I’m 34 years old today. Here’s some business & LIFE stuff I’ve learned along my journey
I’m 34 today. I’ve been a web designer and some form of entrepreneur or self-employed hustler since I was a teenager. I’ve had plenty of highs, and plenty of lows (some of the lowest even this week to be damn honest), and all sorts of stuff on the ride in between.
Here are some things I’ve learned throughout my life so far, in no particular ranking but just things that matter to me or have impacted my way of thinking in life, business, & relationships.
1. Speak up – introvert or extrovert, you gotta let people know what you think.
2. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. No one is gonna hire you, employ you, or send you a big fat check if you don’t step out and sell yourself.
3. Constantly invest in your craft – it pays dividends.
4. Freelancing is easy, but it’s also incredibly hard.
5. Building dope stuff with people you like is the greatest feeling in the world.
6. Getting big checks is awesome and will fire you up – but over time just getting money itself for something you don’t enjoy will drain you as well.
7. Whatever your goal is, do whatever you can to start working towards it today.
8. Time is going to fly by – I know plenty will say I’m young, but I’ve been at this business/entrepreneur stuff for 15 years and that’s wild and hard to believe most days.
9. Because time is going to fly by, try to slow down and enjoy the fleeting moments when things are good, they never seem to last as long as the bad moments for some reason.
10. When you have a great friend or partner, invest in the relationship consistently – once it’s gone and as life moves on, it’s harder to rebuild or create new relationships.
11. There’s nothing wrong with making money – get over the toxic idea that it’s somehow immoral to be able to provide comfortably for yourself, your family, and the people you care about.
12. Work hard as hell, but also don’t buy into this new social media wave of hype that someone is always gonna outwork you by getting up at 4am, and cold plunging.
13. Sometimes shit sucks, it just is what it is.
14. Sometimes things are awesome, but you’re too busy worrying about 99 other things to enjoy the good stuff.
15. Build up your personal brand, your network, your reputation – whatever you wanna call it. But just make sure people know what the hell you do.
16. Get the hell out of your house, apartment, or office and enjoy time with great people.
17. Build dope stuff, and enjoy the ride – it’s a wild one.
I don’t have it all figured out by any means – and I never will. But I’m grateful for the journey thus far, and excited to continue for decades to come.