2017: The Year of “Finally”
5 Lessons From My Best Year Yet
The biggest losses I’ve ever been served came from 2017. I honestly don’t feel comfortable disclosing them to the public at this point in time (maybe in a year or two), but trust me when I say they had me backed into a corner.
Oddly enough, 2017 also served me the biggest wins I’ve ever experienced in my life. I finally started working on ideas that I’ve had in my head for years. I finally took steps to becoming the guy I’ve always wanted to be. I finally doubled down on Astawa.
I know it’s super cliche, but those wins would have never happened without those L’s.
You know what else starts with ‘L’?
Lessons. Here’s a few from my best year yet.
1. Show Your Gratitude Through Your Actions
This was the very first lesson I learned in 2017. How grateful are you really if you’re waking up at noon everyday? Yeah, you say you’re grateful for the opportunities and privilege you have, but your actions aren’t lining up with your words. Get up. Do the work. Talk is cheap. Show how grateful you are.
2. It Doesn’t Matter if You’re the Best
My business partner (but friend first) Ali Raza said this. In a world of 7.6 billion people, it’s extremely unlikely that you’re the absolute BEST at what you do. Additionally, what good is it being the best at something if no one knows who you are? Yes, always be refining your skills. But at the same time, make sure you leave your house and show your face to people.
3. There’s No Hustle Without Health
Putting in more hours isn’t how you get more done. This year I was obsessed with living like an outlier so I could become one. I thought that meant skipping out on food and sleep in favour of working longer. That’s not the answer. How do you expect to drive a car with an empty gas tank? Don’t be dumb. (Here’s a video talking a bit more about the importance of health.)
4. Being Scared is Okay
Our comfort zones never disappear. They only widen. It’s our responsibility to push them a bit further everyday or risk becoming complacent. When you muster up the courage to live the life you truly want to be living, you’ll get that nervous little knot in your stomach. Embrace it.
5. Go All In On Yourself
For years, I would go to bed pissed off at myself every night for not having worked on my dreams. There was no question about whether or not I was capable, I knew I could do it. For some reason, though, I would never make the effort to sit down and do the damn work.
2017 wouldn’t have been all that it was if I didn’t make the decision to go all in on Astawa. In September, Ali and I moved DxM Creative into Lab B and finally became full-time after years of barely being part-time at our venture.
Funny things started happening once we went full-time.
People who I’ve looked up to for years wanted to work with us, we met the most incredible individuals, opportunities started popping up left and right, our team began to grow– that’s just the beginning.
The last fours months of my life have been so much fun. I’ve never been happier.
Thank you, 2017. 2018 is all about momentum.
Let’s get it.
