I turned 26 today, here's what I learned in the past year

At 25, I had some of my largest successes and some of my largest failures. It was a year filled with lessons. Here are the most important ones:

1. Choose your life's work carefully - When starting a business or pursuing an opportunity, pick something you can see yourself doing for at least 10 years. In order to truly master something, it takes thousands of hours working at it. No matter what you pick, there are going to be ugly days and rough patches. The only way to get through it and stay motivated is to pick something you're truly passionate about. Last night while running a half-marathon, I was listening to an episode of This Week in Startups, by Jason Calacanis and he said things start to get interesting at year 11. While I have only been running Rootex for 5 years and ONESIXONE Group for 4, each year I am growing more excited about the people I'm working with and more passionate what we're building together.
2. Balance is more important than hustle - Be intentional. Make it a habit to exercise regularly, and continue to push yourself your limits. Take time to do the things you love. Spend time with those you care about. Be spontaneous at times. Life’s a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re working 16 hour days non-stop, skipping meals and missing out on sleep, chances are you’ll burn out. Don't take the wrong message here, it's extremely important to work hard. If you're truly committed to building your own business, there will be times where you really won't have a choice. Just remember it's important to stop and catch your breath every now and then. Enjoy those times without feeling any guilt.
3. Be selective about your partners, employees and clients - Don't rush to have anybody fill a role. Just because somebody is extremely smart or driven, doesn't mean they're the best fit for the role. When hiring for a technical role, check references and give tests to see if they're capable for the job. At an early stage, if a new-hire doesn't become essential to an organization within 3 months of being there, they're probably not a good hire. In addition, be selective about who you align yourself with and conduct business with. This can end up reflecting on you. Realize that each time you bring on a partner, employee or client, there are new risks introduced that you may be completely oblivious about. Choose your partners like one day you'll be going through hell together, because it's quite probable it may actually happen and it can a horrific experience going through tough times with the wrong people.

Thank you to everyone for the messages, calls and birthday wishes today! I'm going back to the festivities and enjoying quality time with my family, but I'm grateful for everyone who takes the time to read my posts and engage.