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That discussion with Jamie reminds me of a little bit of advice I heard a few years ago: "Don't waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you." I get a lot less stressed from reading online comments after learning that.
People are selfish and self-centred and are damaged by thriftiness etc... Throw away the useless comments that come your way, even from well meaning people. You're living a life nobody else is living. Nobody's going to take time to learn about you. People don't even realise they're buying future experiences when they buy some item.
I have a similar more condensed saying for myself that I've picked up from the internet: "Don't argue with stupid people" or "Its pointless to argue with stupid people". This saying really has nothing to do with the person's intelligence but more about whether the subject is worth arguing about with that person, like Jamie described in his example. For me, its the quickest way to get myself to give up on an argument that I can see going nowhere or being unhelpful.
A friend once said that time will always move forward and you can either spend five years complaining about how it's too late to do something, or five years trying. I was told then when I was 35 and thought it was too late to go back to college and start a new career path. Five years later, I earned a Bachelors and a Masters, got an amazing internship, and an amazing career.
Reminds me of this old quote: "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." Mark Twain
As someone who desperately wants to make more of my life, I appreciate this. At 37 I feel as if I'm wasting my life - and talent - working a job I hate for a boss I can't stand..
Just remember, some people live to work, and others work to live. It's fine to be the latter, just don't get caught up in the hustle of the former if you are.
Find your passion, and figure out how to make a living doing it... I LOVE working with my hands and I enjoy math... so i became a prop maker... ignore money and pay attention to gratification... a happy life is a happy life, regardless of some number in a bank account
This video is something I definitely needed to hear. As a 19 year old freshman in university I feel like I must make every important decision and take every vital action right now or somehow my world will crumble. It’s important to take a step back and evaluate what is actually important and understand that there are countless opportunities throughout life to accomplish what you want.
The real world is like living in a pinball machine. A lot of lifes events happen in spite of all of the planning ahead that you may do, good and bad. I knew I wanted to make stuff from the time I was 17 but was forced to take jobs that had nothing to do with it. I took fine woodworking classes, eventually joined a carpernters union and was crushed when I learned it wasn't for me.. spent most of my 20's in logistics. Then found a job in logistics that offered me a ton of time on the job to think, and then the flexibility to work only when I wanted (basically one step from gig work) which opened the door the allow me to dedicate more and more time to what I wanted to do until I dropped my day job completely. Been self employed for 2 years now at age 31 and the gates to get there looked nothing like what I thought it would.
Indeed, the path is always changing and I think even our idea of what we “want” will change too. It’s important to drill down to the core of what drives you in your life ambitions rather than become rigidly attached to a certain idea. Keep moving forward and enjoy the procees
"at University when you finish your undergrad, you think you know everything. When you finish your masters, you think you know enough to know what you don't know. When you finish your PhD, you realise you really don't know anything. When you finish your postdoc, you realise nobody else does either."
'Let the world solve it later' has woked for me as well. I actually won a brand new power tool in a wager with a family member. We were installing a back (regular) door in my garage. Unfortunately it's an old house, and the door frames are just a tad nonstandard... eiher from warping over the decades, or employing less standardized sizing in that era (late 1940s) The door I bought was just very slightly too large in the X-axis. He felt that we could make the door fit by chiseling in the slots of the hinges a bit deeper. I said we shouldn't bother, because the door was too tight even before you factored in the hinges-- so we'd instead need to remove some material from the leading edge of the door. I couldn't convince him, so I capitulated and agreed to chisel the hinge slots. But only on the condition that if it didn't work, that HE purchased the belt sander we'd use to remove 1/16" from the door. He agreed... and I was right, and I still have the sander.
I just LOVE hearing about backstories of mythbusters with Jamie. I can picture everything so well with Adams descriptions ad my memories of that episode.
The serenity prayer is something I learned was a thing in my early 20s and it absolutely changed my attitude towards life. Not because it being a prayer, or any religion, just the words, the wisdom of it, really helped me have a better outlook on life and I'm way better off for it at 32 now.
I grew up hating math, and then I became an engineer anyway. I got really sick and couldn't do that anymore. I thought I had no artistic merit but now I'm a professional artist that works on major film productions. If you want to learn something it often just requires the willingness to try. You never know what you're capable of.
I have a degree in chemistry. I got laid off at age 50, and thanks to poor networking and social skilles (and the pandemic that followed) i couldn't get a job in that field. So i drove a big rig for 2.5 years, and atarted studying for Cisco networking. I ended up getting a job in chemistry nearly 4 years after my layoff. Do what you can, learn what you can, dont bring your work home, and learn to network. And enjoy life when and where you can.
The quote "time moves fast but there is more time than you think" has been something I have thought about for a while. No in those exact words nor as eloquent, but I remember looking back at college and thinking, man that went by fast, but when I stopped to actually think about it. No it did not, it may seem fast cause where I am now but at the time it was slow, long nights, early morning and the challenges I faced at the time felt impossible but what I learned be it in school or in life has helped me grow now. Man Adam, thanks you helped put an idea into words better than I ever possibly could
The comment about whether or not you need to solve the problem or let the world solve it for you hits home for me. As a physician I have spent the better part of my career trying to help other physicians with the business side of their practice and find that they tend to be unwelcoming to clearly good and practical advice. On many occasions I've had to let them see what their mistake is with their line of thinking to then come around the right way. You absolutely hit the nail on the head with your comment though. Thank you.
Been watching you since I was a teenager now 37. I have had some hard things I’ve dealt with over the past few years and your statement of “there is more time and space than you think” actually hit me on a deep personal level and made me have a chance in mindset for the better THANK YOU ADAM!!!
That last anecdote with Jamie really hits home for me. I sometimes forget that you can just skip the argument, frustration, isolation, etc and let things play out, even if you believe they will ultimately fail. Great relationship advice too! Just don't gloat to your partner about it (too much).
Mythbusters was my favorite show growing up. I would get up early on the weekend to watch reruns on discovery all day. It really fostered my desire to learn and grow. Watching your videos has been greatly nostalgic and just wonderful to remember all the good times on that show.
