Manifesto 2020

• Never fall into the psychological comfort of the "bad employee mindset" (i.e. when something's not working: find solutions instead of using brain power to point out who is guilty or how you are not guilty). Even if you are an employee, building these mental patterns will f**k up your brain. No matter who you work with, keep a clean mindset. If people around you have a different mindset, get out.
• You will not complain / not criticize instead you will: suggest viable actionable alternatives / stfu / change subjects
  • When a political / societal subject comes up you will refrain from explaining your view, instead you will ask questions / change to subjects that are fun. Political subjects are sexy because, nobody knows enough, so you can maintain a conversation thinking that you know what you are talking about, and secondly, politics look like they have so much impact on our lives, yet how convenient that you cannot be blamed.
  • When something is not functioning properly at work, you will not imply the culprit, instead you will present a neutral workable solution. There will be times when you will be at fault, and all the bad things said will bite you.
• When in social gatherings, you want to be the fun, not the bummer who brings up all these insubstantial subjects about how the world maybe operates, and most likely doesn't.
  • If the person cares about these subjects, they will bring them up themselves. If they are not ridiculously rich, they probably don't know what they are talking about, like yourself, so just change subjects or at worst, if they're really into it layout a plan to change things, with pen paper and calendar. You will realize that probably changing subjects was not such a bad idea after all, or you will be able to quickly test the practical utility of your theories.
  • Most people don't care, and we all want to have a fun time, not try to solve geopolitical issues without substance. There are specialized groups that talk these subjects in depth and with data, join one if you are so interested.
  • Political subjects are often an excuse to talk when you don't know how to do light fun smalltalk or how to connect by talking about feelings or experiences.
• When you are bored at a social gathering, find out alternative plans to make it fun or leave. You don't want to end up at the Goldwin point again.
• Don't go to social gatherings where you know you will not find what you want. Or think of something you could extract before going there; so you have no excuse to be bored and bring up Goldwin. Uncertainty could bring something good but it is too uncertain to wait for it. You will end up frustrated. So go do what you want directly.
• Turn your negative mindset into positive before anything else. You are negative because you are either missing something you want or just by default. So go find that something (layout an actionable plan and do it) or switch to positive because it is a bad default. If it is something you don't like about yourself, change it, and if you cannot change it, depict a world where what you don't like is either not so important relative to the qualities you have, or even becomes a quality. You can also change your expectations about yourself. Or just suicide, but don't be negative.
• When you feel down because something is missing in your life, layout a plan: actions that can bring about what you want. Don't rationalize to keep yourself from doing the things you should be doing and get you out of your comfort zone.
• If nobody respects you, you better try to understand why that is, and stand up for yourself. Many times you hang out with people that probably don't have your values, and therefore they cannot respect what you respect. So just find like-minded "friends". Remember the fable from La Fontaine: "the clay and the iron flower pots". The clay pot wants to befriend the iron pot because he is strong, but in their bumpy journey the iron pot resists everything whereas the clay pot just shatters. If all you ever find are bad friends, ask yourself whether you are at fault. Ask the people who criticize you, what their motivations are. Maybe they resent you for an attitude you are having that you do not realise. If you are not used to set boundaries because everyone in your childhood has been too nice with you, you better learn to set them fast.
• Don't be scared to be humiliated. Using the shady street to avoid suffering will give you lots of regrets when you grow older. If something will likely get you humiliated it was worth doing. People forget, and specifically don't care about you so the humiliation will pass. You will feel proud to have overcome your fears and you will develop self-confidence.
• You will keep finishing things you start.
• You will find partners in crime. Being alone is bad for you.
• You will figure out a way to test the theories that you research or disregard them when they are untestable.
• You will lower your standards. No, not this year, maybe next. But this year you will live up to your standards.
• Politics? Again? If you really want to talk about politics, only engage in conversations with people who are willing to adopt a defamation like framework: for every "fact" that one puts forward, they have to be willing to pay a "fine" if it turns out to be false. Non falsifiable statements are forbidden.

Summary

1. Change yourself, others won't change.
2. People will blame you for their own problems, don't take it personally, but "destroy" them when they openly do, not because you dislike them, but because it's essential to contain the chaos.
3. Social gatherings are made to have fun, work is boring enough, so avoid cerebral talks at all cost (specially those based on unverifiable data).
4. Be positive, today you are healthier than you will ever be.
5. Be brave, regrets will eat you alive and they come from inaction due to fears. You will never have today back.
6. Nobody is that strong, mostly appearance. One's strength is the best clue into their weaknesses. Acknowledge that there are very skilled people out there, they can help you, and eat you.
7. Get your share of the cake. (They spend on propaganda, because their power is only within our imagination.)