The List of Life

Development, and the people who can ensure this development, thus pushing humanity forward, moving towards achieving a higher level. Not everyone is capable of this mission, of course, and unfortunately, we are already knee-deep in genetic or intellectual rejects who stand in the way of this development, are unsuitable, or simply do not possess the capabilities that would meet even the most basic expectations of evolution.

We are all stamps, with ink inside us, and it is up to us what kind of imprint we leave behind with our deeds and work, which posterity will interpret, and upon which the future generation can build. Now we are the new ones, now we interpret the imprints of our past, because we need guidance, a higher power, role models, leaders designated by ourselves.

The imprint, in this case, is a list that we are currently writing, and which was left to us by people who achieved something lasting in their lives, thus their names could survive even after their death. Epoch-making geniuses, artists, creative minds, out-of-the-box thinkers, true individuals who always did everything differently from others, but agreed on one thing: that there is a list, the points of which everyone must go through if they truly want to achieve something in life. However, this list in itself is worth nothing; no one has become someone, or even very average, just by reading it once, just as no one has lost weight by reading a diet plan. This list must be lived, and then perhaps, but only perhaps, we can accomplish something great, if we have the strength, the ability, if we believe in ourselves, if we have the pride and the desire to create. This list is a foundation, to which I have added my own thoughts, relying on my experiences.

THE LIST

1. Make a list of your plans, but only write down the milestones that truly matter. You don't need your insignificant, crappy plans to travel somewhere, buy those shoes, hope for a promotion, or drink red wine at sunset. These don't matter, nobody gives a shit, especially life, and you shouldn't care whether you earn 140 or 180 thousand. You won't be happier with 180, nor with 350. It's not the money in your pocket that matters, but the money in your pocket while you are your own master. You don't need petty goals and the sum of things that can be bought with money, because everything that can be bought can only be achieved if you fight for intangible values. No one is to blame if they are born poor. But they are to blame if they die poor.

2. It doesn't matter what you have achieved or how far you have come. You can never lean back. You can be proud, but never satisfied. Your present can only be part of a process, nothing more, your momentary successes can only be insignificant stations compared to the big picture, and never the ultimate goal. Now I could say that you should always have a plan B, but plan B is nothing more than giving up on A, which can never be an alternative. There is no plan B, no need for the donkey, there is no alternative, only the one thing you truly love and in which you want to realize yourself. Plan B is accepting your failure. Rather die on top of the mountain than stop halfway and turn back.

3. Think differently, this is the most important thing. Never follow trends, and never try to copy anything or anyone exactly. Transform it, shape it in your own image, infuse it with your individuality, add something extra that is uniquely you, so it will become yours. Think differently, always think about what you are currently doing and how to develop it. If a good idea comes to mind, write it down, because you will forget it, and once you have written it down, make it happen at all costs.

4. Even if your body in its material reality is not, your thoughts should always be free. Reject nothing, and let your spirit soar freely. Let your imagination run wild, and dare to stand up for what you believe in, but never defend it unprincipledly. Dare to take risks in writing, don't be afraid to say anything with words, take responsibility for yourself, and take responsibility for what you represent. Don't be a boring asshole, don't try to please everyone; let them please you. Be free.

5. Open up to another world. What you are in now is okay, we've seen it, you've been stagnating in it for a while. The people around you, your workplace you go to every day, the places you love, but there would be a few more alternatives, a few foreign cultures you should see, if only for comparison points. Oh, you don't have money for that... Do you understand what I was talking about when I wrote about being free living as your own master? You have to get to foreign lands, because the truth often changes due to distance.

6. Never listen to those who wish you ill. How many times have you heard those voices telling you that you can't do it, your ideas are unrealistic, you will fail because no one has ever succeeded, why should you? But don't let that bother you. Do it, and damn it, be the best at it, be the first. No one ever remembers the second, no one is interested in the defeated. You will never be first if you only want to get on the podium, and you can never be the best if you don't want to break down walls to move forward. Don't listen to those who say it can't be done or it's not possible. Block out negative thoughts, and don't dwell on bullshit. Don't stress yourself over what you can't change. You have to exclude all negativity, otherwise it will consume you alive. The world was built solely by positive and creative thoughts. Hatred only destroys, negative people destroy, let them live on ruins, and let them shoot themselves in the head in peace.

7. Take a break. Truly great things cannot be built continuously. If you create something great, it will evoke extremely strong emotions in both you and others, which cannot be sustained continuously. Break down, if necessary, a thousand times, fall apart completely hundreds of times, so that later you can build soaring, with overwhelming energy. At such times, you must have such strength that you sweep away everyone who tries to stand in your way. This will not work if you operate on a low setting, with continuous monotonous work. You will not accomplish great things if your actions do not evoke emotions, especially not from yourself. Only the heart drives everything forward, overwhelming energy provides the momentum and true substance.