Thank you Adam, I really needed something like this as a lost twenty-something. Life seems so long and yet so short, a non-stop existential crisis, partially caused by asking myself constantly "What are you going to do to be happy AND successful?". I like that it's a normal phase that even someone I look up to such as yourself went through along with many others (:
Adam this has brought me a night of ease as 22 graduated but still hasn't chosen a 2nd or found the career I love it's same to say I always forget about time and how expirence naturally comes to with one's age I forget that I may not know what I want in 10 more years but I'll continually gravitate to where I can learn more. As some one that job hops I'm glad my variety of experience and expertise has landed me into a possible apprenticeship that I want. And even if I end up hating it hell I can always find something else and be thankful for the experience and my time to learning it. Really is no replacement for wisdom and experience
Hello sir. I have watched your podcast and every episode of mythbusters many times,loved it all. A great part of the show and podcast is you were never afraid to show your failures and how how you recovered from them. I earned my PhD in physics at a young age was able to advance in the military until the next thing I knew i was an intel officer. Not my 1st choice but adapted and never forgot the 1st law of physics"you will fail but the true test in life and physics is what will i do to learn from it". Once you stop learning you start dying,LIVE LONG AND PROSPER. Dr. Jansen
Watching you throughout the years, I loved the response and it felt 1 million % genuine and all. One of the reasons I love just watching and listening to you and still enjoying to this day. Thank you for being you and everything you do! 🍻🌎♥️🎶🕺
I deeply appreciate watching these videos and picking up such nuggets of wisdom as would fund a frontier town. You may not be able to tell younger Adam these things, but we kids who can hear them today are richer for the knowledge you share ❤
At 51, this resonates with me. Looking back and seeing how focused I was on one path, I didn't realize how many parallel or even less-than-parallel paths were open to me at those times! Now I've gotten into laser and CNC fun, taken up silversmithing, and learning new things for the sake of learning them!
As a 57 year old making a vocational change after 35 years in engineering, your question "do I have to solve this now, or will the world solve this for me later?" is a great strategic filter for making choices on where to invest your time and energy. I would add one other piece of advice for the younger me: "stay as financially independent as possible to allow yourself ability to choose the incrementally most rewarding creative opportunities at any time". We all have bills to pay, especially if one has dependents, but being careful with your financial commitments will allow you to take the opportunities you want, not the ones that you need.
Favorite video thus far, as it is so deeply appropriate for so many. My mom, with 5 kids, went to nursing school at age 43, after originally going to college for music, and she was an incredible nurse (she's retired now). I have a degree in English, half masters in poetry and library science, but now, at age 37, am finally learning to pick up what I laid down as a kid, and pursue biological sciences. There is SO much I have to catch up on, even though I've kept my toes in the science world, but holy fluff nugget, videos/speeches like this remind me that the risk is worth the effort. Thank you so much for your comments.
Great Jamie story, haha. That’s what I call a “tomorrow problem” in my field. And when I come up against resistance to something I have two ways of approaching it… asking “is it a one-way, or two-way door?” (The later being easy to undo), and asking myself “is this the hill I want to die on?” If someone is being particularly difficult. These get me by, a lot.
This might sound really weird, but thank you Adam for answering these sorts of questions. I lost my Dad when I was young and I acutely feel that lack of influence in my life, many of the peals of wisdom you come out with in these questions feel like a balm to that wound.
I loved this question, now i am a couple months from 50 & i have found myself thinking what did my young self think i would have done by now and trying to think what haven't i done yet . I need to start a list 😁
Wow, Adam! I really needed to hear this. We're the same age and I often times get caught up in the whole, "it's too late to learn how to..." thing. It's not. Also, "do i need to solve it now, or let the world solve it." Neat!
As a man hitting 40 in a few months I feel this message as something that cannot be told but learned…..patience. Please be patient young men, it will help you succeed in life,love,happiness. Be kind, be wise, be free.
My advise to my youngest self is probably the opposite, patience is how you watch your life slip through your fingers, don't be impulsive, but don't just wait around either.
Wow. Actually within the last 24 hours I watched the first season of Mythbusters (I have long been a fan of the show) for the first time. Crazy timing. "Do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve this problem for me later?" is wonderful.
This one hits home as all I wanted to do as a kid was be a comic artist and even went to school for it only to realize I didn't know as much as I needed to. Thanks to that I'm turning 45 and have tons of supplies but this fear of failure and ridicule thanks to a rough time in high school that makes me just freeze up. The simple act of thinking you are too old to do something is poisonous as it spreads so fast. I love writing and writing scripts for comics and such but I don't show anyone anything I do out of that same fear.
Just get started and do it. Put your art and ideas out into the world. It's never to late. Study those who make a living at it and learn from them. But get started right now.
Start drawing, it is never too late! Be prepared to suck, because you most likely will, and that is okay. Being bad at something is the first step to becoming great at it, if you can't bring yourself to be proud of the result, try being proud of the concept you came up with or the effort you put in :)
I'm close to that and found out a few weeks ago an author I admire and who has built a massive following only started writing at 52. I've been putting off and worried about my skills being good enough for a long, long time now. When I heard that, well... There's no curve to be ahead of really, is there? I started outlining a book I intend to finish right after. It's tough. Imposter syndrome every day almost. But, there's nothing to lose except what we'd lose anyway if we never put anything out there. Got to try. And if it doesn't work out the first time... I'm just going to try again. I hope you can too. "Yolo" as the kids say... I think. Will be rooting for you!
The word "IF" has stopped more great things from happening than anything else in the world. It doesn't matter if you fail it matters that it's possible.
Michael Jordan might help you with this. He has some good quotes about learning to fail in order to succeed. And valuing the courage to try- instead of perfection. I get stuck in that fear too. You might also like The Artists Way if you haven't yet tried it
The best advice I ever got was when someone said "You wouldn't worry so much what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do". Unfortunately, I got that advice when I was in my 40s. I wish I had heard it long before.
