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Ask HN: Turning 40. 50+, what would you tell a 40+ you?

12 points by maheshs ↗ HN
Want to know what 50+ would advise to 40 to stay relevant and beat autism and grow further.

You can suggest Books, ritual, habit, mindset, skills etc

My little background - I am turning 40 and working as engineering manager in Indian IT company. I also code in python and .NET.

4 comments

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rman666
You are young and your best years lie ahead of you! (I’m 55 and I know this is true!)
zoggenhoff
My free advice is : Pack your parachute before you need it - at least two years income saved to call yourself "financially secure".

Contentment is important. Figure it out.

Learn at least weekly. Better daily. Not just monthly or yearly.

zapperdapper
I could probably write a book on this subject!

In interest of keeping things short though I would just say this:

1) You are young, so young. You are much younger than you think you are. When you hit 56 like me you'll realize that.

2) Keep a positive, problem-solver mindset. In the words (roughly) of Henry Ford "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't".

3) Go for a walk daily (30 to 60 minutes) and get 8 hours sleep a night - not negotiable.

4) Keep reading, keep learning.

5) Travel. Pick somewhere that will surprise you and try and live there for a while. I lived in Thailand in 2003 and it changed my life.

6) Worry less. You won't get out alive anyway.

7) Stay frugal (read Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin).

8) Watch "The Sunscreen Song - 10 Year Tribute (Everybody's Free)" on YouTube! Great advice!

In many respects my 40s were the best years of my life. Good luck!