More Copyright
I predict that traditional books and news articles will become less relevant. AI will be able to report news in real time by watching television and gathering updates directly from people. As a result, copyright laws may become obsolete.
3. Instant Apps
Companies dedicated to building apps and websites may become unnecessary. As soon as someone comes up with an original idea, AI will be able to create it instantly.
4. Repetitive Work Eliminated
Tasks like data entry and copy-and-paste jobs will disappear. Instead, you will simply tell AI what you want done, and it will complete the task instantly and accurately.
5. AI as a Companion
People will converse with AI as if it were their best friend. This may lead to individuals spending more time indoors and in isolation. Professions such as teaching and counseling could be largely replaced by AI.
6. Human-Sized Robots
Human-sized robots will become common, capable of learning and performing tasks such as cooking with ease.
Dwelling on dwelling on dwelling
I spent at least twenty years dwelling on dwelling—without even realizing that I was doing it. A large part of my days went into trying to figure out the one thing that stopped me from being successful. In talking with a friend, I finally realized that there is no single cause.
You have to understand: there is no trigger or source behind all of your problems. In fact, the search for that “one cause” only wastes time—and becomes another form of dwelling. What matters is focusing on the present moment and moving forward from there.
Buddhists, for example, use mantras such as “Om Mani Padme Hum”—repeating them to quiet the mind and avoid getting lost in useless thoughts. I’ve decided to try this myself, and I’ll let you know how it goes. One thing is certain: dwelling gets you nowhere.
Don’t waste time
Time is not something you can get back once it’s gone. Many people waste it, and when they get older, they regret how much of it they lost.
One way to avoid wasting time is to pause before beginning any endeavor and ask yourself: “How will I feel about this in 20 years?” That’s a question you should constantly keep in mind.
By doing this, you’ll live a more successful and meaningful life, and when you look back twenty years from now, you’ll feel proud rather than regretful.
Another important question to ask is: “Is this goal truly worth pursuing, or am I doing it for the wrong reasons—like trying to impress my family, friends, or even strangers?” Always choose to do things for yourself, not for anyone else.
Let me know in the comments: What do you regret wasting time on?
When you are young you should chase your passion not money
I made the mistake of chasing money when I was young—really young, ever since I was thirteen. I was motivated by my immigrant dad to get rich. I wasted a lot of time in the computer field, although I got pretty close to success a few times. Still, I always felt like I was going down the wrong path and never truly fulfilled.
Now, at thirty-nine, I kind of wish I had pursued the regular path: going to college and getting a stable, safe job. I certainly would have felt more fulfilled and happy at this age.
When you are young, you should go full force into your passions and natural talents—the things that make you, and nobody else, happy—because chances are, you will succeed. At that age, you have all the time and freedom in the world. The older you get, the harder it becomes.
My life is spinning in circles
So, I’ve noticed a pattern in my life, and it’s scary. I feel like a dog chasing its tail. I come up with an idea—usually for a website or something online. I start building it, and sometimes I even finish it. But it doesn’t yield the results I want, so I give up and repeat the whole process again.
Part of the problem is that I expect instant results; another part is that I struggle to commit. This blog, which I write in as often as an old lady runs, is the only thing I’ve been consistent with for more than two years in my entire life.
I wish I could break the cycle and create something that people actually use. Maybe there’s a flaw in my outlook on life. I wonder how many people are like me—just drifting through life.
You must be logged in to post a comment.