Lessons

Over the last 10 years Marco Bitran has learned a great deal., and he wants to make sure that others can learn from his experiences.

Please make sure that you first read this page.

Here are some additional lessons learned …

1. We make our lives very complicated … simplify your life — it’s too short to be so complicated.

2. Don’t worry if you are facing a big problem and can’t see through it. You will work it out. Don’t get anxious about it … just try to break the problem down into small steps. You may not see the solution today – but in days, weeks or months you will. As a friend told me “this too shall pass.”

3. Watch “The Wire” — it teaches a lot about politics, the justice system, and how life is for much of America’s less privileged.

4. Eat a balanced mix of carbohydrates, protein and fat. The food pyramid is rigged. Sugar is a killer.

5. Watch the documentary “How to Make Money Selling Drugs.” It explains how the justice system is broken in this country, why the prison population in the US has grown by 500% since 1975, and how this has ravaged African American communities. Well made documentary …

6. Great article in the NY Times

7. Careful with people who you sense are jealous … they can be very dangerous.

8. Too much drive and ambition are a bad thing. Sometimes when you are trying to drive forward, make sure to slow down.

9. When you do something wrong, admit it. People will respect you for it. If you lie, especially to the law, your problems will become 100x worse.

10. One of the great things about this country — we respect people who make a come back after falling down.

11. Stay fit. Your physical health and mental health are very linked. If you ever are forced to go through a draining, difficult situation, being fit will make a huge difference.

12. Don’t be ashamed about seeing a counselor or needing medication to help you through a tough phase of life.  It can make a huge difference. Sometimes we all need a boost.

Marco Bitran Volunteer at Somerville Homeless Coalition in 2010

By the way, as an aside, this is an amazing documentary on how the brain works … the brain can fool us all the times … more on this later.