Jewish Values Online - The Wisdom of a 41 Year-Old Jew

How much better is it to acquire wisdom than gold! And to acquire understanding is preferable to silver.
- Mishlei (Proverbs) 16:16

Ya know how “Old” and “Wise” usually go together?

Well, 40 was me playing “old” but 41? 41 is just old. So since I’m over the hill, let me share with you some wisdom I’ve acquired in my long life.

Jokes aside, there are some things life has taught me, which I feel very fortunate to have learned. And then there are other things I wish I would never have had the opportunity to learn.

Some thoughts for you to ponder:

**Nice is underrated.**

The return on investment on “Nice” is higher than most people realize. Try it. It yields miraculous results.

**Be a stage giver.**

Give others a stage (In Hebrew, !תפרגן). As the owner of the stage you just created, you end up standing right alongside the person you just decided to place there.

**Don’t ask, just do. Don’t promise, just deliver.**

Words are cheap, because their supply far exceeds their demand. Read that again.

**Share your knowledge, transfer your expertise.**

The days of keeping your wisdom close so no one steals it are over. If you didn’t share your wisdom and knowledge, in today’s world, you might as well not possess it in the first place.

**Feelings are your best friend.**

Feeling emotion, like letting yourself feel emotion, for some it’s incredibly challenging but it is to the soul what CrossFit is to the body.

**Life is not zero sum.**

To help others achieve greatness, you don’t have to sacrifice anything at all. If done right, life is one big win win situation. Help others win and you end up winning yourself.

**Wild dreams aren’t so wild anymore.**

As for living life to the fullest, if my career has taught me anything, it’s that the unattainable, the impossible, is now fully achievable. Figure out what you love and own it.

None of this makes any sense, but it all happened and if it happened to me, no reason it can’t happen to you. Meanwhile I’ll just keep playing along until everyone else realizes how none of it makes sense.

For now, I’ll enjoy the ride. So should you.

Now pardon me while I go replace my dentures. 😂

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