On his 55th birthday, Kevin Kelly (KK) posted a super tweet: the system summarized 55 core principles that truly changed his life. Nearly 8 million views, countless shares and bookmarks! KK shares life insights every year on his birthday. This time, at the milestone of 55, he condensed his lifelong wisdom into 55 golden quotes, covering body, diet, thinking, relationships, time, wealth, lifestyle, and more. After reading, all I want to say is: this is what it truly means to live well! Below is the complete and refined summary—recommend bookmarking and reviewing repeatedly.
Body, Diet, and Thinking: Basic Health Is the Starting Point
Category
Principle
Key Points
Body
Walk more than 15 miles per week
Humans are naturally built for long-distance slow movement—key to longevity
Body
Do 3 minutes of deep squats (hips to ground) every morning
“It’s not that you can’t do squats when you’re old, but that doing squats keeps you from getting old”
Body
Stay lean rather than bulky
After 50, the healthiest are those who exercise seriously and stay lean, not muscle men
Body
Sleep 8 hours of quality sleep every night
No eating after 6 pm, blackout curtains, no screens 2 hours before bed
Diet
Eat real food, in moderation, avoid junk
Occasional indulgence, occasional fasting
Diet
Completely stop drinking alcohol
Alcohol is a toxin, limits potential, after a few weeks you won’t miss it
Diet
Avoid refined sugar and sugary drinks
Inflammation is the root of most diseases; sugar is the culprit
Diet
Be picky about water
What you drink is what you become—invest in a good water filtration system
Thinking
Cultivate a writing habit
The best way to exercise your mind—start with 10 minutes daily
Thinking
Become a lifelong learner
The brain is like a muscle; if not exercised, it atrophies
Thinking
Do difficult things
Choose courage over comfort—tough choices lead to a relaxed life
Relationships, Time, and Life Direction: Truly Important Things
Category
Principle
Key Points
Relationships
Fully invest in family
Marriage, maintaining marriage, having children—these are the only truly important things
Relationships
Set boundaries with toxic relationships
Clinging to outdated relationships damages health beyond imagination
Relationships
Let go of resentment
Forgiving others releases the prisoner—you yourself
Relationships
Plan your core circle
We are the average of the five closest people; surround yourself with those you admire
Relationships
Share positive thoughts immediately
Encourage defying physical laws: give energy, and you’ll receive it back
Time
Be punctual every time
Poor time management limits success more than you think
Time
Learn to say no
Protect your time and energy as you would your most valuable assets
Time
Establish and stick to a morning routine
Win the morning, win the day
Time
Ruthlessly review your schedule
Remove trivial tasks, double down on meaningful ones—money can be regained, time cannot
Life Direction
Find your mission
People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer
Life Direction
Have a clear vision for the future
95% haven’t written down their “ideal end state”
Life Direction
Be strongly action-oriented
The ball you don’t hit, 100% misses
Life Direction
Start now
Don’t be a victim of “someday thinking”—someday never comes
Life Direction
Reshape yourself every ten years
Don’t be afraid to press the reset button
Wealth, Lifestyle, and the Most Important Wisdom: Live Transparently, Enjoy Life
Wealth: Invest in experiences, not possessions (things bought in malls won’t be remembered after ten years); accumulate assets, invest in index funds—it’s addictive (a good way); understand the FIRE framework (financial independence, early retirement—an excellent path).
Lifestyle: Spend lots of time in nature (humans evolved over 300,000 years coexisting with nature—don’t fight your nature); sunbathe regularly (no sunscreen, moderate sunlight is vital for health); travel as much as possible (live like locals—best experience); find hobbies and pursue mastery (passion unrelated to profession—essential for joyful living).
Most Important Wisdom:
Cultivate abundance mindset: being a pessimist is unhelpful—even if you’re right, life becomes miserable.
Make your own decisions: most things society tells us are wrong—when others say you’re crazy, you’re often doing the right thing.
The goal isn’t to retire doing nothing but to build a beautiful daily life you don’t want to escape from.
Stop doing stupid things: TOLSTOY’s famous quote—people always do smart, difficult things to improve life, but neglect the simplest: refuse to participate in activities that make life worse.
Enjoy fun, do silly things: we’re not aging because we stop playing, but we stop playing because we age.
KK uses these 55 principles at 55 to tell us:
Life isn’t about perfection but about constantly choosing what makes you healthier, happier, and more transparent.
Repeat simple things, do difficult things immediately, and resolutely avoid meaningless activities.
This tweet is worth rereading every year on your birthday.
Which one do you agree with most? Share in the comments~
A. Stop drinking
B. Learn to say no
C. Fully invest in family
D. Start now
E. Others (tell me in the comments)
Happy birthday, KK! Wishing us all to live more and more clearly.
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
Special 55th birthday post goes viral with 8 million views! Kevin System shares 55 core principles that change lives
On his 55th birthday, Kevin Kelly (KK) posted a super tweet: the system summarized 55 core principles that truly changed his life. Nearly 8 million views, countless shares and bookmarks! KK shares life insights every year on his birthday. This time, at the milestone of 55, he condensed his lifelong wisdom into 55 golden quotes, covering body, diet, thinking, relationships, time, wealth, lifestyle, and more. After reading, all I want to say is: this is what it truly means to live well! Below is the complete and refined summary—recommend bookmarking and reviewing repeatedly.
Body, Diet, and Thinking: Basic Health Is the Starting Point
Relationships, Time, and Life Direction: Truly Important Things
Wealth, Lifestyle, and the Most Important Wisdom: Live Transparently, Enjoy Life
KK uses these 55 principles at 55 to tell us: Life isn’t about perfection but about constantly choosing what makes you healthier, happier, and more transparent. Repeat simple things, do difficult things immediately, and resolutely avoid meaningless activities.
This tweet is worth rereading every year on your birthday. Which one do you agree with most? Share in the comments~ A. Stop drinking B. Learn to say no C. Fully invest in family D. Start now E. Others (tell me in the comments)
Happy birthday, KK! Wishing us all to live more and more clearly.