Back in January I remember looking back at 2015 and thinking how crazy the year was and how I was looking forward to putting life on cruise control and really letting life just settle down for a while.
Clearly that never happened. This has been a year of radical change, reflection and personal development.
Here are a few of the things that I learned in 2016:
- I need to read more. I consumed a bookshelf full of books this year and my brain is LIT UP. I’m loving it.
- I love walking, a lot. I walked over 2500 km in 6 months and can’t wait to get started again in the spring.
- Exercise, fresh air, nature and sunshine do wonders for my state of mind. I’ve no doubt that I would have slipped into a deep depression without them this year.
- 183 lbs is overweight for someone of my height and frame but walking alone can chop 30 lbs off of that.
- Audiobooks are an amazing way to enjoy a 2-3 hour walk. It passes by in a flash and I can consume a book in less than a week.
- How dopamine, endorphins, serotonin and oxytocin impact our behaviour (and how endorphins make walking so enjoyable).
- Why the notifications on your phone are so addictive.
- The LRH project showed me that I need to focus more of my energy on things that are less ephemeral.
- While I had a sense of purpose in the things that I did outside of work Pints, Urban League, LACH, etc I had lost my sense of purpose at work.
- Not having a sense of purpose at work wasn’t something that I could just sweep under the carpet, not for long anyway.
- I can live without a lot of things but I can’t live without a sense of meaning. I will spend my time chasing fulfillment, not happiness.
- Trust, love and respect aren’t finite resources, the more you give the more you get.
- Management and leadership aren’t the same thing and have very little overlap.
- Trust is the cornerstone of leadership.
- A leader’s most important job is to develop other leaders.
- The roles of initiators, supporters, observers and blockers in organizations. While I do three of these things with varying levels of effectiveness I really need to work on the observer role.
- How incentives trump altruism.
- The language that we use to convey ideas can be really exclusionary.
- Neuroscience fascinates me to the point where I’ve considered going back to school to learn more.
- The day that you were born can have as much to do with your success in life as anything that’s under your control.
- Mission, vision and values aren’t complete bullshit. They’re important for finding your tribe and staying on course.
- I need to hold onto my strong beliefs a little more loosely.
- I really need to be a lot easier on myself.
- I’m surrounded by people that will break my fall.
- I need to tell people how much they mean to me.
- I need to hug people more.
- I have the courage to start again.
I’m ready for you 2017, let’s dance.