10 practical answers to 10 powerful questions

10 practical answers to 10 powerful questions10 practical answers to 10 powerful questionsThe other day I received an email from a reader with 10 questions she wanted me to answer. No introduction. No small talk.Just a list of questions and Thanks for your time at the bottom.Naturally, my first response was, What?But as I read the questions more carefully, I thought, I can turn this into an article. I was truly impressed by the quality of the questions of my reader, Mary.So I wrote back to thank her for the inspiration. Here are my answers1. Whats the one quality that everyone must have?Persistence, perseverance, determination, grit - call it whatever you want.For centuries, humans have discoveredthatsthe one quality that separates people who get what they want from the people who dont.Im leid even talking about becoming successful. For example, the Stoics strived for achieving tranquility - not financial success or recognition.But living a tranquil life is hard. And it takes a lot of hard work to achieve a state of tranquility. You see, persistence is what makes that possible.When you give up without a good reason, youll never know how your lifecouldend up.2. Whats the one book you suggest everyone read?Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoyevsky.Ive often recommendedMans Search For Meaningby Viktor Frankl,The Story Of My Lifeby Helen Keller, orOn The Shortness Of Lifeby Seneca, but these books have already received enough attention in this space.The reason I mention Crime and Punishment is that its a book about thinking. Sure, its a novel, and its about murder. But the book goes so deep that you cant help but get touched by Dostoyevskys writing.This book needs to be read consecutively. Preferably, you want to read it for at least two hours a day. And dont read anything else during the time you read this book. Youll never forget the period that you were reading it.3. Whats one powerful piece of advice for living a fulfilling life?Get clear on what you want.Peo ple who always hesitate, cant make up their mind, and who are all over the place, will be left behind.Decide what you want. And be firm with your execution. Dont deviate from the path. For nothing and no one. If others cant accept that, they are not the right people in your life.4. Whats one piece of important financial advice?Donttryto make money.Thats because of a well-known paradoxHe who tries too hard will fail.When you try hard to make money, youll become unethical and focus on the wrong things. When you focus on providing genuine value, you will be rewarded for your help.But remember that youneedmoney to eat and grow. Dont act like a charity.5. Whats one skill that everyone must have?Writing.Not because we write so many texts, emails, and messages. No, writing is thinking.So when you become a better writer, youll also become a better thinker.How does one become a better writer? By writing more.6. Whats one thing that you regret starting late or wished you started earlier?Inves ting.Im not talking about stocksor real estate. Im talking about adopting the mindset of an investor.I never thought of everything you do in life as investing. Working out, reading, taking classes, spending time with people who matter to you- its all investing because these activities have a return.Buying a fancy car, going to restaurants multiple times a week, mindless online shopping - these are things that have little to no return.7. Whats one thing you learned the hard way?Doing something is different than reading about it.Sometimes you read about something that sounds nice. Starting a business, moving to a specific country, working remotely, etc.I always read and heard stories about how great it is to live inLondon. Then, I actually did it. And then, I found that many people in the city struggled to pay rent, started relationships only because they could save on their living expenses, and kept doing useless shit so they didnt feel depressed.Of course, this is not true for ever yone in big cities. But its the way many people my age live. And thats something none of them will admit.8. Whats one thing that should never be forgotten?Youre never alone.Life gets hard sometimes. And for some of us, our natural instinct is to solve everything by ourselves.Dont do that. No one in the history of mankind became happy or successful without help. Realize that youre not alone.Seek out people who share the samevaluesas you. Become friends. They will help you when the time is right. And vice versa.9. Whats one thing we must not think twice on spending?This is obvious, but my answer is books.A few years ago, I acted like a cheapskate when it came to books.I remember picking upAntifragileby Nassim Taleb in a bookstore once. I decided I couldnt spend 10 bucks on that book. I probably went to a Starbucks after that to drop $5 on a fancy drink.Anyway, I recently bought Antifragile. It made a big impact on my thinking.I was an idiot for not buying/reading that book earlier. Do yourself a favor,if you see a book thatmighthelp you- buy it.10. Whats your definition of life in 50 words?No one knows what they are doing.Thats life in 7 words. And its something I truly believe in. Its what keeps me sane.In the past, I always believed that everybody had it more figured out than me. But it turns out that no one has definite answers to the biggest challenges in life.Why are we here? Whats the meaning of life? What should you do?No one knows. We can all guess And thats what a lot of people do. Im the same. However, we must know that everyone you see around you is no different from you.That means were all the same. Weretryingto figure things out. Thats precisely what this article was about.Thisarticlefirst appeared onDarius Foroux.