Please don’t ever delete this video. I’m making a Playlist called “Life advice” to show to my kids when they’re old enough to understand. This is the first video in the playlist! Thank you Adam🙏🏻
"the world will solve this for me" an expression my parents threw under "natural consequences" so long as it wouldn't permanently harm me they loved to let natural consequences (with some warning) teach me lessons. Definitely love your wording of it
I started my career in the high tech industry as a "grunt". Building things from scratch. I did that for 5 years and it just wasnt enough for me mentally or financially. The company I worked for was struggling so I had to make a change so I moved to a new company but in an system design role. Did that for 5 years and that company ended up making some bad financial decisions and I was laid off. I went to another company in the same industry but this time in a system engineering/programming position. Well 5 years in covid hits and they lay everyone off. During the first couple months i didnt know what to do but i knew i needed to so something. I got hired in a tecnical sales role by a company that Ive alwags said was too small but always around and everyone in the industry spoke highly of. I could not be happier. Im making double what i made pre-covid and I call the shots now. With all my years in the industry Ive met tons of people/clients and earned their trust. Its been amazing for my family as I get to spend more time with them. My take away is always keep moving up to the next level. Climb the proverbial ladder and never settle.
So true. I avoid discussions very much like this. If someone else is right, and i'm wrong; I've learned something! and the same for the other way around. Don't fight and argue who is right or wrong, lets put it to the test and let the world prove and fix it. It saved me a lot of energy, i've been told a lot of times "sorry, you were right, i wasn't" and i've learned a lot when it turned out I was wrong. Then it's very easy and comforting to tell someone that they knew better.
This came at the right time. I'm in the process of probably getting a different job other than the one I've done for about 22 years. Hopefully my interview goes well.
I feel like this video has justified the way I've gone about my many careers. Paramedic, welder, machinist, saw filer and now at 34 moving into engineering. This wont be the end all to my learning, its never to late to make changes and learn new things. I remember thinking just like Adam with welding but instead it was wood working "Yeah I'll never have time to learn to work with dead tree carcasses" I just finished my second ever wood working project! Loving it!
So ive been reading Every Tool's a Hammer, and about 13 pages in i was convinced that its not too late to try to break into the aviation industry. This video is doing that smar thing to me right now. Adam you are quite the motivator for me
I feel that many of us needed to hear this - I find myself in the start of one of those gray transitional periods where I've finally realized that I need to change my path forward, specifically my career and its terrifying knowing that making that change could easily pull the rug out from under myself but could also drastically increase my future prospects and improve my mental health by leaps and bounds.
Things I wish I can tell my younger self: - School won't teach you many key skills to being an adult. While you are still with your parents, learn how to cook, pay bills, do taxes, do laundry,..... - If your manager insists on doing something his way, then do it his way. If you argued, got your way, and screwed up, your manager will always blame you. If he's wrong, then it's on him. Remember, you are there to earn a living not to care about the company. They don't care about you. Just don't do illegal stuff though. - There's always reasons to not do something. No time, no energy, not the right time, everyone's busy... If you want to do something, do I it as soon as you can. Stop putting off that vacation you always wanted to do. If your company fires you for taking "too much vacation", find a new job. - Most problems in life are temporary and will go away. If you lose your job, you will find a new job that's very likely better than the old one. If you flunked out at a college, another one will accept you. You always have more opportunities. You can still get back on top.
The statement "Time moves fast, and yet there's more time than you think, and there's more space than you think." and the question "do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve it for me later?" might have just changed my life. And I'm not kidding. Thank you!
I had a massive heart attack when I was 34 due to a genetic condition we didn't know I had. It was the whole "died and brought back" kinda of thing. This threw me into entirely the wrong mindset of time is short. I threw away all my long term goals and started living more day to day with the idea that I probably wasn't going to live very long. But medical technology has been getting better and better so while I'll never be "out of the woods" I'm at the age 54 now thinking maybe I should have saved for retirement after all? Maybe I shouldn't have ditched creating that company. Maybe I should have taken those more challenging roles over the years. Maybe I should have gone "all in" with those relationships. Living life day to day is probably never good advice no matter the circumstance.
OMG. The Bugs bunny quote of “what a maroon, what a nincowpoop”. 😂 It’s from Bugs as the matador Vs the black bull in the ring. Hilarious you use that, we say that all the time. Kindred spirits of the same era😊
I think asking a child, " What they want to do..." is a very good thing to ask. It's a great way to explore their identity , and to show support for their ideas. My uncle encouraged my interest in electronics, and armature radio. By the time I was sixteen I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go profesionaly. As a result I have enjoyed a career in the Aerospace industry.
I really feel this. At 42 I started back to school, trying to transition from automotive and metalwork to mechanical engineering. Unfortunately that was when my wife decided it was the ideal time for a surprise divorce, and so over the last year I've been working at completely starting over. It is amazingly refreshing to have someone in my life now who supports me and my efforts instead of tearing me down. I now find I have the emotional reserve to take a step back and reassess a situation to fix it, instead of repeatedly beating myself up over having to face a challenge in the first place.
@@DKNguyen3.1415 I have made multiple therapists say "holy shit" multiple times. I'm starting to feel like Frank Grimes with how much adversity I've had to deal with, but all I can do is carry on.
i hate how faster life flies when you get older, i remember as a kid watching your shows back then in the early 2000's and now im 32 in a blink of an eye.
That's very true. Getting to 18 takes FOREVER! The next 18 will feel half as long, and I am guessing that the next 36 will feel like 9. The last 10 years felt like 3 years for me, maximum. I wish someone had told me, but I doubt that I would have understood it.
Wow I needed that. I’m going through some tough times work wise to the point where I’m not sure if I’ll be here to much longer but honestly I think it will work out. This video helped give me perspective though so thank you.
I am currently in the middle of moving both our house and my entire shop (I run my own business) from Illinois to South Carolina, and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Understanding that everything in life is an experience, and there is time to do more, and to take a realisitc view of the stakes- you can pretty much recover from everything (including a daunting task of moving both a house and shop in all of three weeks, LOL) is very helpful at this moment. :)
"Never say never" is one of the all-time truths of the human experience, you literally never know just quite how the universe will spin your life 180 just to teach you that lesson.
