stuff i’ve learned ~ these are patterns that i’ve observed in my thought processes, and things that i use when making choices. these might change, or stick. 

1. when facing difficult choices, minimizing regret is probably the only litmus test that has worked for me like 99% of the time :) a very simple statement, but an effective one. 

2.overintellectualizing + overthinking, more often than not, stunts progress. it’s better to run a bunch of trial experiments than commit to something big, but then never execute. in other words, staying in the “brainstorming mode” is dangerous. it’s really hard to get out of this mode though because school naturally enforces this brainstorming mode based on logic only. 

3. location matters a lot than i thought. there’s a natural serendipity that happens just by existing in a place, and the people you meet. 

4. i want to work on one big big problem when i’m young. risks are easier to take and right now, it’s probably going to be improving cities, but i want to explore options this summer (maybe improving education?)

5. a pretty effective question i like to ask myself to figure out if i genuinely like a topic: if i couldn’t tell anybody about what im working on, would i still do it? helps get rid of the noise (e.g. twitter lol) 

6. i used to look at negative emotions as solely bad experiences i should avoid, e.g. being angry/desperate/misunderstood were undesirable emotions. but i’ve learned that understanding that the emotions im feeling are all part of the human experience, which has made not-so-great times more bearable.

7. happiness is found more often in the small, daily, typical occurences (for me its eating eating kbbq lol) than big “achievements”

8. sleep matters (this took me 4 years of high school to internalize) a good start to every day is so key. 

9. bet on people, especially young people. it never hurts to help somebody out. 
   
10. i’ve learned to be very careful about the content i consume, the videos i watch, the stuff i read. it’s great to use technology to learn and consume, but it’s equally as easy for technology to create noise and clutter your mind. guarding your mental space impacts your subconscious, and where your mind goes to in free time.