[HN Gopher] The days are long but the decades are short (2015)
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       The days are long but the decades are short (2015)
        
       Author : dbrereton
       Score  : 53 points
       Date   : 2023-04-19 21:12 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (blog.samaltman.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (blog.samaltman.com)
        
       | dahwolf wrote:
       | It's like combining the advise of Schwarzenegger, Dr Phil, Yoda,
       | a random tech bro's substack, life-hack Youtube stars, and more.
       | 
       | None of the advise is incorrect of course, it's just that the sum
       | is unattainable and at times contradicting. It basically says:
       | here's 20 balls. Now juggle them up in the air, don't let any of
       | them drop.
       | 
       | That being said, your 20s are special. It's indeed the decade
       | where you have the most energy versus the least responsibilities.
       | Don't take your 20s in slow or tame mode.
        
         | woodruffw wrote:
         | As another commenter points out: the advice is not
         | contradictory _only if you're stinking rich_ , as the people
         | who tend to write these posts tend to be.
        
       | aschearer wrote:
       | And sometimes the days are short, too.
       | 
       | Nice list, though. Happy birthday and good luck on your journey,
       | Sam.
        
       | mdriley wrote:
       | (2015)
        
         | dang wrote:
         | Added. Thanks!
        
       | fnordpiglet wrote:
       | 37. When doing non profit work, always be ready to take the
       | profit.
        
         | rvz wrote:
         | 38. After selling and hyping the poison (ChatGPT), also sell
         | its antidote (WorldCoin).
        
       | koolba wrote:
       | > Summers are the best.
       | 
       | If you take nothing else from this repost, let this really sink
       | in.
       | 
       | And for those of us in the northern hemisphere, you should have a
       | plan by this point in the year for your work life to truly enjoy
       | it when it arrives.
        
       | garbagecoder wrote:
       | 0. Thirty is too young to give life advice.
        
         | MattRix wrote:
         | Clearly it isn't, since this is a good list.
        
           | notch898c wrote:
           | It's a good list for under 30s probably. Taking care of
           | demanding and constantly shifting needs of young children
           | easily bombs half this list.
        
         | burcs wrote:
         | This is a bad take. It's like paying people based on years of
         | experience vs. talent and output.
        
       | weekendvampire wrote:
       | I'm always surprised by how often advice from extremely
       | successful people tends to repeat itself, which tells me that
       | there really is no "secret" to making it and living a great life
       | that I don't already know.
        
         | zamfi wrote:
         | Yes, implementing this kind of advice is much harder than
         | merely reading it.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | quickthrower2 wrote:
       | All the timescales are short for me: seconds, minutes, hours,
       | days, months, years, decades.
       | 
       | I am not joking. Now going to the gym is 'easier' vs 20 years
       | ago, because an hour at the gym doesn't seem like much time.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | jeron wrote:
       | fun fact, this saturday is Sam's birthday
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | angarg12 wrote:
       | On 5): The most transformative step in my journey up the class
       | ladder was when money stopped being a source of problems and
       | instead became a way to solve problems.
        
         | dionidium wrote:
         | Sam Altman went to a high school that costs $32,800 per year.
         | His "journey up the class ladder" started on a rung where money
         | isn't an issue.
         | 
         | https://www.jburroughs.org/admissions/tuition-affordability
        
         | aziaziazi wrote:
         | Also on 5)
         | 
         | > Whether or not money can buy happiness, it can buy freedom
         | 
         | This is true _outside_ of your work but not so much during it:
         | 
         | - when you makes lots of money you feel less free to resign
         | than for a shitty interchangeable job. It's even more true as
         | the shitty job has less chance to be intellectually interesting
         | 
         | - building your own business usually means you're even less
         | free mentally as you got more responsibilities
         | 
         | - if you're got employee it's even worse : you've got more
         | legal obligations and probably moral implications.
         | 
         | Money can buy a lots of thinks but certainly not freedom.
        
         | SoftTalker wrote:
         | I have plenty of money (relatively speaking, I don't make FAANG
         | money but I don't worry about paying the rent or saving for a
         | rainy day). I have real trouble spending it though. It almost
         | causes me physical pain to spend money on something I don't
         | regard as essential. I don't like to travel, or eat expensive
         | meals, or go to movies, concerts, shows, etc because I hate to
         | spend the money on it. Don't know what the root of that is, but
         | it bothers other people more than it bothers me.
         | 
         | The hobbies I have are similarly frugal: fixing stuff,
         | repairing old cars, where I feel I've gained some value for the
         | time spent.
        
       | dang wrote:
       | Related:
       | 
       |  _The days are long but the decades are short (2015)_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26065466 - Feb 2021 (73
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _The days are long but the decades are short (2015)_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20903714 - Sept 2019 (33
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _The days are long but the decades are short - Sam Altman_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20668835 - Aug 2019 (1
       | comment)
       | 
       |  _Sam Altman: 36 Life Lessons I Learned Before the Age of 30_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9491492 - May 2015 (3
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _The days are long but the decades are short_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9454440 - April 2015 (387
       | comments)
        
       | block_dagger wrote:
       | Reminds me of Meditations, also an excellent read.
        
       | WakoMan12 wrote:
       | [dead]
        
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