As someone who's 33, I felt this advice a lot and I appreciate hearing it. Whenever I was asked growing up what I wanted to be when I was older, I could never answer that question, apart from saying tall, I am 6 foot 5 so I guess I achieved that 😂. I often get frustrated that I am only qualified to work in retail and have been in retail for over ten years now, but I try to maintain hope that I can do what I want and I enjoy when I am older 😂
I decided to take a break and not pursue my master's degree (for the time being). I get questions from people finishing their bachelors degrees about what they should do if they feel like they need to step away and I always tell them the same two things: 1) The job WON'T love you back, so take whatever time or space you feel you need to take care of you, and 2) when you are ready to step back into things, knowledge, learning, and education will be there for you. It may take some doing for sure, but it is never too late to go back and keep learning. Sometimes, we need to set a project aside for a while- and the same goes for the project of education, in my experience.
Every time I get asked in interviews where I see myself in 5 years I tell them idk because I always try to learn new skills. Surprisingly I've never had a company hate that answer
Re: the white photon story - I've been integrating a little sign from an old coworker with three simple questions. He is an old Vietnam Vet, retired police detective, working as a physical security director for plant handling dangerous chemicals. Serious man, and sometimes too much to the point. Over his phone, his sign read: Does it need to be said? By me? Now? Those three questions have saved me a lot of pointless frustration!
A excellent explanation and great advice. I remember the same thing, thinking i got it worked out... only to be surprised all the time. And spot on about having plenty of time when younger... i remember naively thinking i wouldn't last long and there is not much time in the universe so i shouldn't get tied down and do certain things or projects... only to regret not doing them later in later in life.
I think a problem that I noticed in this country is that everyone expects you to have achieved all of your life goals and dreams before the age of 30. And anytime after that just simply doesn’t seem to exist .
@AdamSavage'sTested Adam, you learned a lesson that day, many spend a lifetime learning. Some never succeed. Learning to yield and pick your battles is very difficult until one day, it just "clicks".
I can see where Jamie’s idea on the fence came from. He was probably thinking it would be black under the ambient light but the focused rays would be so powerful they would still show up as white providing a large contrast. By that thinking the white fence would just look a slightly brighter white under the focused rays and so there would be less contrast and therefore harder to notice.
I am 70 years old. I want to know everything, always have. I do know alot, but not everything. I still have time. I haven't given up. I firmly believe that if anyone else can do anything, learn anything, I can too. I have an insatiable thirst to know or the worlds shortest attention span. I leap from interest to interest like a carnal toad. Never give up, never give in.
Love the channel and all you do, Adam! You are amazing! Thank you for everything! You are a huge influence in my life and I really look up to you. Been a huge fan of your work before I even knew you had been on those projects and all thru MB and your RUclips channel. ❤Hope you and the family are well and take care! - David R.
While I was clicking on the thumbnail I could very cleary hear Adam asking **Am I missing an ey-bra-how?** 😂 God, I miss growing up watching the Mythbusters !
“Let the world solve this problem for me“. That is an excellent way to put that philosophy. I used to have a boss whom I swear would contradict me simply for the sake of argument. There were so many situations where I knew he was wrong about something, and I would vehemently argue the point only for him to insist his way would’ve worked as well or better. Only when I decided to start letting him have his way, even when I knew his way would fail, did I ever receive credit for my ideas being right. Still, one must be wary of trying this with a narcissist. They will always find a way to blame you for their ideas not working.
“Do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve this problem for me later?” … this … will be with me for a very long time. Thank you for that wisdom!
I "wanted to be" a zookeeper when I grew up. Although I have failed to grow up so far, I did at one point get paid to swim swith sharks and all that fun stuff. Now I work in software development and I have time, money and energy at the end of the day to spend on creative outlets that are so much more important to me than work. I find a lot of truth in what you've said. I'm also still considering what's next. Aerospace? Or maybe combining my ocean biology and computer skills somehow? Who knows?
thank you for sharing this! i was born in family of a puppet makers, have a degree in a car mechanic, currently working in agriculture and recently was invited in a small business as a welder. this advice of yours about the time is literally pump the air in my lungs. i just curious what my life will reveal for me tomorrow.
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That discussion with Jamie reminds me of a little bit of advice I heard a few years ago: "Don't waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you." I get a lot less stressed from reading online comments after learning that.
Ahhhh. Thanks for sharing this.
People are selfish and self-centred and are damaged by thriftiness etc...
Throw away the useless comments that come your way, even from well meaning people.
You're living a life nobody else is living.
Nobody's going to take time to learn about you.
People don't even realise they're buying future experiences when they buy some item.
I have a similar more condensed saying for myself that I've picked up from the internet: "Don't argue with stupid people" or "Its pointless to argue with stupid people". This saying really has nothing to do with the person's intelligence but more about whether the subject is worth arguing about with that person, like Jamie described in his example. For me, its the quickest way to get myself to give up on an argument that I can see going nowhere or being unhelpful.
A friend once said that time will always move forward and you can either spend five years complaining about how it's too late to do something, or five years trying. I was told then when I was 35 and thought it was too late to go back to college and start a new career path. Five years later, I earned a Bachelors and a Masters, got an amazing internship, and an amazing career.
Amazing! Congrats!
And you know more then you did before which makes learning as an adult interesting
Great work you put in, and thank you for sharing!
It's so hard to believe there is any hope, particularly when your past is a black hole of depression.
👍
Reminds me of this old quote: "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." Mark Twain
reminds me that internet blowhards comment dumb advice.
As someone who desperately wants to make more of my life, I appreciate this. At 37 I feel as if I'm wasting my life - and talent - working a job I hate for a boss I can't stand..
Good luck to you on your endeavors! I look forward to these question videos for inspiration, too.
You're not alone.
Just remember, some people live to work, and others work to live. It's fine to be the latter, just don't get caught up in the hustle of the former if you are.
Grow a pair and walk out. Work for yourself.
Find your passion, and figure out how to make a living doing it... I LOVE working with my hands and I enjoy math... so i became a prop maker... ignore money and pay attention to gratification... a happy life is a happy life, regardless of some number in a bank account
This video is something I definitely needed to hear. As a 19 year old freshman in university I feel like I must make every important decision and take every vital action right now or somehow my world will crumble. It’s important to take a step back and evaluate what is actually important and understand that there are countless opportunities throughout life to accomplish what you want.
