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.