My top tip for being successful in life comes down to two things.

First, make yourself happy. Nobody else is going to do that shit for you. That’s one of the biggest lies people buy into. They spend years waiting for more money, a better job, a bigger house, a newer car, or some magical life event that’s supposed to make everything better. Then they finally get it and realize they’re still the same miserable bastard they were before. Money helps. Anybody who says it doesn’t is full of shit. Being broke sucks. But after the bills are paid, happiness is still your responsibility. If you’re sitting around waiting for someone else to make your life better, you’re going to be waiting a long damn time.

The second thing came from an old guy I met years ago. He told me, “Learn all you can about everything… never tell anyone you know it.” At the time I thought he was just another old dude handing out weird life advice. Turns out he was a genius. The second people find out you know how to do something, they immediately stop learning how to do it themselves. Know computers? Every broken laptop within a fifty-mile radius somehow becomes your problem. Know how to fix cars? Guess who’s getting a phone call on Saturday morning. Know technology? Congratulations. You’re now unpaid tech support for every person who ignored every instruction you’ve ever given them.

That’s why I tell people to learn everything they can. Learn how things work. Learn how to fix shit. Learn how to solve your own problems. Do it for yourself. Not for them. Most people aren’t interested in learning anything. They just want somebody else to do the work. The world is full of people looking for the nearest volunteer, and somehow that volunteer is always the person who knows what they’re doing. Funny how that works.

So that’s my advice. Make yourself happy and learn everything you can. The first one keeps you sane. The second one keeps you independent. Everything else is mostly bullshit sold by people trying to separate you from your money. Half the “experts” on the internet couldn’t find their own ass with both hands and a flashlight, but they’re happy to tell you how to live. I’ll pass.