Happy New Year!

This year, I celebrated my 30th New Year’s and I had some time to reflect on some of the most important life and entrepreneurial lessons that I’ve learned during my stint in this thing called “life”. I wanted to take a minute to share the first 30 that came to mind for me, in hopes that it can make a little difference for you in 2018.

1) Travel the world, (when you can), and see things through many different lenses. It gives you an appreciation for life far beyond your bubble.

2) Don’t build taller walls, build longer tables. Embrace differences and diversity. Share your meals and stories.

3) Listen more. Talk less. I still work on this every day and certainly haven’t perfected it yet.

4) Be more intentional about spending the limited time you have with those you care about most. Cut things out that drain you and de-prioritize things that are truly less important.

5) Learn to say “no” more, and learn to do it with sincerity.

6) Get a coach. Not a mentor or a consultant. A real coach. Whether you’re leading a team of employees or working solo, coaches make a huge difference.

7) Develop and practice the growth mindset. “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” — Max de Pree.

8) Get your ass out the door for your run. Use Strava so you can get the little dopamine hit from setting segment/course/distance PR’s. If running isn’t your thing, getting any sort of exercise in daily makes a world of difference.

9) Keep a bucket list. Just by writing this stuff down or putting it in Evernote, you will naturally (and subconsciously) make decisions that inch you closer to achieving and doing the things on your list.

10) Turn off your phone every once in a while. Disconnect entirely and take a minute to enjoy the present moment.

11) Read at least one book per month that will grow you and/or your career. Fiction is always great for creativity, but challenge yourself and your career by reading profession-specific books.

12) Make time to meditate.

13) Get organized. You know the thoughtful Aunt that always sends you the Xmas card? It’s because she has your name on a list and a reminder to get them to you on-time, each year.

14) Cancel Amazon Prime, seriously. Shipping is free if you spend more than $25. :)

15) Watch what you eat (and how much you eat). Everyone is different, so find the plan that works best for you.

16) Learn to ask more and better questions.

17) Live a little simpler. Throw, (or donate), things out that you don’t use.

18) Delegate things that you aren’t as good at to someone who is willing to help.

19) Eat breakfast — every day.

20) Take a DISC assessment (or Strengths Finder) and become a little more self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

21) Be passionately curious.

22) End every business meeting with the question “what can I be doing to support you?”

23) Step outside of your comfort zone and try new things every once in a while.

24) Learn to not care what others think about you.

25) Stop worrying so damn much. Read “Stop Worrying and Start Living” — good book on the subject.

26) Learn to put yourself in the shoes of others. It helps you develop the empathy muscle. (aka Don’t be a dick).

27) Bring people together that don’t know each other. Build community.

28) Accept that life is a give first, get later, game.

29) Money (and bitcoin) won’t buy happiness. Too many people focus too much on this, only to realize when their rich that it is too late to enjoy what really matters.

30) Interestingly, most of these lessons came from what I would consider my ‘lowest moments’. That, my friends, is the final lesson. You can often find golden nuggets of life lessons in even the toughest of situations.

What else would you add to this list? Comment below!

Cheers to a great 2018!