<story><title>Ask HN: What do you wish you had known before you turned 40?</title><text>So I&amp;#x27;ve noticed a few posts over time where users have asked similiar questions but at younger age brackets (18, 20, 25 mainly).&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m slightly more interested in further down the road. I know HNs user base might be skewed to the younger crowd but I&amp;#x27;m sure there are a number of 40+ year olds who can impart their wisdom.&lt;p&gt;Thanks.</text></story><parent_chain><item><author>lkesteloot</author><text>Practice is the key to getting better at everything. Ignore the concept of innate talent or gift. People who are good are good because they spent a lot of time practicing.&lt;p&gt;People who practice a lot usually do so because they’re interested in it. It’s not hard or homework for them. If there’s a gift, it’s the gift of interest.&lt;p&gt;Artists copy a lot. They don’t come up with stuff clear out of their heads. They look at a lot of things, keep a lot of references, and blend ideas together.&lt;p&gt;Most people who are famous are so not because they’re good, but because they’ve worked hard to become famous. It was important to them, so they did what it took to become famous. Being good at something is a small part of that, small enough that famous people aren’t usually all that good. Their time was better spent becoming famous. (This is the biggest lesson from this list. It basically implies that you can ignore people who have blogs and podcasts. Seek out the unknown experts in your field.)&lt;p&gt;Don’t make decisions based on money. Don’t stay at a job because the shares might be worth something, or because the company might get acquired. These things rarely happen and you can’t get your time back.&lt;p&gt;Everyone is totally winging it all the time. Confident people are just better at hiding it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>AndrewKemendo</author><text>&lt;i&gt;Everyone is totally winging it all the time. Confident people are just better at hiding it.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t think people really understand how true this is. I think we all might feel it, but to really believe that [insert name] doesn&amp;#x27;t really know what is going on is a revelation.&lt;p&gt;To wit, whenever given the opportunity to talk with someone who is or was in a large powerful role (Fmr Undersecretary of the Navy two weeks ago for example) I always ask them how confident they were, that what they were doing was the right choice, or how much they felt in control of a particular action&amp;#x2F;decision.&lt;p&gt;Across the board they all say they feel like they have very little control and are just doing the best with what they have.</text></comment>
<story><title>Ask HN: What do you wish you had known before you turned 40?</title><text>So I&amp;#x27;ve noticed a few posts over time where users have asked similiar questions but at younger age brackets (18, 20, 25 mainly).&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m slightly more interested in further down the road. I know HNs user base might be skewed to the younger crowd but I&amp;#x27;m sure there are a number of 40+ year olds who can impart their wisdom.&lt;p&gt;Thanks.</text></story><parent_chain><item><author>lkesteloot</author><text>Practice is the key to getting better at everything. Ignore the concept of innate talent or gift. People who are good are good because they spent a lot of time practicing.&lt;p&gt;People who practice a lot usually do so because they’re interested in it. It’s not hard or homework for them. If there’s a gift, it’s the gift of interest.&lt;p&gt;Artists copy a lot. They don’t come up with stuff clear out of their heads. They look at a lot of things, keep a lot of references, and blend ideas together.&lt;p&gt;Most people who are famous are so not because they’re good, but because they’ve worked hard to become famous. It was important to them, so they did what it took to become famous. Being good at something is a small part of that, small enough that famous people aren’t usually all that good. Their time was better spent becoming famous. (This is the biggest lesson from this list. It basically implies that you can ignore people who have blogs and podcasts. Seek out the unknown experts in your field.)&lt;p&gt;Don’t make decisions based on money. Don’t stay at a job because the shares might be worth something, or because the company might get acquired. These things rarely happen and you can’t get your time back.&lt;p&gt;Everyone is totally winging it all the time. Confident people are just better at hiding it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>mortenjorck</author><text>My favorite example of someone gradually working their way from rank amateur to accomplished professional through sheer volume of dedicated practice has to be the cartoonist Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade. Over the span of about ten years, you see his art style transform from what would pass for an average college newspaper comic into the richly expressive vision of a master illustrator.</text></comment>