Riding the Dragon - 2023 - a year to never forget - as the lessons will last a lifetime.

(Takes a deep breath.)

Well, here we are. Let's avoid the dramatics and cut to the chase.

Here are my personal top 10 lessons from 2023.

If you can borrow them to avoid a little pain or gain perspective from them, then that puts a smile on my face.

10. Build a world class team

As an Executive, I have a team at work that I have the privilege to work and be around 30-40 hours a week. The team that I'm talking about here is different. I have 4 people that I meet with every week that are non-negotiable meetings. So whether that's a therapist, a personal trainer, a relationship coach, pastor / spiritual advisor or a personal executive coach - it's everything. Without this, the rest of the list doesn't exist.

9. Make learning your centerpiece

In 2023 I logged 2,800+ hours of learning. That's equivalent to a Master's Degree in your head each year. From Business to Finance to Spiritual to Relationships, I learned and applied so so much in 2023 via YouTube and then some paid learning courses as well. My personal fave is the simplest to use. ALUX - you need to get this today.

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8. Keep it real

Keep a few real ones and be a real one to others in business - You will stumble across all types. Good and bad, etc. Find those other Executives who hold you accountable and share a similar set of values. Meet with them 1x a month to share learnings and lessons from the field and how they are navigating those situations and more. Perspective and Community are essential for me, and I'd much rather spend time in small, tight-knit communities than in Slack Channels.

7. Micro Communities

Yes, as I said above, this is my style. Additionally, I'm investing much of my learning in Q1 to micro-event strategies and how companies can win big with small, extremely well planned events. As a matter of fact, I'm tentatively planning my first event for June of 2024 called, "Founder Led", in The Black Hills of South Dakota. For those looking to transition into foundership, or looking to level up, this will be a 20-person event with 4-5 keynotes that of course will blow your mind. Think Survivor meets The Price is Right;)

6. Be accountable

This was the toughest part for me, if I'm being honest. Plans were easy, stringing a few days together was doable, but every single day? That was not my thing. Now, I'd say that I live a life of rigid routine 80% of the the time - but the 20% that I'm not? That's pure joy and fun, whether that's with a particular person or my kids or others. When I give myself the structure to be exactly the person that I say I want to be and stick with it, life is 10x better and I don't have to go to a conference in Las Vegas to make that happen.

5. Get uncomfortable

I spent the majority of 2023 being uncomfortable. Walking 3.2 miles per day, it's not uncomfortable, it's just a routine. And then there is winter, where you can hear the snow and ice crunching under your shoes at 5:00 a.m. The warm houses seemed inviting, but I knew that my mind needed that 1-hour each day to get to the right place. Side effect of losing 28 more pounds was nice, but that by no means was or is the intention. I am now 78 lbs lighter than I was 5 years ago, so that's nice too;)

I spent and spend 6-hours a week on the couches and chairs of therapists who are helping me dive deep into a diagnosis of C-PTSD, one that I received upon submission to Hazelden in 2018, and neglected to pursue additional treatment for. It became a sleeping beast that harmed more relationships than it helped, and I was cracked wide open.

Good. Without it, profound healing and change would have never happened.

Professionally, I got honest about my weaknesses and blindspots. In come organizations like The Maker Group , increasing our target margins by 18% in 90-days. Negotiation was #1, and the second thing and focus of 2024 will be aligning the financial side of cash flowing the business to $3 million in 2024. There is a team of 3 people outside of the business that will manage this entire process, allowing me to truly see and run the business in a way that guides us to the target.

It's moving, always.

4. YouTube

For businesses, there is absolutely no other platform that can top YouTube for learning and earning.

Start a channel today.

Why?

Let me ask you a simple question. When you search for you answers on the internet, are you searching on LinkedIn or on YouTube? Google = YouTube as a video option in the search,. Samesies.

Need help? That's a large part of what we do - let's meet up!

Let's build your YouTube page out and start generating real revenue!

3. Start a business today

...if you feel that you have something you want to unlock and share with the world. Honestly, there are so many planning tools that you could use OpenAI or multiple other AI technologies to help generate your idea, bake your idea out and build a complete business plan in under 4-5 hours. You won't go back, I can assure you. One of the best mentors in the world for this, my friend Paul DeLuca . He constantly offers his calendar and time for free.

2. Keep it small and tight

There are few people, likely that I can fit on 1-2 hands, that I fight for every day. I think of them when I wake up, I say a prayer for them at night, and I think of them throughout the day. I do the work that I do for them as much as I do for myself. Feeling connected, accountable and responsible to a purpose greater than the direct work I'm doing is a gift. Discipline is a gift. Routine, can be a gift. Showing up consistently for others turned out to be the exact gift I needed for myself in 2023.

1. NOTHING is impossible.

When I was at Hazelden Betty Ford in rehab for alcohol, they listed the rate of success. I believe the number was less than 20% stay sober for 1+ year, 10% or less 5+ years, etc. I knew, without a doubt, that I would be in the that 10%. I knew because what I had found was that my $28,000 ticket to rehab was the Graduate Degree that I never knew I needed. In 2023, during a different "crisis" of sorts, I also became part of another statistic. This time, I'd be given a less than 5% chance to succeed. As we head out of 2023, I can tell you that all signals point to once again, being on the favorable side of a single digit statistical chance of success and I'm bringing these lessons and a few more into 2024.

Love the absolute sh*t of those around you. This life doesn't last forever.

See you in 2024

PS - I'm taking on 2 private coaching clients who want to level up to the top 1% in 2024. If that's you, let's get to work - https://calendly.com/magneticvibe/45-minute-meeting-with-steve-schmidt-of-magnetic