It took me 40 years to realize what I tell you in 10 minutes. My Best Life Advice

what if I told you I just spent the last 40 years working out where I'm at

now and all those things that you think are important when you're younger the perfect body the big house the perfect

job don't really matter what really matters is what's going on inside

you and I'd like to share with you in the next few minutes what I've learned in the last 40 years you might ask where

did this come from well two years ago I had to stop work I'm medically retired now and that has given me a lot of time

to reflect on my life and where I am today and what is important for me and I started thinking where did the

time go what do I what have I achieved I've done lots of jobs from

doing snow ski tours to working in bars to working in offli and waitering cooking you name it teaching art I've

done it but what has been consistent all through my life has been my artwork my ability to continue following that dream

of mine not necessarily being financially successful but doing something that is

important to me that shows who I am as a character and as a human being and if I could go back in time and

talk to my my 18yearold self I would say the most important things in life for you is time and your

health in fact I think I put my health above time because if you haven't got a healthy life then that really affects

the time and what you can do with that time and another thing I would suggest is don't drink too much or do drugs

because that is going to take time away from you that is unbelievably destructive and you're never going to get that

back and the older you get the faster time seems to go I mean I immigrated here to the Netherlands 26 years ago and

I can't believe how quickly that time has gone I see my two children growing up and I wonder what happened to that

youth that time when they were small I cherish that moment now and it went so

quickly it was so quick I mean before I I shifted here I spent almost 20

years 15 years I suppose bouncing around doing odd jobs but do I regret doing that no I don't regret the time I spent

doing that I mean I didn't have much money but that didn't seem to bother me so much then I honestly didn't think I'd get to this

age but the time I've spent jumping from place to place moving from City to City it was a wonderful

experience when I looked back it was hard it was fun it was a bit crazy but would I change that no I don't think I

would because it has made me the person I am today and if I look back I don't think I would want to change anything because

it's the experiences I have learned good and bad and some very bad um even some that almost took my

life but I think I'm a better person today and the thing about giving advice to your younger

self who's going to listen to that you have to go and experience things yourself you have to make the mistakes

yourself and from that you grow and I'm very

content for who I am inside as a human being I live a very modest life I'm still married have been married for

almost 30 years I mean that's an achievement in itself learning to compromise in relationships learning to

give and be a partner be together and we brought up out two wonderful kids that is an achievement in life and

especially in today's standards where there are so many families been separated deep down we want to be fulfilled we

want to have a sense of purpose and I think the biggest way really for that to achieve

that is spend it with your family the older you get the more you realize that it doesn't matter what other people think it doesn't matter

what you wear it doesn't matter how you look if you feel proud within yourself and you have self-respect for yourself that's what's

important and it's such a relief not having to play that game anymore you know my I'm lucky I have a

drive in me for to paint to be an artist and that keeps me going that even as I am sick

today and I can look forward to doing something I have a goal in my life that is my what what I want to

achieve and that's what's important I think we all need to find that purpose mind's painting and my family that's all that

matters to me and as far as I'm concerned I'm reaching that Target and with my I don't

know how long I will be able to keep on painting but at the moment I will I enjoy it it

gives me purpose because over the last 40 years I've given

my soul I've given my physical ability I've worked for other people and now this time is for me this time is for

really developing who I am and this is the first time that I've actually been able to just concentrate on my art and not having worried about paying

bills they're always there but you know because we live such a model life I can just do what I need to

do what I what is important to me has always been inside me and I've always been doing it but now I'm allowed to let

it out and let it be in the world and that is such a nice feeling I feel I'm finally achieving

what my purpose on this planet was to be and that's liberating that's fantastic I think also that you know

after 40 years you learn to appreciate the people around you much more you're willing to give more time for those people that you care about or

even people you that you have just met that need help and you're not after anything can return it's not transactional as some leaders might tell

you in the world today it's about who we are as human beings and the importance

of being out to live together the more we work together the better this planet is going to be but it's got to start in

at home and it's got to start in your community and then it's going to spread and hopefully we can do

that so how do I sum up 40 years in just a few minutes look after

yourself don't drink too much don't do drugs too much take care of your health and you'll have much more time ahead of

you and enjoy that time and share that time with people you love because at the end of the day that's what's most important and remember if you really

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