10 Things I’ve Learned
Lessons from a partial lifetime of trading punches with life.
I’ll start with a confession — I am not a big shot.
I’ve done well in my field, organized volunteer events for some incredible causes, and had a book published. I have an amazing family, a little financial stability, and a voracious appetite for learning.
From this, I have amassed a bit of experience.
But I also have boot marks from being on the ass-end of too many ass-kickings in my career. I’ve felt anxiety as a scheduled event approached with only a few people signed up when I had promised 50 volunteers. And I toiled for 20 years as an unknown poet and fiction writer before landing a book deal.
I’ve seen things and done stuff. Some of it comes recommended, but the rest sucks.
If you have a growth mindset, you likely soak up articles on Medium and LinkedIn by corporate changemakers and popular influencers. Those TED-talk-worthy folks are big shots — but not me.
Yet something remains absent from their carefully crafted, branded advice. It’s the key ingredient when you’re following a recipe for success — unabashed honesty.
With this article, I will give you this candor.