
Recently, this message highlighted 38 life lessons that I’ve learned over the years… to celebrate my 38th birthday which was on October 6th.
I got some amazing feedback from it, so I thought I’d share it with you!
I hope you find meaning, motivation, and inspiration somewhere within these 38 points:
- Don’t take it personally - most likely the negativity from others isn’t about you, it’s about them. Let it roll.
- Live with gratitude- if you make a habit of saying “thank you” when you get up and before you go to bed, your life will be 1000% x more rich.
- Pain fuels gain- some of the most difficult times in my life have served as bedrock from which new strength, perspective, and growth have come.
- There’s always tomorrow- tomorrow is a new opportunity to start again toward your dreams.
- Surround yourself with people whom you aspire to be like- always be the small fish in a big pond. Lots will be learned that way.
- Don’t Believe everything you hear- especially advice from family members. Just because they love you doesn’t mean they know what’s best for you
- It’s not an expense, it’s an investment in yourself- your #1 and most primary investment should be the person you see in the mirror.
- Be more interested than interesting- make good impressions, be curious and learn to love listening.
- Never give up- run far away from anyone who tells you that you should give up on your dreams or goals for a more sure path
- Dream big- even if you fail to hit the ideal point, you’ll be far better off than you were at the starting line
- You have to go through 1, 2, and 3 in order to get to 10- yes, set your eyes on the big goals but make sure to stop and appreciate all the wins along the way
- You must be in the mindset to accept success- if you don’t believe that your own success is even possible, you can be 100% certain that it will never happen
- Be of service- life is all about being of service to others. The more you can give and serve, the more reward you’ll reap in return.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is- the quick fix is 99.999% not the best long-term solution.
- Have patience- the quick fix won’t take long but it won’t last. The thing that takes a while will deliver 100-fold… so be patient.
- Be a student of your calendar- if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. Set a schedule and live by it.
- Do not over schedule and under commit- when you make a COMMITMENT, it means you’ll see it through under any and all circumstances. Be careful what you commit to.
- Learn how to say NO- saying no to something now means saying YES to many better things in the future. Say no today so that you can be open to those opportunities.
- Be consistent and persistent - take action every single day (consistent) no matter what (persistent)
- Your #1 goal in life should be to reach your full potential- most people have never even stopped to wonder what that is. Don’t be one of those people.
- You’ll never feel worse after a workout- so just go move your body
- Don’t live by the A+ / F- mentality- shoot for a B+ overall and you’re doing pretty well in life.
- Don’t let your past be an excuse that dictates your future
- Rise above- above negativity, disbelief, haters, naysayers, doubt, fear.
- Never stop learning- read, listen, write, observe others whom you emulate and respect.
- Mistakes are our best teachers- learn from every single one of them
- Don’t get caught in “analysis paralysis”- there will never be a “perfect” place/time/situation to start working toward your dream. Start today.
- When you ask a question, LISTEN to the answer- don’t spend your time defending your current situation when you ask someone how you can be better.
- Ask for help- nobody knows it all. Ask others to guide, help, and educate you
- Stand tall- don’t let others’ opinion of you color the opinion you have of yourself. Be proud of who you are.
- Count the W’s- do something every day to make it a “win.” Life success happens by counting how many daily W’s you can string together in a row.
- Be different- what’s right is not always popular, and what’s popular is not always right.
- Choose your friends wisely- show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. Choose wisely.
- Learn to love learning- life learning is so much more enriching than what we remember school to be. Start reading again. Take a class. Sign up for a workshop. Pursue the things that interest you.
- Experiences > Stuff- always choose the experience… it’ll last much longer and be much more meaningful.
- Money is an accelerant- it makes you more of what you already are…that goes for others as well.
- Dare to be bold- have opinions that are strong, and share them proudly. Dare to be blue in a sea of red… dare to choose Z when everyone goes for A.
- Live with intention- set intentions for each day, meal, activity, etc. Train your brain to carry out the intentions you set for your life.