Thirty Five for 35

On October 8th, 2022, I celebrated my 35th birthday and it just hit different.

I found myself looking for a new challenge, do something I had always dreamt of doing, something to push myself out of my own comfort zone...write. Soon, pages filled, words endlessly flowed through me, and I had captured many sentiments that have guided me throughout my journey. Nuggets I had stashed away from leaders I had the privilege of learning from, advice molded into my own, lessons I've taught to my former teams, and prepare to teach my children.

After going through several pages, I compiled a list of 35 lessons that had the biggest impact on my life that I hope others can learn from as well.

Words are powerful. Lessons are derived from experiences, but meaningless if not shared.

Take what you see value in, leave the rest, and thank you for giving me a space to share. ______________________________

35 Lessons for 35 Years of Life

1.??Like a vehicle, a young leader’s experience is not based on age, it’s based on the mileage.

2.??Don’t be exclusive or self-serving when interacting with others. You never know who they may become and how they can add value to your life or how you may inspire them.

3.??Own your own career development. You must act as if and prepare as such.

4.??It’s ok to take your time before getting married and having kids. Stay focused on your goals and when you are ready to receive the best gift of all…you’ll know. The role of Parent is the most rewarding promotion you’ll ever receive.

5.??Remember, you are at the table for a reason, and somebody believed in you enough to get there. You earned it.

6.??Begin investing early in life through your own brokerage account and take advantage of employer 401k/HSA benefits. Contribute the max amount when you can.

7.??Never limit your contribution to the scope of your current role…unless that is where you want to stay.

8.??Develop new skills and learn new crafts even if they don’t currently interest you. An opportunity to gain experience should never be passed on.

9.??Pause, reflect, and capture all accomplishments, opportunities, and learnings at the end of each month or project.

10.? Don’t hold back showing your confidence and sharing your belief in anything. It might just be what you need to achieve a crazy goal and can serve as the best accountability partner.

11.??Make the most out of every work trip and never feel bad about it. Take time to really see a place firsthand and connect with nearby family, friends or mentors.

12.??Don’t feel entitled to preferences that outweigh your current experience, knowledge or income. Desired preferences become more obtainable over time.

13.??Leadership is lonely at the top if you don’t bring anyone with you, but that doesn’t mean it needs to always be the same people. Cultivate old bonds and create new ones.

14.??When public speaking, in-person or virtual, do what makes you most comfortable. Stand if you want to stand, sit if you want to sit.

15.??Don’t let the loudest or highest-ranking person in the room cast a big shadow over you. Your voice matters too.

16.??Always have another plan or opinion prepared, even if not asked for it. Just because a leader gave a direction doesn’t always mean it's the best direction.

17.??Therapy and AA meetings are dope. Best source of leadership and character development.

18.??Never lose sight of who you serve in your current role. Very rarely does a leader serve the paying guest, therefore you should ensure the enablement and satisfaction of those that do.

19.??Create Menu before Design, Table of Contents before Manual, Quiz before Content, Plan before Action.

20.??Define your personal values before your company defines them for you.

21.??Communicate a key message 7 times, 7 diverse ways, to reach all 7 learning styles. Repeating the same message over and over only sucks for the speaker.

22.??Take time off for yourself between career moves, promotions, deaths, and other life changing events. You need time to process, understand your true feelings and prepare your mind.

23.??View things through all angles to strive for clarity from all perspectives. To make things bullet proof you must first look for where the vantage points are.

24.??Leaders should learn to lead themselves first, before leading others. The higher up you go the less day-to-day direction you get.

25.??Know what and when to overshare to show transparency. Where trust is low, resistance is high.

26.??If your passion cannot fund a career, then let a career fund your passion. Do not just work on your job, work on your future.

27.??Don’t hold back celebratory moments or excitement just because those around you don’t feel the same or understand. It trains you to not show emotions when big wins are achieved.

28.??Yes, pick up trash off the floor even if no one is looking. More importantly, pick up trash when people are looking.

29.??Buy your name as a domain…you just never know when you will need it for something.

30.??It’s important to document your life but be careful to not live through the lens of your phone.

31.??You can learn more from the bad leaders than you can the good. The good got good from learning from the bad and making mistakes.

32.??A person’s image or past does not reflect their capabilities or talents…this goes either which way.

33.??Choose an airline/hotel partner and stay consistent to build status. Not because it is cool, because it provides a more efficient and rewarding travel experience for you, your family, and saves your company money. Your future self will thank you later.

34.??College does not determine one’s success. Kindness, dedication, experience, and emotional intelligence does.

35. As you progress in your career, become a generalist in various areas to enable others to execute and free up your time to focus on removing inhibitors that interfere with success.?

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35 years young, more to come.