Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov seems to know just the right way to celebrate his 37th birthday. The founder of the cross-platform cloud-based instant messaging system turned a year older on October 10, and chose to drop some life lessons for his followers. He chose to do it on Telegram itself. Given that he turned 37, he chose to share three and seven pieces of advice on the messaging platform. He wrote, “As I am turning 37, I put together a list of 3 undervalued and 7 overvalued things in life.”
Durov gave us three tips under the “undervalued” category via his own channel on Telegram. His first advice was about sleep. According to Durov, sleep tops the list of undervalued things in life. He wrote, “Sleep gives a boost to immunity, creativity and psychological well-being.”
His second point was about nature. It read, “Nature is the environment that we are biologically designed to feel good in.”
Durov’s third and last point under the undervalued category was solitude. According to him, “Being alone offers the freedom to make spiritual and intellectual breakthroughs.”
Then, Durov began his list of overvalued things in life. The first one on his list was big cities. “Big cities are sources of pollution, crime, and noise,” he wrote, “It’s good to have access to their resources, but advisable to live outside their borders.”
He also talked about restaurants. He wrote, “Restaurants offer the slowest and least efficient way to eat. Cooking at home allows for healthier diets and more control over ingredients.”
The next point was hot weather, “Sunny weather can bring about not only a lax attitude but also a risk of cancer and faster ageing. Colder temperatures, on the contrary, clarify spirit, body, and mind.”
Fashion was his fourth point. He wrote, “The endless quest to conform with ever-changing trends is expensive and unnecessary. Focussing on comfortable clothes makes life simpler and frees space for things that matter.”
Durov also mentioned real estate. The point was, “Buying real estate often limits one’s choices and is a questionable investment. Renting gives more freedom to move and explore different locations.”
He also wrote about social media, “The incessant flow of junk cluttering our minds from social media decreases our happiness and creativity. Disconnecting from these internet devices is the best thing we can do on any given day.”
His last point about overvalued things in life was celebrity advice. He wrote, “Famous people often give unwarranted advice outside their field of expertise. For all important things in life, it’s best to rely on hard science and expert opinion.”