Introspection

I’m a pretty introverted guy, which means I think a lot about things. This page has things I’ve learned, picked up, or noticed throughout my life that I live by.

Lifestyle

  • Smile as much as possible, even if it hurts to (aka look at the bright side of things, or make suitable, acceptable jokes in certain situations)
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help or ask questions
  • Be skeptical (well, of course not TOO skeptical: “IS THIS REALLY FOOD YOU’RE GIVING ME?!”)
  • Religion, appearance, economic standing, etc. aside, people are human beings. There is no superiority or inferiority
  • Do what you say; don’t think you can be a leader if you can’t do the work you’re delegating to others
  • Cherish your family as much as possible
  • Try to carry some water or food/snacks with you wherever you go (e.g. if you’re trapped in the subway for more than 10 hours for some reason)
  • Whipping out your smartphone and neglecting whoever you’re physically with is rude; texts/emails can (usually) wait
  • Don’t just ask things from others; ask: “What can you do for me?” and “What can I do for you?”
  • Create your own sleeping schedule; if you’re most productive late at night, there’s nothing wrong with staying up late (unless you have a 9-5 job)
  • Positivity breeds creativity
  • It’s okay to be somewhat narcissistic. It’s important to have a positive self-image and self-confidence.
  • Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself; do something about it.
  • Try to exercise as much as possible (or at least do a couple of routine exercises before you shower; I do ~50 for both pushups and situps)
  • Drink a glass of water before you sleep (or two glasses if you want a “natural alarm clock” to go off)
  • Get yourself a hobby (chess, piano, violin, swimming)
  • Read the newspaper regularly; know what’s going on in the world (Fox News/CNN excluded)
  • Be humble. Seek to surprise others.
  • Be smart enough to know that you don’ t know everything
  • If you’ve had too much to drink, make sure you drink as much water as possible before passing out
  • When running, keep an eye out for any tripping hazards
  • Take care of your teeth (brush regularly, don’t chip your tooth/teeth doing stupid stunts in a swimming pool)
  • Try to train yourself to realize and stop yourself when you’re slacking (I would say that I’m not a genius, I just know when I’m slacking; I find the easiest way to stop is to just open Word or PowerPoint, or even close my Internet browser completely)
  • Try to keep an eye out for disclaimers/warning labels. They were created for a reason (someone likely tried something stupid in the past)

Friendship

  • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • At the same time, don’t think you can live a happy life without any friends
  • With friends, quality matters, not quantity. Friendship is not a popularity contest
  • You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so choose wisely

Washroom

  • It’s always safer to leave the toilet seat down (personal experience)
  • Put the shower head up once you’re done with it, otherwise it’d be hanging upside down and more likely to get clogged up
  • If you have a pimple, try putting some toothpaste on it overnight (let it dry before you sleep).

School

  • Don’t aim for the minimum passing grade; aim for as high as possible (without burning yourself out)
  • What you get at the end of school (high school or university) is mainly a piece of paper with marks you can’t change afterward (so make sure you try to do well but also have a social life as well)
  • Buying used books has its perks; you can usually ask for study notes along with the book
  • In general, try not to let people leech notes off of you (“Hey, I missed class, can you send me your notes?”)
  • On the flipside, try to be as independent as possible
  • First impressions are important, so try to talk to as many people in the first class (especially if there’s groupwork in the course)
  • Walk into tests and exams confident, no matter how little studying you did
  • Chew gum (if allowed) during tests/exams
  • Don’t waste time on a hard question; skip it and return to it after doing other questions
  • Try to talk to your professor after class or ask them questions. Main thing: put a face to a name.

Love

  • Love can blind people; if you notice your friends don’t like to hang around you and your partner you shouldn’t be ignoring this
  • If in the early stages, look at how your interest interacts with their friends and family
  • If your partner is abusive or borderline psychotic, there’s always a way out. Don’t be afraid to confide in your close friends and get support
  • It’s almost impossible to not notice someone’s appearance, but you should always look beyond that (true beauty is within)

Technology

  • Backup your most important data regularly (e.g. school files, photos). To know what is essential, just imagine your hard drive just crashed: what will you likely miss?
  • Don’t feel you need to share EVERYTHING on social networking sites; each post you make adds to your digital footprint, which is very hard to remove off of the Internet