
What I Learned This Year - phil_KartMe
http://gigaom.com/2008/12/27/what-i-learned-this-year/
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bootload
_"... After a 40-Dunhills-a-day-habit for nearly 20 years, I stopped smoking
..."_

Best advice.

 _"... Before I got sick, it was hard for me not to interfere in every single
decision that was made here at GigaOM ... When I returned, I had to choose to
let go ..."_

Second bit is subtle. By letting go you decrease your stress. I like Om for
his different take on technology. Here's for his recovery & better health.

~~~
vaksel
he smoked 40 cigarettes a day? How can people abuse themselves that much? He
is lucky he only had a heart attack, unlike cancer, at least it's not
permanent(as long as you don't die)

~~~
skmurphy
Heart attacks often kill heart muscle which has permanent effects. Nicotine
boosts dopamine levels in the brain within minutes, the negative effects take
longer to manifest.

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jmtame
"When faced with a binary choice — live or die — I made the following
upgrades..."

I find it fascinating that death is one of the biggest agents of change that
we know of.

~~~
gcheong
I find it fascinating that people need to come so close to death, sometimes
repeatedly, before they decide to make important changes.

~~~
jmtame
I think it's easy for people to grow complacent with their habits and lives.
You never know what you're missing until it's gone, or so the saying goes.

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juliend2
I think that this kind of post here is good. I mean, this community may have a
really positive effect on each one of us (maybe a tiny influence, but still)
because of this kind of post. It gives me some examples to follow. And for
that, reading HN is a good thing.

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anewaccountname
>Caffeine, sugar, salt and all unhealthy foods are now banished from my diet.

I hope he meant "unhealthy levels of salt" and not just "salt".

~~~
jmtame
Same for caffeine... most things in moderation aren't bad (alcohol, caffeine,
sex, reckless driving, and salt).

~~~
kragen
Yes, but you can survive without alcohol, caffeine, sex, and reckless driving.
Without salt you die, painfully and fairly soon.

~~~
silentbicycle
True, but depending on what you eat, it's quite possible to already get most
of the salt you need. (Though, he did say he'll be going to the gym every day,
so his salt needs might be higher.)

~~~
kragen
I think that was what "anewaccountname" was quibbling about. It's pretty
difficult to not get enough salt unless you're fasting or in a hot climate.

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flyhighplato
I'm a bit sick of lists of advice on blogs. I wish this trend would stop.

Also, and I mean this as politely as possible, the advice is pretty obvious in
this case. Nothing really controversial here to make me think.

~~~
bootload
_"... I'm a bit sick of lists of advice on blogs. I wish this trend would stop
.. the advice is pretty obvious in this case. Nothing really controversial
here to make me think ..."_

The cynicism can be well founded. The smoking reference is an example. But
there is also a subtle message for those that look. You can improve your lot
through small changes, mainly through perception. For instance, by micro
management Om was probably being overly stressed. By letting go, he has
reduced the stress. This slight change in perception of leadership just might
him run his business a bit better. His change in perception about exercise -
even a small one, might let Om live a bit longer, better.

