Learn. Earn. Return.

I recently saw Gladiator 2 — which featured the iconic Denzel Washington. At almost 70, his gravitas is unmatched.

I saw a great video of him sharing life advice over a five decade career.

“First part of your life, you learn. Second part of your life, you earn. And third part of life, you return.”

Beautifully said. The first two heuristics I’ve heard before, but loved the last one:

• Learn: In the early years, be a relentless sponge and soak as much you can from people who’ve done.

• Earn: In the middle years, invest in mastery and negotiate to be paid fairly and commensurate to all your experience.

• Return: In the later years, leave it better than you found it. Give yourself back to your community — and pay it forward with mentorship, money and time.

Wisdom to remember for a long time!