The real world is like living in a pinball machine. A lot of lifes events happen in spite of all of the planning ahead that you may do, good and bad. I knew I wanted to make stuff from the time I was 17 but was forced to take jobs that had nothing to do with it. I took fine woodworking classes, eventually joined a carpernters union and was crushed when I learned it wasn't for me.. spent most of my 20's in logistics. Then found a job in logistics that offered me a ton of time on the job to think, and then the flexibility to work only when I wanted (basically one step from gig work) which opened the door the allow me to dedicate more and more time to what I wanted to do until I dropped my day job completely.
Been self employed for 2 years now at age 31 and the gates to get there looked nothing like what I thought it would.
Hi
Indeed, the path is always changing and I think even our idea of what we “want” will change too. It’s important to drill down to the core of what drives you in your life ambitions rather than become rigidly attached to a certain idea. Keep moving forward and enjoy the procees
Dude, I’ve totally been there, and still am while finishing my masters at 26. Great reasoning of yours that I needed
"at University when you finish your undergrad, you think you know everything. When you finish your masters, you think you know enough to know what you don't know. When you finish your PhD, you realise you really don't know anything. When you finish your postdoc, you realise nobody else does either."
I love your example of welding. I taught myself how to weld at age 52. Old dogs can learn new tricks!
It’s true!
'Let the world solve it later' has woked for me as well. I actually won a brand new power tool in a wager with a family member. We were installing a back (regular) door in my garage. Unfortunately it's an old house, and the door frames are just a tad nonstandard... eiher from warping over the decades, or employing less standardized sizing in that era (late 1940s) The door I bought was just very slightly too large in the X-axis. He felt that we could make the door fit by chiseling in the slots of the hinges a bit deeper. I said we shouldn't bother, because the door was too tight even before you factored in the hinges-- so we'd instead need to remove some material from the leading edge of the door. I couldn't convince him, so I capitulated and agreed to chisel the hinge slots. But only on the condition that if it didn't work, that HE purchased the belt sander we'd use to remove 1/16" from the door. He agreed... and I was right, and I still have the sander.
I just LOVE hearing about backstories of mythbusters with Jamie. I can picture everything so well with Adams descriptions ad my memories of that episode.
The serenity prayer is something I learned was a thing in my early 20s and it absolutely changed my attitude towards life. Not because it being a prayer, or any religion, just the words, the wisdom of it, really helped me have a better outlook on life and I'm way better off for it at 32 now.
I grew up hating math, and then I became an engineer anyway. I got really sick and couldn't do that anymore. I thought I had no artistic merit but now I'm a professional artist that works on major film productions. If you want to learn something it often just requires the willingness to try. You never know what you're capable of.
You are absolutely inspirational... I tell my children to 'Question everything' , Always ask ' Why' or 'How' and ' What if...'
I have a degree in chemistry. I got laid off at age 50, and thanks to poor networking and social skilles (and the pandemic that followed) i couldn't get a job in that field. So i drove a big rig for 2.5 years, and atarted studying for Cisco networking. I ended up getting a job in chemistry nearly 4 years after my layoff.
Do what you can, learn what you can, dont bring your work home, and learn to network.
And enjoy life when and where you can.
What a change in career! Well done!
I don't think studying for Cisco is what people mean when they say "learn to network". JK this is an inspiring story. Thanks for sharing.
What inspired you to explore Cisco networking?
The quote "time moves fast but there is more time than you think" has been something I have thought about for a while. No in those exact words nor as eloquent, but I remember looking back at college and thinking, man that went by fast, but when I stopped to actually think about it. No it did not, it may seem fast cause where I am now but at the time it was slow, long nights, early morning and the challenges I faced at the time felt impossible but what I learned be it in school or in life has helped me grow now. Man Adam, thanks you helped put an idea into words better than I ever possibly could
The comment about whether or not you need to solve the problem or let the world solve it for you hits home for me. As a physician I have spent the better part of my career trying to help other physicians with the business side of their practice and find that they tend to be unwelcoming to clearly good and practical advice. On many occasions I've had to let them see what their mistake is with their line of thinking to then come around the right way. You absolutely hit the nail on the head with your comment though. Thank you.
Adam, thank you for STILL being a major mentor in my life.
Your ALWAYS someone ill take inspiration from
At 34 myself, I really appreciate this discussion. Life really is a never-ending journey. ❤
Perhaps this is one of the best videos to come out from the channel since I started following it over the past four months
I love doing chores and listening to your stories and advice, it really resonates to me on many levels.
Been watching you since I was a teenager now 37. I have had some hard things I’ve dealt with over the past few years and your statement of “there is more time and space than you think” actually hit me on a deep personal level and made me have a chance in mindset for the better THANK YOU ADAM!!!
Arguably the best video you’ve posted. So much great advice that we can all benefit from, regardless of our age or place in life. Thanks!!
The black/white fence should have been a Mythbusters episode, or at least a segment. Great story about stubborness. I miss that show.❤
That last anecdote with Jamie really hits home for me. I sometimes forget that you can just skip the argument, frustration, isolation, etc and let things play out, even if you believe they will ultimately fail. Great relationship advice too! Just don't gloat to your partner about it (too much).
Mythbusters was my favorite show growing up. I would get up early on the weekend to watch reruns on discovery all day. It really fostered my desire to learn and grow. Watching your videos has been greatly nostalgic and just wonderful to remember all the good times on that show.
Same.
