Today I turn 58. Here are 58 lessons I learned about scientific thinking and life: 1. Scientific thinking is a powerful way to approach anything. 2. Human collective intelligence is one of the most powerful forces on earth. 3. Relationships mean more than productivity. 4. The more you know the less you think you know. 5. Strategy is an a priori shortcut for decision making. 6. A mindset is a strategy for your thinking. 7. Techniques are the true currency of research. 8. Questions are a tool for curiosity. 9. Curiosity is a value the strengthens you for dealing with problems. 10. Life is about solving problems. 11. Vulnerability is a collective intelligence enabler. 12. Solving problems that hold back entire fields of medicine requires a different kind of project. 13. Iteration is a scientific form of project management. 14. Systems resist change, and change exponentially when they do change. 15. Medical innovation is a multi-stakeholder endeavor. 16. All medical research can, and should be linked to long term impact. 17. A prototype is great way to communicate. 18. Stupid questions facilitate dialogue. 19. Human biology is the most complex system in the Universe. 20. Scientific thinking is not for every problem. 21. Highly interaction consortia deliver exponentially. 22. A consortium project does not have to be for a limited time. 23. Agency >> productivity >> hacks 24. Innovation means being comfortable with uncertainty. 25. To achieve mastery you have to be able to tolerate boredom. 26. A diverse low-glycemic plant enriched diet is more enjoyable than a typical Western diet. 27. A grant proposal is about clarity. 28. The best consortium projects seek to fulfil the needs of the individual partners as well as the needs of the project. 29. The most important aspect of any project are the objectives, not the deliverables or milestones. 30. Writing is a form of thinking. 31. Having a personal knowledge management system as a second brain 10xs what you can achieve. 32. Always focus on delivering value. 33. Patient stakeholders can be a great source of inspiration and motivation. 34. Citizen and stakeholder participation is better than consultation. 35. The best way to make progress is with a simple low resource requiring project. 36. Silo mentality is an inefficient and wasteful way to approach science. 37. Medical innovation is moving away from a discover based process and towards an engineering based process. 38. Listening is the first step to facilitating a discussion. 39. Tension brings energy to meetings. 40. The other side of conflict is progress. 41. Designing strategy is not about scientific thinking. 42. Implementing strategy can be very scientific. 43. Leaders in medical research go beyond publications. 44. Consortium projects are about identifying opportunities to do more. 45. Quieting your monkey mind is one of the best things you can do. 46. A growth mindset is the key to achievement. 47. A consortium project is like a flywheel for funding and impact. 48. You can only really make progress when you realize you can't make the progress you think you should. 49. Do and say what you know is right, don't listen to your primal self wanting to flee from fear. 50. A dialogue is when you build off of each others ideas. 51. To get to a dialogue begin each response to another's point with "Yes and.." 52. Strive for win-win-win solutions. 53. You only have about 4.000 weeks. 54. Be good to your future self. 55. Having a vision of the future is the only way to take on complex problems. 56. Building up writing skills is like building up muscle. 57. A personal knowledge management system helps you to think in a more connected manner. 58. Happiness is about doing something meaningful.