40 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

I recently turned the big 4-0.

I was inspired by one of my favorite writers, Kevin Kelly to mimic what he started on his 68th birthday (and later turned into the excellent book Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wished I Knew Earlier).

Here's 40 bits of unsolicited advice from my journey on this little blue dot of ours:

1. Find someone to say "I love you" to every day, even if it's just yourself.
2. Make every wedding you can. It's a good way to meet the family that made those people and a way to see friends all at once without doing one-on-one visits.
3. Wake up each day a little earlier than you think you should. The quiet moments in the morning will breathe life into the rest of your day.
4. Take every personality test you can find. They will also provide insight and give you language to better understand who you are.
5. Read and write something new every day. It'll improve your thinking.
6. Every time your child asks you to play with them, do it right then. Maybe you only have 2 minutes, but take the time. There will come a day that they won't ask you that again.
7. Pay for a coach. If Michael Jordan needed one, you do too.
8. Write down your goals and dreams. There's something about them being put on paper that makes them 2x more likely to actually happen.
9. Make your own home your own personal oasis. Travel to learn.
10. When visiting a new city, take a tour of it on day 1. It'll give you a new appreciation for the area and make it easier to navigate the rest of your time there.
11. There's no problem that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can't solve. Just limit them to no more than one at a time and no more than once per week.
12. Take more photos with you in them. It'll help you remember your experiences more vividly.
13. If someone asks you a question in casual conversation, get in the habit of asking them that same question once you respond.
14. Never stay stuck on "I don't know." It is an acceptable answer in the moment but never an acceptable answer over time.
15. Drink more water.
16. Cook more at home. It's less about the money or the calories saved (though those help). It's more about the ritual of cooking. It's the process of creating in a small moment that drives away stress and increases thankfulness.
17. Speaking of thankfulness, say thank you a lot more. It'll make you a better person.
18. Where you place things is often where they stay. Get in the habit of placing things where they belong when you set them down.
19. Don't be afraid to do things twice. The quest for efficiency and perfection has delayed many blessings in your life. Sometimes doing it twice is much quicker with better results.
20. Spend as much time in nature as you can. Walk outside, picnic, go to gardens, hike, golf, etc. The time in the elements will do wonders for you.
21. When someone comes across your mind, call or text them. Don't wait for the perfect moment.
22. From time to time, like that picture on social media just to let people know that they are seen.
23. Lift heavy weights. You don't need to be a bodybuilder, but lift in ways that challenge you. You'll quickly find out that you're stronger than you think you are.
24. Write down your personal values. Many people have an idea of them but have never taken a moment to write them out. Document them, revisit often, and live by them.
25. Take notes, review them, and decide on one action you will take based on them.
26. Go to the best conferences in your profession and choose to be a regular. (Bonus points for starting one.)
27. Use AI every day. Try to solve the problems you deal with most using it.
28. Fashion matters. Wear things that make you feel like yourself and get everything tailored.
29. Start teaching before you master. The act of teaching will make you a master faster.
30. Be kind to everyone, anything, and everything. If you close the door too hard, apologize to it.
31. Spend time staring at the stars. It'll remind you of the impossibility that you are.
32. Learn to talk nicest to yourself. People will then follow your lead.
33. You're sick, stressed, and overweight because you aren't getting enough sleep. The simple fix is to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Don't have a weekday schedule and a different weekend schedule.
34. The cure for anxiety is silence. Quiet the space around you and you'll quiet your mind. Learn to enjoy silence. Learn to be happy sitting with your own thoughts.
35. If you want to change the way you think, feel, or behave, change the questions you ask yourself. For example, instead of asking, "What's wrong with me?" ask "What can I learn from this?"
36. Control what you can control, and give the rest to God (or the universe or chance, whichever belief system fits you).
37. The greatest form of maturity is contentment. Happiness is fleeting. Being okay with where you are, as you are, is the highest form of self-actualization. It's okay to want more. It's not okay to treat what you have as not enough.
38. Life changes fast. Protect what you have so that when it changes, life doesn't get permanently worse for you.
39. Spend the most time with the people you love to hear laugh. That's your tribe.
40. Start the groups you wished existed. All amazing things start with just 2 or 3 gathered together regularly with enthusiasm.