What i learned from Albert Einstein?

1. FOLLOW YOUR HOBBIES

What is your hobby? What are you most curious about? Reading was my greatest hobby, and I’m ever hungry for knowledge. Eventually, this hobby became a career that enabled me to get paid while learning, and even made me a name. Follow your hobbies, and the talents you brought to this world; even if you are unaware of them for now, they will be awakened, and you will succeed!

2. PERSEVERANCE IS INVALUABLE

Are you patient enough to go to the end? Postal stamps are said valuable, because they stick to the envelope until they reach to their destination. Be like a postal stamp, and finish what you start. And always remember: it’s not how you start, but how you finish!

3. FOCUS ON TODAY

You can’t ride two horses at the same time. You can do some things, but if you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing. Focus on now, and give your whole attention and energy to what you do at the moment. If you can do that, you can do everything you want… in turn.

4. IMAGINATION GIVES STRENGTH

Your imagination determines your future. Einstein says, “The real measure of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” Use your imagination, and build it like a muscle. Without imagination, you can’t even know what you want to succeed at.

5. MAKE MISTAKES

Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Yes, you may get harmed, or lose some things when you make mistakes. And yes, sometimes you can make fool of yourself, perhaps in front of others. Just be confident of yourself, and even laugh at your own mistakes; but most importantly, learn from your mistakes. Nobody can do something right at first try. Even God made a mistake when He created man, so He created woman at second try, and succeeded. J

6. LIVE AT THE MOMENT

The only way to shape your future is to live at the moment as much and productively as possible. You can’t take yesterday back, and you can’t jump forward in time. The only time that matters is now. If you can learn how to harness the power of now, as Eckhart Tolle emphasizes, you can create a future as in your dreams.

7. ADD AND CREATE VALUE

Of course, at the beginning of my career, I couldn’t earn so much of a penny for a very long time. People used to tell me I was fighting against windmills, and that it would be better if I find a regular job with salary, translating books in my spare time. Frankly, it would divide my time, energy, and resources, so I don’t think I would be so successful. Furthermore, probably I would get in comfort zone due to little money I earned as salary, and I would give up of translating books. But following my dream enabled me to create hundreds of books that people who don’t know English could read, and eventually, name and quality brought the income. When you do something real good – and you do good when you’re in love with something, as I was in love with books – it turns into gold inevitably. Money doesn’t bring success, but success brings money.

8. DON’T EXPECT DIFFERENT RESULTS DOING THE SAME THING

Four plus four always equals eight. It’s always same. But when you multiply instead of adding, it equals twice of it. As long as you follow the same routine everyday, your life will be same until the last day. If you want to change your life, change yourself first. Your entire world changes when you change.

9. THE MOST VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM EXPERIENCE

There is a joke in Turkish literature. The great folkloric Nasreddin Hodja, famous with his quick wits, falls from the roof of his house. While writhing in pain on the ground, villagers gather around him to help, and some of them suggest about calling the village physician. Hodja turns to them through his pain, and scolds them: “To hell with the physician! Bring me someone who has fallen from a roof!” You can discuss or read about something, but it gains you only a philosophical understanding. If you really want to know something, you have to experience it. The best way to learn something is doing it.

10. LEARN THE RULES SO THAT YOU PLAY BETTER

You have to learn the rules when you do something. Every area in life has its own rules, key players, teams, trend setters, etc. Therefore, when you plan to start something new, you have to learn what is what and who is who. Observe the key players! Duplicate their tactics! As you gain more experience, try new things. As blogging master friend John Paul Aguiar says: “Test! Test! Test!” Observe to learn the rules, duplicate to gain experience, test new tactics to refine your own identity and style!

Selim Yeniçeri