In this world, some might say that there are many important skills that must be learned in order to truly have a successful life. Some might say being persistent, active, or curious will help you. However, the three very important skills that every single person in this entire world should have are cooking, talking to yourself, and sleeping.
Cooking is one of the best things to do. I love it so much even though I don’t cook all my meals. I still rely on my mom, but I like to think that I’m eating her food because it’s her way of showing love. Anyway, learning how to cook has helped me relax a considerable amount. As soon as I put the apron on and start cooking, the world just goes away and I can just focus on making a delicious meal. Then when everything is finished cooking, you can reap the rewards and just devour that salivating meal. I love making myself some burritos and fried rice. 
They just hit the spot every single time. It doesn’t matter when I eat them. It just matters that I do eat them at least once every two days. Also, you can make healthier meals taste so good and not have to worry about eating fatty foods all the time. Another plus of cooking is that you can attract so many people of the gender you like. I’ve seen it on tv shows so it must be true. I also see it all the time with my uncle, because my aunt always seems to stare at him in the kitchen. A little creepy in my opinion, but still I hope one day that this works for me. I do think that cooking has many positive impacts on my life and I just love when others eat my food and love it. It makes me feel proud.
Talking to yourself is another main skill that people need to learn. Yeah, you might seem crazy and eventually become crazy, but it helps you focus on the present moment. A couple of encouraging words to yourself can get you going and can lift your spirits. Of course, it can also utterly diminish your spirits and make you want to snuggle up, but just be positive. I love talking to myself because it is a way for me to calm down and just relax.
I can reassure myself that this test won’t matter in 6 months or that this ceramic piece looks good after it explodes into pieces. I also think that talking to yourself helps pass the time. I like to have conversations with myself sometimes about my day or who I saw in the hallways. I think this is healthy but I don’t really know and care because it works for me. This may not work for you, but it works for me which means that you should definitely try it at least once.
Lastly, just sleep dude. Sleeping is so key to me being awake during the day. It helps me keep my attention on what is being taught instead of thinking about where I’m going to nap when I get home. Also, sleeping has been proven to help you do better in a class by some studies, but I don’t know what those are exactly. Anyway, being snuggled up and waking up is just the best feeling sometimes. When you are sick, just having all of those blankets feels so nice and then you
can just sweat out the disease you have. Some of the best experiences that I’ve ever had were waking up to snow falling outside and waking up to a snow day. Those experiences are just unforgettable. I remember the one time that we had Christmas with snow outside in elementary school, I was so excited because I had no work and I could just relax. Just seeing the snow is just somewhat peaceful. Sleeping is one of the best things people can do or learn how to do. It sounds weird, but if you sleep wrong or not for enough time, your entire day can be messed up.
These traits are key to me living my best life(I think). They help me focus on what’s important and just relax to the fullest even when I think the world is crashing.
Hello Vishal,
I liked your blog. I must say that I cannot reciprocate with your first ideal skill of cooking. I am a poor cook, and my mother makes all of my meals for me. In senior foods, I attempted to learn how to cook, but I got shot down by all of my group members who wanted me to do dishes. Basically, I took “Senior Dishwashing” as I never did much cooking. It makes me happy that you share your food with other people, perhaps you should cook something for me sometime; preferably, I’d like a wild, freshly-caught (by you) fish. Talking to yourself is a skill that I can reciprocate with. You really can lift or diminish your mood with your inner dialogue, as you pointed out. Recently, I’ve been militant on myself for wasting time, so whenever I go on my phone to do some unimportant thing, I slam it on a table and audibly say “no!”. Maybe I should walk around the hallways talking to myself, saying “Ian, you’re so amazing, you have divine intellect. All of these other people are just pawns in your game.” No, I’m just kidding (this is when you laugh). Your final skill of sleeping is so underappreciated! My crackdown on wasting time has gotten me much better sleep, and I cannot emphasize enough the benefits I’ve had because of it. You are completely correct when you say “if you sleep wrong or not for enough time, your entire day can be messed up,” and I’m glad you brought it up. I’m excited for what you’ll write about next week!
