[Prince of Persia]

(01-09-2016 03:47 PM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

(01-09-2016 02:37 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

When I tell people about my passion, they either laugh at me, pity me, or condescendingly wish me "good luck". Thank you for believing in me, it truly means a lot. And thanks for the advice regarding law. You've convinced me to utterly drop medicine. Fuck that...it's a great career, and if I wasn't so captivated by politics I'd certainly pursue it, but for me and my aspirations it's just a no-brainer to ditch it.

You're very welcome. Most people do not have a particularly finely tuned sense of how serious someone is in their intentions, so they take the conventional view that a high school student is not to be taken very seriously. And that is justified in most cases, but there can be exceptions. I felt from the tone and structure of your post that you are very serious, and are probably one of those men that have the politics bug in them from birth. Of course, that's not to say that you could never change your mind or become interested in something else (or that there would be any problem in your doing so); but I think that there is a very good likelihood that you will devote your life to politics just as you say.

My feeling is that you will take excellent care of all the academics and career prerequisites, so I would give you three main pieces of general advice on other matters:

1. Never neglect to take care of your body. If you want to be successful in the long term, a sound body will be just as important as a sound mind. Always find time to exercise, to spend time outdoors, to get some sun in the summer, no matter how much time your studies demand. And most importantly, don't subject yourself to excessive device stress from being always hunched over a smartphone, checking/using it at all times, absorbing blue light late in the evening etc. That is the bane of your generation, and it's terrible for your posture, testosterone levels, and long-term health and happiness.

If you are going to be a successful politician (and a happy man) you will need to have a strong masculine presence and that means good posture, a good stance and walk and general disposition. Spending all your time hunched over a smartphone and anxiously checking it and pinging it destroys these things. Always be mindful of this and you will be way ahead of your peers.

2. Seek out and maintain genuine and long-lasting friendships with other intelligent men. Don't view them purely instrumentally as "connections" or "networking" -- instead, cultivate them as serious and significant friendships. Few things will reward you more over time, both in your eventual political career, and your life in general.

3. Be careful in your choice of a female mate. This will likely not be relevant for a while, but few things can drag a man's promising career down more surely than an unsuitable wife. So when it comes time to choose one, choose wisely.

Thank you again, that is brilliant and universal advice. Appearance is key, but your inner health/happiness/emotions will manifest on the outside eventually (look at how haggard Hillary looks, for example lol) so you're spot on about cultivating visceral connections with people and not spending too much time on electronics. I am one of the very people I know who is not glued to their phone/social media all day long, and I'm glad. I guess I'm old fashioned, but there's nothing better than just grabbing lunch with someone, whether they're a friend or potential SO.

Also, the world would exponentially be a better place if every man was introduced to this forum. It is so hard to find a community of fellow men who are interested in bettering their lives, whether it be through education, occupation, meeting women, etc; everyone here seems thoughtful and intelligent.