You are the star of your own movie, it’s as important as that of the billionaire and the celebrity, just don’t expect anybody else to watch it or care about it.

Social media is where you connect and share with your friends, if you’re doing it to brag and establish a career, you’re doing it wrong.

Friends are everything. Build your crew. Share your ideas. Laugh. If your buds are unsatisfying, feel free to bring in new blood, or to graduate all together. But accolades without a posse to enjoy them are worthless.

Money is irrelevant. Not if you don’t have enough, then that’s unfortunate and it’s all you can think about. But if you can pay for food, health and shelter, don’t nickel and dime, at the end of your life you’ll realize it’s just not worth it. Give a few extra percentage points as a tip. Lend money and don’t ask for it back. Pay the fee to put your bag underneath the plane as opposed to schlepping it on board. Being cheap only hurts yourself.

You’re your own hero. The truth is everybody else is just as clueless as you. Don’t look up to anyone else, just build your confidence, and know that everybody’s unsure of the path.

Having said that, everyone has expertise in different areas, it’s the nature of life. You’ll find if you share your dilemmas with others they’ll have loads of insight and will help you navigate what you find so challenging.

Your experience is all that matters, and when you’re gone it evaporates with you.

The government can’t protect you from the scam. Maybe after the fact it can help you claw some money back, but the truth is deception and even fraud are the cornerstones of even the biggest businesses. Just try to cancel a service… It’s nearly impossible. Better yet, try to renegotiate your cable bill. You’ll spend hours on the phone and only few will get a great deal. Buying a car has been democratized by the internet, but signing up, canceling and adjusting your cable bill is akin to the wild west.

Don’t let the testosterone get you. Feel free to say no to the group. Get guys together and one will propose the outrageous and the others will be afraid to be labeled wimps and will go along with what might be dangerous. It takes a lot to say no, but if your insides tell you to, do so.

And just because your fellow travelers in estrogen tell you you’re beautiful and rally around you when your romantic life is challenged, don’t think they’ve got accurate insight into guys. Sure, there are cads, players and manipulators, never mind those who don’t follow through. But the truth is most men are clueless and moldable. If there’s a spark, feel free to text and call them, you’re in the driver’s seat…unless you place all your faith in testosterone and go where your man goes, but that might leave you in a bad place, just like the guys above.

Buy something if you’re gonna use it, don’t buy it to show it off. The truth is no one cares.

Tell your story. Women are good at this, men are bad at this, fearful of appearing weak. But once you tell somebody the way that you feel…you’ve got the opportunity for them to respond in a warm, understanding way and you’ll feel connected, which is the ultimate desire of all people on this planet.

Life is a hassle. You’ll lose and be hurt and despite having plenty of people to blame, you won’t get compensation, or if you do it won’t make up for your loss. Accept this. Plans will get broken, as will you. You can stay at home and never go out or you can enter the world and have unexpected, great experiences, but you’ll be exposed to greater danger. Life is a risk. If you’re playing it safe, it’s pretty damn boring.

Work is about fulfillment more than money. Don’t envy those who don’t work, they’re empty and unsatisfied at the core. Try to have a job you love, but don’t assume just because you’re passionate about it you’ll get rich. But it’s okay to have a mediocre job to support your hobbies. Just don’t have a mediocre job and a mediocre life.

Change happens. The journey to the other side will be painful. But you’ll always end up in a better spot, as long as you can let go of the past.

Don’t be vindictive. Don’t try to get even. No one is keeping score and the longer you try to settle scores the more time you’re losing in life.

Relationships are not about love but commitment, never forget it.

Divorce may be necessary, but it will haunt you forever.

Children center your life, they give you something to live for, they give you purpose. But don’t have them with someone who is unwilling to make themselves subservient to your progeny.

Most of what popular culture will tell you is important is not. Enjoy that movie, follow politics, but if you think it amounts to a hill of beans you’re too deep in the weeds. Records and movies come and go. Who is President will affect you, via Supreme Court decisions if nothing else, but what’s in the news every day is about selling advertising.

The older you get, the less you know. When someone is sure, they’re usually young or insecure.

He who is famous today is forgotten tomorrow. If you’re doing it to be remembered, you won’t.