I humbly share five life lessons I learned from my parents:

1. Seek to understand why you might be wrong, not to prove why you might be right. You aren’t as smart as you think you are, so find mentors who are A) smarter & more experienced in life than you, and B) have your best interest in mind and no reason to misguide you; then, consider their counsel seriously no matter how difficult it is to hear.

2. Listen more than you speak, but when you do speak, make it coherent, considerate, and concise. Communication is a super power, so make sure you master it.

3. Don’t worry about your detractors; just keep doing what’s right, and time will just take care of them. Those detractors building their lives on negativity end up living on a depressing pile of anger, sadness, and jealousy.

4. Fix your life at home before you fix your life at work; the former is a prerequisite for the latter. Your life partner is the most important choice you will make, and the best predictor of your happiness with your life both at home and at work.

5. It’s not important how much natural intelligence, attractiveness, or physical prowess you were born with; you can’t change how you were born. What you can change and control is ensuring you make the most of those traits, working to improve them every day.