8. Free yourself, always strive for independence. If you recognize within yourself the ability to create anything you are good at, break away from everyone. If you are good enough, you can stand on your own, you don't need anyone. This is obviously the harder path, but this list is not about nobodies wallowing in crap.

9. Learn from those who have already achieved something. Listen to them and pay attention to them.

10. Find your partner, that one person. Life won't work alone, or if it does, it's not worth continuing. You need a partner. That part of your life that is not about your work, and who complements you. You're not building for yourself, but creating the conditions for your descendants to achieve more than you.

11. Don't be afraid of failure. Everything I started in life always seemed like I would fail, it wouldn't work out, and my ill-wishers wanted to see my downfall. You can't always win, you have to accept that, but don't be afraid to make decisions and take action. You can't be scared of fear or failure, otherwise you will never give it your all and never achieve anything. If you give it your all because you believe in yourself and your goals, and you know it's the right thing to do, then success will come, so never be afraid of failures, because through them you can truly appreciate your successes.

12. Don't give up. But you will. Let's not deceive anyone, you will give up. The question is whether you will try again, or simply thank the opportunity and accept that this is all you have in you. Many people are like this, there's no problem with that, but at least don't deceive yourself further. Accept that you are not special, there is nothing extra in you, nothing that would distinguish you from anyone else.

13. Everything is relative, I know that well. We always find bigger turds than us, looking at whom we might feel we are more, or more successful. But this is not the feeling of victory, but the triumph of our failure. If you don't measure yourself against successful people and don't try to reach them, and then later achieve more than those who have already done more than you, then you will never achieve anything. This is why we need role models, not deterrent examples, so you know you haven't gotten anywhere yet.

14. Take risks. Without it, it won't work. If you don't want to lose, if you play it safe, if you only guard that little you have, you won't have more than what you don't have anyway, and even sadder, you'll eventually lose that too. You don't have to be afraid of losing everything, because compared to what you could have, or what you could achieve, you don't have anything now anyway. Let's say you used to earn 100 thousand forints. Now you earn 200. Compared to that, how much do you value the 100 now? And how much did you value it when you earned that much? How much is 200 thousand worth now, and how much will it mean to you in a few years when you have 500? For some, 100 thousand is salvation, but what is worth nothing to others shouldn't be good enough for you. Take risks, you have nothing to lose.

15. Break the rules. Not the laws, but the rules, and tear down the barriers. It's impossible to be original or to walk your own path if you live your life by following rules and behaving well. You have to step out of the box and think differently, otherwise you won't stand out from the crowd, you won't achieve anything outstanding, only as much as everyone else is capable of. What's the point of living on this earth if all you want is to be like others and avoid problems, conflicts? The only way to ever achieve anything is to break down our limitations and cross our boundaries.

16. Don't force it. Some things won't work. Not even if you kill yourself trying, if you fail a thousand times and then get up another thousand times. There's a big difference between fighting and stupidity. A lot of things won't work. But not because you're not capable of it, but because you simply need to approach it differently, or you're not ready to do it yet. Evaluate the situation, see what you need to do to succeed, and try again.

17. Don't follow the beaten path, because perhaps there is currently no path leading to your goals and dreams. These paths are bordered by walls built around us by society and rules. If there's no suitable path for you, then tear down the damn walls and drill one for yourself. Of course, no one will like this, and they'll bother you about the debris, but just do it if you need to, and suddenly you'll find that people are following you.

18. Screw social conventions. Don't care what people say about you, or what they think is right. Enjoy yourself. Embrace who you are, so you won't waste unnecessary energy trying to present yourself as someone you're not. No one can ever tell you how to live, but if you mess up your life, then don't be surprised if you're confronted with your mistakes daily. Do what you want, how and when you want, but for that, you need to be independent and deliver. You have to put something on the table so you can do anything afterward. You need a stable foundation, a background that legitimizes your thoughts, no matter how extreme they may be.

And finally.

19. Always know where you came from. Whatever you achieve in life, never forget who was by your side when you were nothing. They are your friends, before whom you must remain who you were, and on whom you can always count. There must be a part of your life that is not about your work. If you are successful, you had to achieve it somehow, you had to get there. The path leading there shows exactly who remained by your side and who were those who could not tolerate your progress. Life is a continuous culling, but you need to know, and you will know, who you can count on. Value them, because it's useless to have achieved everything if you have no one to share it with, and those people are not by your side who love you for who you are, not for what you have achieved.