I remember the vacuum scene 😂 it's one that always makes me laugh. I enjoyed growing up and getting to experience Myth Busters
Thank you Adam, I really needed something like this as a lost twenty-something. Life seems so long and yet so short, a non-stop existential crisis, partially caused by asking myself constantly "What are you going to do to be happy AND successful?". I like that it's a normal phase that even someone I look up to such as yourself went through along with many others (:
Adam this has brought me a night of ease as 22 graduated but still hasn't chosen a 2nd or found the career I love it's same to say I always forget about time and how expirence naturally comes to with one's age I forget that I may not know what I want in 10 more years but I'll continually gravitate to where I can learn more. As some one that job hops I'm glad my variety of experience and expertise has landed me into a possible apprenticeship that I want. And even if I end up hating it hell I can always find something else and be thankful for the experience and my time to learning it. Really is no replacement for wisdom and experience
Hello sir. I have watched your podcast and every episode of mythbusters many times,loved it all. A great part of the show and podcast is you were never afraid to show your failures and how how you recovered from them. I earned my PhD in physics at a young age was able to advance in the military until the next thing I knew i was an intel officer. Not my 1st choice but adapted and never forgot the 1st law of physics"you will fail but the true test in life and physics is what will i do to learn from it". Once you stop learning you start dying,LIVE LONG AND PROSPER. Dr. Jansen
Man I almost cried. That was a great question and great answer thank you for that.
Watching you throughout the years, I loved the response and it felt 1 million % genuine and all. One of the reasons I love just watching and listening to you and still enjoying to this day. Thank you for being you and everything you do! 🍻🌎♥️🎶🕺
I deeply appreciate watching these videos and picking up such nuggets of wisdom as would fund a frontier town. You may not be able to tell younger Adam these things, but we kids who can hear them today are richer for the knowledge you share ❤
At 51, this resonates with me. Looking back and seeing how focused I was on one path, I didn't realize how many parallel or even less-than-parallel paths were open to me at those times! Now I've gotten into laser and CNC fun, taken up silversmithing, and learning new things for the sake of learning them!
As a 57 year old making a vocational change after 35 years in engineering, your question "do I have to solve this now, or will the world solve this for me later?" is a great strategic filter for making choices on where to invest your time and energy. I would add one other piece of advice for the younger me: "stay as financially independent as possible to allow yourself ability to choose the incrementally most rewarding creative opportunities at any time". We all have bills to pay, especially if one has dependents, but being careful with your financial commitments will allow you to take the opportunities you want, not the ones that you need.
Right on target. And I wish I had done that instead of giving my all to everything and everybody. Hard knocks do change one's perspective.
Favorite video thus far, as it is so deeply appropriate for so many. My mom, with 5 kids, went to nursing school at age 43, after originally going to college for music, and she was an incredible nurse (she's retired now). I have a degree in English, half masters in poetry and library science, but now, at age 37, am finally learning to pick up what I laid down as a kid, and pursue biological sciences. There is SO much I have to catch up on, even though I've kept my toes in the science world, but holy fluff nugget, videos/speeches like this remind me that the risk is worth the effort. Thank you so much for your comments.
Lorddd it's been that long! I was 11 years old. I remember watching it with my dad every time a new episode came out.
as someone turning 30 in less than a week, this made me feel better about my life moving forward. Thank you.
I love listening to Adam, doesn't matter what he's talking about, it's always a pleasure!
I actually needed to hear this today. Thank you so much
Great Jamie story, haha. That’s what I call a “tomorrow problem” in my field. And when I come up against resistance to something I have two ways of approaching it… asking “is it a one-way, or two-way door?” (The later being easy to undo), and asking myself “is this the hill I want to die on?” If someone is being particularly difficult. These get me by, a lot.
This might sound really weird, but thank you Adam for answering these sorts of questions. I lost my Dad when I was young and I acutely feel that lack of influence in my life, many of the peals of wisdom you come out with in these questions feel like a balm to that wound.
I loved this question, now i am a couple months from 50 & i have found myself thinking what did my young self think i would have done by now and trying to think what haven't i done yet . I need to start a list 😁
Thanks for sharing this!
Wow, Adam! I really needed to hear this. We're the same age and I often times get caught up in the whole, "it's too late to learn how to..." thing. It's not. Also, "do i need to solve it now, or let the world solve it." Neat!
As a man hitting 40 in a few months I feel this message as something that cannot be told but learned…..patience. Please be patient young men, it will help you succeed in life,love,happiness. Be kind, be wise, be free.
My advise to my youngest self is probably the opposite, patience is how you watch your life slip through your fingers, don't be impulsive, but don't just wait around either.
I love these insights and wisdoms.
Wow. Actually within the last 24 hours I watched the first season of Mythbusters (I have long been a fan of the show) for the first time. Crazy timing. "Do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve this problem for me later?" is wonderful.
This one hits home as all I wanted to do as a kid was be a comic artist and even went to school for it only to realize I didn't know as much as I needed to. Thanks to that I'm turning 45 and have tons of supplies but this fear of failure and ridicule thanks to a rough time in high school that makes me just freeze up. The simple act of thinking you are too old to do something is poisonous as it spreads so fast. I love writing and writing scripts for comics and such but I don't show anyone anything I do out of that same fear.
Just get started and do it. Put your art and ideas out into the world. It's never to late. Study those who make a living at it and learn from them. But get started right now.
Start drawing, it is never too late! Be prepared to suck, because you most likely will, and that is okay. Being bad at something is the first step to becoming great at it, if you can't bring yourself to be proud of the result, try being proud of the concept you came up with or the effort you put in :)
I'm close to that and found out a few weeks ago an author I admire and who has built a massive following only started writing at 52. I've been putting off and worried about my skills being good enough for a long, long time now. When I heard that, well... There's no curve to be ahead of really, is there? I started outlining a book I intend to finish right after. It's tough. Imposter syndrome every day almost. But, there's nothing to lose except what we'd lose anyway if we never put anything out there. Got to try. And if it doesn't work out the first time... I'm just going to try again. I hope you can too. "Yolo" as the kids say... I think. Will be rooting for you!
The word "IF" has stopped more great things from happening than anything else in the world. It doesn't matter if you fail it matters that it's possible.
Michael Jordan might help you with this. He has some good quotes about learning to fail in order to succeed. And valuing the courage to try- instead of perfection. I get stuck in that fear too. You might also like The Artists Way if you haven't yet tried it
The best advice I ever got was when someone said "You wouldn't worry so much what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do". Unfortunately, I got that advice when I was in my 40s. I wish I had heard it long before.
