words of advice

Andrew Kessler, 30, business owner

I sat in my cubicle at age 27, and realized I had 40 more years of the same situation occurring every day until I could retire. 40 more years of allergy inducing padded walls and fluorescent bulbs casting off headache inducing green light. 40 more years of ever expanding office ass and scavenging for second hand meeting food to make the time go by.

And I realized I didn't want to waste my life like this.

A couple weeks later the chance to start a coffee company appeared out of nowhere. 

Chances are all around you. You just have to keep your eyes open for them. Most people keep their head down and hope to make it through the day. And while all of us fall into a rut at times, real changes in your life will occur when you're willing to throw off the security blanket you've wrapped around yourself.

The same goes for luck. Luck takes a lot of hard work. Most times you have to make your own. Sometimes the cosmos aligns in just the right way that allows you to have everything you want in the world without lifting a finger (see Hilton, Paris). Lets be honest though, we never respect a person who hasn't suffered in some way for their success. Luck comes from seeing the small chances that appear from time to time, and by being willing to grab for them when you see it.

Try to learn from other people's failures so you don't have to.

Never trust a person who says they've never failed. They're either full of shit or don't try hard enough.

Stop asking for approval and start doing. it's easier to apologize than it is to get someone to say yes.

Your reputation is all you have. Whether it's your credit report, handshake, or word, you'll be hard pressed to get it back once it's gone.

If you're ever depressed, NEVER play "August and Everything After" from Counting Crows.

Lastly, People love gossip. People also love giving advice. Take both with a grain of salt. The people giving it are just as lost as you are. 

Andrew Kessler is a founding partner of The Freaky Bean Coffee Company.

Karin Chien, 32, film producer

432,812 decisions later: What I've learned about overthinking

With engineers as parents, and a degree in comparative literature, I am, my nature, analytical and, by training, an overthinker. It took 30 years to figure out that the best decisions are made with a strong gut feeling, and a slight dusting of rationality.

Without a strong gut response, I learned that it's important to be patient and to let it formulate. Then when it's strong enough, to let it lead the way.

The other thing that helps in making decisions is a clarity of values. That is, know what's important to you. For some it's money. For others, security. For me, it's freedom.

Happiness, or at least a fulfilled life, comes from knowing yourself, namely what you need to stay emotionally balanced, and then having the courage and ability to pursue those very things.

So don't think your way to a decision. Don't seek the outside world's approval. And don't let others talk you into something. Get to know yourself and what you value. Once you know, your decision-making process starts from within.

Karin Chien is a film producer based in New York. Her projects include The Motel, Undoing, and the upcoming Jack and Diane. Chien also serves as guest curator at Museum of Chinese in America, where she has put together a collection of film series about Chinatown in New York and Chinatowns throughout the world.