9 Commandments

1. You don’t have to dream

Unlike how Muricans (Americans) cry on their reality TV shows about how it is their dream and sell you sob stories, I would suggest it is okay to not have a dream. And, if your dream is big enough to be a life-long effort it will give you something to do with your time, but by the time you reach it, you’ll be almost dead so it won’t matter.
Rather be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you… you never know where you might end up. Just be aware that the next worthy pursuit will probably appear in your periphery.

2. Don’t seek happiness

Happiness is like an orgasm, if you think about it too much it’ll go away. Keep busy and aim to make someone else happy, and you might find you get some as a side effect.

3. Remember, it’s all Luck.

It is all LUCK! There's no God or a special plan for you. Against the impossible odds, you manage to exist on this eventful planet. Whether you were born rich or poor, what you do with it will allow you to define it as luck.
Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your successes, nor truly blame others for their failures will humble you and make you more compassionate.
Empathy is intuitive but is also something you can work on, intellectually.

4. Exercise.

Play a sport, do yoga, pump iron, run… whatever… but take care of your body. You’re going to need it. Most of us are going to live to be nearly a hundred and even the poorest of us will achieve a level of wealth that most humans throughout history could not have dreamed of. And the only thing that will drag you far with some enjoyment is your body.

5. Be Hard on Your Opinions.

A famous bon mot asserts that opinions are like arse-holes, in that everyone has one but I would add that opinions differ significantly from arse-holes, in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined.
We must think critically, and not just about the ideas of others. Be hard on your beliefs. Take them out onto the verandah and beat them with a bat.
Be intellectually rigorous. Identify your biases, your prejudices, your privilege, your blind spots. Improve and expose yourself, be vulnerable even if it is very hard.

6. Be a teacher.

Please be a teacher. Teachers are the most admirable and important people in the world. Share your ideas. Don’t take for granted your education. Rejoice in what you learn, and spread it. Learn about as many things you like, that is the ultimate joy. Learn more about sex if you like wanking or fucking for fucks sake.

7. Define yourself by what you love.

I see it all the time online, people whose idea of being part of a subculture is to hate Coldplay (I do this too) or football or feminists or some political party. Try to also express your passion for things you love. It is not always ideal and super hard to practice but try yea? Give it a go whenever you can.

8. Respect People With Less Power Than You.

I have, in the past, made important decisions about people I work with, whom I sleep with, have relationships with. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful cat in the room, I will judge you on how you treat the least powerful. So there. I don't give two shits about how or what you think of me.

9. Don’t Rush.

You don’t need to already know what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. Most people who were sure of their career path at 20 are having midlife crises now.
You will soon be dead. Life will sometimes seem long and tough and, god, it’s tiring. And you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad. And then you’ll be old. And then you’ll be dead.
There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence, and that is: fill it. Not fillet. Fill. It.

FILL IT!