That's a great one! And so very true. I still have to remind myself of it.
Hits home. Thanks Adam. Brilliant as always.
Please don’t ever delete this video. I’m making a Playlist called “Life advice” to show to my kids when they’re old enough to understand.
This is the first video in the playlist!
Thank you Adam🙏🏻
"the world will solve this for me" an expression my parents threw under "natural consequences" so long as it wouldn't permanently harm me they loved to let natural consequences (with some warning) teach me lessons. Definitely love your wording of it
I started my career in the high tech industry as a "grunt". Building things from scratch. I did that for 5 years and it just wasnt enough for me mentally or financially. The company I worked for was struggling so I had to make a change so I moved to a new company but in an system design role. Did that for 5 years and that company ended up making some bad financial decisions and I was laid off. I went to another company in the same industry but this time in a system engineering/programming position. Well 5 years in covid hits and they lay everyone off. During the first couple months i didnt know what to do but i knew i needed to so something. I got hired in a tecnical sales role by a company that Ive alwags said was too small but always around and everyone in the industry spoke highly of. I could not be happier. Im making double what i made pre-covid and I call the shots now. With all my years in the industry Ive met tons of people/clients and earned their trust. Its been amazing for my family as I get to spend more time with them. My take away is always keep moving up to the next level. Climb the proverbial ladder and never settle.
So true. I avoid discussions very much like this. If someone else is right, and i'm wrong; I've learned something! and the same for the other way around. Don't fight and argue who is right or wrong, lets put it to the test and let the world prove and fix it. It saved me a lot of energy, i've been told a lot of times "sorry, you were right, i wasn't" and i've learned a lot when it turned out I was wrong. Then it's very easy and comforting to tell someone that they knew better.
I find myself, looking over plans for projects I wrote decades ago and being very impressed with my younger self.
This came at the right time. I'm in the process of probably getting a different job other than the one I've done for about 22 years. Hopefully my interview goes well.
Best of luck!
@@andreavictoriaparadiso47
Thank you!
This is some good advice and great wisdom! I'm totally going to be borrowing this from you
I feel like this video has justified the way I've gone about my many careers. Paramedic, welder, machinist, saw filer and now at 34 moving into engineering. This wont be the end all to my learning, its never to late to make changes and learn new things. I remember thinking just like Adam with welding but instead it was wood working "Yeah I'll never have time to learn to work with dead tree carcasses" I just finished my second ever wood working project! Loving it!
So ive been reading Every Tool's a Hammer, and about 13 pages in i was convinced that its not too late to try to break into the aviation industry. This video is doing that smar thing to me right now. Adam you are quite the motivator for me
Thanks for that bit of advice, i really needed it
I feel that many of us needed to hear this - I find myself in the start of one of those gray transitional periods where I've finally realized that I need to change my path forward, specifically my career and its terrifying knowing that making that change could easily pull the rug out from under myself but could also drastically increase my future prospects and improve my mental health by leaps and bounds.
Adam really has seen so much.. thanks for sharing your insights and wisdom.
I needed to hear this. Thanks.
Holly Molly
Having an existencial crisis(burn-/ boreout) with 37years right now, this is realy mindpopping for me.
Thank you Adam, for these advises.
Thank you for this. As I am turning 60, I feel I am in a second stage of my life and the world is wide open
Things I wish I can tell my younger self:
- School won't teach you many key skills to being an adult. While you are still with your parents, learn how to cook, pay bills, do taxes, do laundry,.....
- If your manager insists on doing something his way, then do it his way. If you argued, got your way, and screwed up, your manager will always blame you. If he's wrong, then it's on him. Remember, you are there to earn a living not to care about the company. They don't care about you. Just don't do illegal stuff though.
- There's always reasons to not do something. No time, no energy, not the right time, everyone's busy... If you want to do something, do I it as soon as you can. Stop putting off that vacation you always wanted to do. If your company fires you for taking "too much vacation", find a new job.
- Most problems in life are temporary and will go away. If you lose your job, you will find a new job that's very likely better than the old one. If you flunked out at a college, another one will accept you. You always have more opportunities. You can still get back on top.
This is so true now more than ever.
Yea I guess
The statement "Time moves fast, and yet there's more time than you think, and there's more space than you think." and the question "do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve it for me later?" might have just changed my life. And I'm not kidding. Thank you!
I had a massive heart attack when I was 34 due to a genetic condition we didn't know I had. It was the whole "died and brought back" kinda of thing. This threw me into entirely the wrong mindset of time is short. I threw away all my long term goals and started living more day to day with the idea that I probably wasn't going to live very long. But medical technology has been getting better and better so while I'll never be "out of the woods" I'm at the age 54 now thinking maybe I should have saved for retirement after all? Maybe I shouldn't have ditched creating that company. Maybe I should have taken those more challenging roles over the years. Maybe I should have gone "all in" with those relationships. Living life day to day is probably never good advice no matter the circumstance.
OMG. The Bugs bunny quote of “what a maroon, what a nincowpoop”. 😂 It’s from Bugs as the matador Vs the black bull in the ring. Hilarious you use that, we say that all the time. Kindred spirits of the same era😊
Uplifting! Thank you, Adam!
Great advice for all of the ages! Thanks for passing this along as it is a great reminder to keep going and learning. ☺️👍
I turned 33 today, and what a perfect video to end the day with
I think asking a child, " What they want to do..." is a very good thing to ask. It's a great way to explore their identity , and to show support for their ideas. My uncle encouraged my interest in electronics, and armature radio. By the time I was sixteen I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go profesionaly. As a result I have enjoyed a career in the Aerospace industry.
I really feel this. At 42 I started back to school, trying to transition from automotive and metalwork to mechanical engineering. Unfortunately that was when my wife decided it was the ideal time for a surprise divorce, and so over the last year I've been working at completely starting over.
It is amazingly refreshing to have someone in my life now who supports me and my efforts instead of tearing me down. I now find I have the emotional reserve to take a step back and reassess a situation to fix it, instead of repeatedly beating myself up over having to face a challenge in the first place.
Man, I don't know how you went through all that. I can barely get through the one thing right now.
