Let me tell you a secret.
Ten years ago, I was an idiot. I drank beers like a 7 Series BMW gasoline to impress people who didn’t care about me. I learned cheesy pick-up lines to get girls — “Hey, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” I had no idea about how life works, yet felt like Genghis Khan himself.
I was an idiot — but I didn’t know it back then.
Today, I’ve understood it. Ten years from now, I’ll probably look back and again say, “Damn, I was stupid!” The funny thing?
“I’ve had great success being a total idiot.”
??? Jerry Lewis, successful American comedian, actor, singer, and filmmaker
Life unfolds in chapters and phases. What seems like a great idea now might be a terrible one in hindsight. But you only realize this once you’ve leveled up.
This means two things.
- It’s okay to have been dumb in the past. It shows you’ve developed far enough to realize your mistakes. It’s a good thing.
- The faster you can become a “past moron,” the faster you grow. You’ll increase the quality of your life every time you enter a new stage.
Being an idiot in the past means you’ve leveled up.
Here’s how you can keep doing that.
Do something you’ve never done before
You learn with new input.
It’s easy to get stuck in your habitual ways because “never change a running system.” Granted, not everything new will also feel good or bring you success. Sometimes, you’ll just get your Schlong stuck in a toaster. But you will learn — about the world, life, and yourself.