First of all, I want to stress that a lot of good things happened to me in my 30th year before I get too grim. I bought a home and a new car to go with it, my business grew substantially, I made great friends, traveled to new places, and picked up some great new habits.
That being said…
Turning 30 hit me hard. It wasn’t just another birthday – it felt momentous. It felt significant. It felt like a year where I would put everything together, have it all figured out, and finally put all my knowledge to good use.
That wasn’t the case.
Almost the day after my 30th birthday, upon writing about all that I’d learned in 30 years, I felt a sense of relief. I’d written about the most important things I’d learned, and part of me felt like acknowledging them was good enough to hang my hat on for the coming decade. Unfortunately, as it turns out, it wasn’t.
I tripped on my own confidence and fell into a rabbit hole. The confidence led me astray.
Thirty wasn’t so great. I indulged a lot. As my lingering health issues improved, my focus on improving myself lagged. I became less focused, less ambitious, and ultimately less present. I let instant gratification lead the way, which is never a good thing. Cognitive dissonance ran rampant. From my personal life to my work life, I was conflicted for the better part of the year. I constantly told myself that things that were bad for me were okay, which became the overall theme for the start of my third decade on planet earth.
Instead of looking back, like I did last year, for my 31st birthday I’m going to look forward. Here are 10 things I’m going to be mindful of this year, that are going to make 31 better than 30.
1. Let your work quietly speak for itself
Don’t oversell. Over deliver. Ryan Holiday wrote a brilliant blog about being who you are and letting your work speak for itself that really resonates with me. I don’t want to be a person who bullshits people and goes too far over his skis. I want to be the type of person who is underestimated, and who impresses people with my work – not with my Instagram bio.
2. Make changes when necessary
I don’t want to live a life I don’t enjoy. If something or someone is draining my energy and making me sour this year, I’m going to say goodbye to it. Time is a priceless resource – don’t squander it on things that sap your happiness and don’t align with your destiny.
3. Use the mornings wisely
I don’t get my mornings back. I don’t make up for the time lost in the evenings. When I wake up at
4. Finish
I’ve started a lot in my life. Finishing is another story. My family motto is, “Until The End”, and it’s something I’d love to start living more consciously. Seeing things through will help me win small victories, and move onto big ones. I want to run a race in May, finish 36 books in 2019, follow through on launching some new projects, and write a bunch of long form blogs for my website. To get it all done, I’ll need to focus on finishing by having fun, being realistic, and planning properly.
5. Track progress throughout the year
Not just in January. Not just in December when my year end goals are approaching. All year. I want to track my progress throughout 2019. What gets measured gets managed.
6. Indulge less
Persist and resist when you don’t need to indulge. When you do need to indulge, be present and enjoy it.
7. Work your ass off – and have fun doing it
Do it quietly. Do it calmly. Do it for yourself. Your work doesn’t have to be a daily grind. It can be your passion. Create things that you love for people you love to work with, and spend lots of time perfecting it. When you’re proud of your work, you enjoy your work. Plain and simple.
8. Live like the day is the year
How you live your days is how you live your years. Eat shitty and lay around? That’s your year. Exercise and eat healthy? That’s your year. Never act like one day doesn’t matter. Act like your day is your year – because it is. The Olympic games are now.
9. Consume more
I’ve written in the past about creating more and consuming less. What I’ve come to understand is that while creating is extremely important, create versus consume isn’t a zero sum game. Consumption, when done carefully, can help you create more. This year I want to consume more movies, albums, documentaries, books, and articles that pique my interest – especially creatively. In my experience as of late, this kind of selective consumption leads to more creation.
10. Give to your loved ones
I had a real scare this year with someone close to me. I also lost someone close to me. It’s led me to understand that you can’t take anything for granted – not your life, not the lives of others – nothing. This year I want to give as much as I can to my loved ones. I want to help them succeed in every way possible, and be there for them when times are tough. Helping others isn’t just good for those around us, it’s the easiest way to help ourselves, too.