@@DKNguyen3.1415 I have made multiple therapists say "holy shit" multiple times. I'm starting to feel like Frank Grimes with how much adversity I've had to deal with, but all I can do is carry on.
i hate how faster life flies when you get older, i remember as a kid watching your shows back then in the early 2000's and now im 32 in a blink of an eye.
If you think it flies fast now, wait until you're in your mid-70's, like me.
That's very true. Getting to 18 takes FOREVER! The next 18 will feel half as long, and I am guessing that the next 36 will feel like 9.
The last 10 years felt like 3 years for me, maximum.
I wish someone had told me, but I doubt that I would have understood it.
Wow I needed that. I’m going through some tough times work wise to the point where I’m not sure if I’ll be here to much longer but honestly I think it will work out. This video helped give me perspective though so thank you.
I am currently in the middle of moving both our house and my entire shop (I run my own business) from Illinois to South Carolina, and this is exactly what I needed to hear. Understanding that everything in life is an experience, and there is time to do more, and to take a realisitc view of the stakes- you can pretty much recover from everything (including a daunting task of moving both a house and shop in all of three weeks, LOL) is very helpful at this moment. :)
"Never say never" is one of the all-time truths of the human experience, you literally never know just quite how the universe will spin your life 180 just to teach you that lesson.
I wanna say thank you for being my favorite show growing up
"If you say so" lol, I now use that phrase when I want to upset someone.
As someone who's 33, I felt this advice a lot and I appreciate hearing it. Whenever I was asked growing up what I wanted to be when I was older, I could never answer that question, apart from saying tall, I am 6 foot 5 so I guess I achieved that 😂. I often get frustrated that I am only qualified to work in retail and have been in retail for over ten years now, but I try to maintain hope that I can do what I want and I enjoy when I am older 😂
I really love Adam's retrospectives in his career.
I decided to take a break and not pursue my master's degree (for the time being). I get questions from people finishing their bachelors degrees about what they should do if they feel like they need to step away and I always tell them the same two things: 1) The job WON'T love you back, so take whatever time or space you feel you need to take care of you, and 2) when you are ready to step back into things, knowledge, learning, and education will be there for you. It may take some doing for sure, but it is never too late to go back and keep learning.
Sometimes, we need to set a project aside for a while- and the same goes for the project of education, in my experience.
Every time I get asked in interviews where I see myself in 5 years I tell them idk because I always try to learn new skills. Surprisingly I've never had a company hate that answer
Re: the white photon story - I've been integrating a little sign from an old coworker with three simple questions. He is an old Vietnam Vet, retired police detective, working as a physical security director for plant handling dangerous chemicals. Serious man, and sometimes too much to the point. Over his phone, his sign read:
Does it need to be said?
By me?
Now?
Those three questions have saved me a lot of pointless frustration!
A excellent explanation and great advice.
I remember the same thing, thinking i got it worked out... only to be surprised all the time. And spot on about having plenty of time when younger... i remember naively thinking i wouldn't last long and there is not much time in the universe so i shouldn't get tied down and do certain things or projects... only to regret not doing them later in later in life.
I think a problem that I noticed in this country is that everyone expects you to have achieved all of your life goals and dreams before the age of 30. And anytime after that just simply doesn’t seem to exist .
That's the window for the majority
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
its lovely to hear Adam talk about his argument with Jamie xD i could see the whole scene in front of me and the film crew observing it
@AdamSavage'sTested
Adam, you learned a lesson that day, many spend a lifetime learning. Some never succeed. Learning to yield and pick your battles is very difficult until one day, it just "clicks".
I can see where Jamie’s idea on the fence came from. He was probably thinking it would be black under the ambient light but the focused rays would be so powerful they would still show up as white providing a large contrast. By that thinking the white fence would just look a slightly brighter white under the focused rays and so there would be less contrast and therefore harder to notice.
I am 70 years old. I want to know everything, always have. I do know alot, but not everything. I still have time. I haven't given up. I firmly believe that if anyone else can do anything, learn anything, I can too. I have an insatiable thirst to know or the worlds shortest attention span. I leap from interest to interest like a carnal toad. Never give up, never give in.
Love the channel and all you do, Adam! You are amazing! Thank you for everything! You are a huge influence in my life and I really look up to you. Been a huge fan of your work before I even knew you had been on those projects and all thru MB and your RUclips channel. ❤Hope you and the family are well and take care!
- David R.
While I was clicking on the thumbnail I could very cleary hear Adam asking **Am I missing an ey-bra-how?** 😂 God, I miss growing up watching the Mythbusters !
And then the shock on his face when he realized that he was, in fact, missing an eyebrow. Just glorious.
@@ianfinrir8724 Indeed !
“Let the world solve this problem for me“. That is an excellent way to put that philosophy.
I used to have a boss whom I swear would contradict me simply for the sake of argument.
There were so many situations where I knew he was wrong about something, and I would vehemently argue the point only for him to insist his way would’ve worked as well or better.
Only when I decided to start letting him have his way, even when I knew his way would fail, did I ever receive credit for my ideas being right.
Still, one must be wary of trying this with a narcissist. They will always find a way to blame you for their ideas not working.
“Do I have to solve this problem now, or will the world solve this problem for me later?” … this … will be with me for a very long time. Thank you for that wisdom!
just made a decently sized mistake and this made me feel much better, thanks
I "wanted to be" a zookeeper when I grew up. Although I have failed to grow up so far, I did at one point get paid to swim swith sharks and all that fun stuff. Now I work in software development and I have time, money and energy at the end of the day to spend on creative outlets that are so much more important to me than work. I find a lot of truth in what you've said. I'm also still considering what's next. Aerospace? Or maybe combining my ocean biology and computer skills somehow? Who knows?
What I would tell to my young self is “don’t be so hard on yourself and to not care what others think of what you like”
thank you for sharing this!
i was born in family of a puppet makers, have a degree in a car mechanic, currently working in agriculture and recently was invited in a small business as a welder. this advice of yours about the time is literally pump the air in my lungs. i just curious what my life will reveal for me tomorrow.
This helps so much thank you 💗