Vishal, looking at the title, I was immediately intrigued. What could possibly lead to a successful life? First off, I wasn’t expecting you to be a fan of cooking. My experiences in the kitchen have always been subpar- something about it just never works out for me. I only ever cook with others, and when I do they end up doing most of the work. I don’t know if it’s an issue with following a recipe or my general patience (I also started a fire when I used the oven by myself). However, there is a rewarding feeling with making your own food, and as you said it can often be healthier and make you relax. Maybe I should give cooking by myself a second try, so I will also be able to attract many people of my preferred gender.
However, talking to myself is something that I do from time to time. It’s often to calm myself down, especially after something especially frustrating or embarrassing. It’s become a little helpful to bring reassurance into the world and discontinue any ruminating.
I found your note about sleep amusing, as my post this week was about lacking it, and taking naps every day after school. I do agree that this is one of the most simple, yet necessary parts of life.
Overall, I enjoyed your secrets to success, and I might have to reconsider some things for myself.
Hi Vishal,
I almost wrote my blog this week about my struggle with cooking. Rather than feeling like I can’t cook— because really, who can’t follow a recipe?— I lack the initiative to cook for myself. Recently I have been getting better, though, and I am in search of new recipes to further motivate me. I share your love for fried rice: easy to make and so good. An interesting point about cooking being attractive. For some it’s a love language, and at the very least it shows a willingness to care for yourself and others. I find cooking less of a burden if it is for others.
Interesting to see talking to yourself described in a beneficial light. I talk to myself too, mostly to process things or rehearse how I want to sound, though I certainly sound crazy if others overhear.
The healing powers of sleep are incredible. Sleep is when your brain processes things, or “takes out the trash” as one source once referred to it. Thus, without it, that “trash” builds up. Getting healthy amounts of sleep is also integral to minimizing disease risk later in life, such as Alzheimers. At least, this is what I tell myself when I head to bed instead of staying up incredibly late to study.
Hey Vishal,
I think your blog has some great insight and I can especially attest to the benefits of sleeping. While I may not have explored cooking as much, I’ve heard very similar things from others and can see the truth in your advice. Also, I feel like everyone has been conditioned to thinking talking to yourself is weird or a sign of insanity, but at the same time I feel like everyone does it in secret. It is so therapeutic and allows you to straighten your thoughts out in a solid way. You can basically affirm the craziness of one’s mind. I used to bake a lot, but I found it stressful. I was always worrying if I am getting the recipe right, making the kitchen a powder sugared mess when I decorated, and looking at my disastrous space I had to spend the next hour cleaning while my failed pastry sat on the table. I have never really ventured into the world of cooking, as my mom has always marked the kitchen as her space and never really let anyone else in. I am glad you have found your rhythm and identified things that keep you going, this will pay off so much in the long run and will help you be successful. A lot of people still have not figured out what they really need, and you are very fortunate to have already done so.
For my first time reading and commenting on your blog, I really enjoyed this one.
To start, I think I should really take up cooking. Thus far, I haven’t found it to be relaxing, but rather something that takes up large sums of my time. Typically I only think about cooking when I have to; that may be the issue, but I eat a ton, and meal-prepping may be in my future. I think I should take some time to make tasty food and do it when I have some leisurely time instead of trying to rush at get it over. Do you have any recipe recommendations? I agree with your self-talk point, but moving onto sleep. While I know that sleep is so important, I often find that if I try to go to bed at 11:15 or so, I will end up staying awake until 12 anyway. I think I have to restart my entire sleep schedule by going to bed consistently at an earlier time to achieve this successfully. I found this post super calming and a great time ro reflect where I am with my habits. I am probably going to be thinking a lot about your recommendations in the coming months leading up to AP tests that aren’t too far away.