Happy Birthday to me...

Upfront I’d like to say that if you insist on getting me a gift I am truly grat

eful but you should make a donation to your local food bank instead.

For those who struggle with my age, it’s somewhere between thirty-seven and eighty-four — if you want something more exact it’s probably easier to just pick a number and move on (it’s only just a number). I will admit it’s always nice to receive birthday wishes but I really like this day because it offers a natural moment to reflect. Now that I’ve turned somewhere between thirty-seven and eighty-four, it would make sense to reflect on a life lived (so far). Maybe it’s because I believe I’m at an age that I’ve achieved some semblance of wisdom and wanted to share, or maybe, just maybe, this is a poorly veiled attempt to get some birthday wishes and a donation or two.

Reflections so far:

There are few greater emotions than a parent’s love for a child — I love you very much sweetie.

Look after your health. Just assume you aren’t as healthy as you think and step up your game. Health is all about the long game — healthy today is also healthy tomorrow; not so healthy today, is definitely unhealthy tomorrow.

Protect, cherish and work at your relationships. They are only as good as the effort you put into them — it’s best to surround yourself with diverse, smart, caring and interesting people, and get to know them.

Leadership is defined when times are difficult: with vision, decision making, and ownership. This applies to character for that matter.

Be curious and never stop learning — new and different is always better than old and the same. Listen to people, particularly when you don’t agree with what they say. The moment you stop listening and learning is the first step to becoming irrelevant. And irrelevant is a very lonely place to be.

Nothing is accomplished unless you do something — and the moment you do something is when you will be judged. Experience has shown that many times those who judge don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about (so keep that in mind). Choose your influencers well, because ironically, you need constructive feedback to progress and grow.

 

And one final thought — Memento mori. One of my trusted influencers reminded me of this the other day when he said, “Don’t waste what little time you have left on things like that.”

It was very good advice. Happy Birthday to me

iamgpe

PS: Yup, I’m a Capricorn