All my life, people have assured me that hard work and a college education is the secret to success, that without it, I'd never amount to anything.
It's not that I didn't believe them; I just didn't care. I dropped out of college to pursue a life of retail splendor. Over the years I've wandered across the country, meeting new friends and forgetting the old ones. I abandoned all temporal connections in the mid nineties.
Life is good.
I am frequently told how disappointing my path is as observed from the outside. "You could be so much more!"
How could I be more than me? At least without some serious LSD…
Nonetheless, I am successful. I can't help it. Serendipity and I are more than friends; we're lovers. Take for instance my new occupation: Out of the blue I was offered a senior systems administration position. I have no experience whatsoever in systems administration. Hell, I didn't even apply for the position. Haha. Yet here I am. Thanks, baby.
But I'm not stingy. I'll share. Here is the secret to my success, but follow it at your own peril.
- Be a problem observer, not a problem solver.
- Do not set goals with deadlines.
- Investigate anything of interest.
- Don't worry about fitting in; the world is really an amorphous blob.
- Do not distinguish between extremes.
- Perspective is the most valuable kind of knowledge.
- Everything is replaceable.
- Take time to dream.
- Take time to love.
- Don't worry about death; there won't be a you left to notice.