As we approach 2010 and my 26th birthday, I can’t help but think how the last 12 months have helped define my life.
I entered 2009 living happily in Manhattan, surrounded by my friends and working for a prolific agency on a great account. My life was great, but I felt out of place and, worst of all, uninteresting.
I realized that my job left me listless and devoid of my usual energetic spirit. I was not being utilized properly, inspired or even entertained. To fill this gap I decided, very consciously, to dominate the areas in my life that matter: creativity and exploration. I figured that the very least I could do was throw my energy, money and time into these budding passions, hoping to find myself along the way.
So, in the wake of my quarter-life crisis, I have compiled a list of lessons learned. Enjoy and have a very merry new year.
Go with your gut.
I never would’ve moved out west unless I trusted my gut. Your intuition is powerful stuff and I have identified this as one of my stronger attributes.
I don’t mean to imply that I make hasty decisions either. I have learned to think situations through, completely, and come to a decision that feels right. For example, it took me a year to commit to quitting my job and moving, but I took the necessary steps to do it and I felt more and more confident with each decision along the way.
I believe that this is an important ability to possess in business, but even more so when it comes to personal life. It is important to feel comfortable and relaxed, knowing full well that you did the right thing.
Explore, and then explore some more.
I bought a fancy SLR camera and hit the streets. I was living in the greatest city in the world and it made me sick that I wasn’t documenting it. The main reason that New York is so amazing is that it is filled with uncertainty. You could walk around the same block for your entire life and see something new everyday. That is why people love the city. The inconsistencies are addicting. The great thing about buying said fancy camera is that, at first, it forced me to explore. I had invested a lot into an intimidating piece of equipment and I was most definitely going to get my money’s worth. But after a while, it realized the beauty of the streets and the vastness of the five boroughs. What started as a quest to justify a large expense quickly turned into a hobby I could not live without.
It is always worth the money to gain exposure (no pun) to another world, do it hard and you’ll never regret the decision. But more importantly, take advantage of your surroundings. There is always something going on! Go find it (even if it means buying a camera).
Meet new people.
My family and friends comprise the two most important groups in my world. They have contributed almost every building block to my personal and complex infrastructure. I am grateful for their unwavering devotion and support.
But, and of course a “but” was coming, I have lots of leaks that need to be tended.
I’m not sure why I went with a building metaphor, but stay with me here. So, I have been assembled, piece-by-piece, by my past experiences and relationships. Now I am beginning to see the value of filling these cracks with opinions and stories from people who have not built my foundation, but who have different backgrounds and diverse, sometimes specialized skill sets.
I now see the value in combining my inner circles with those who I may have previously held at a distance. I am beginning to close the gap. I am beginning to mature and let genuine interest take control of my future self.
Challenge authority
I think this goes without say and my generation is pretty good at it too. It’s almost instinctual, which is cool, but what I find most interesting about challenging authority is that it no longer needs to be shrouded in tact. We are now afforded the liberty of throwing out ideas, in blog posts or tweets, without fearing the consequences of overstepping our bounds. In fact, I believe that most challenges are encouraged. Why not? Even a random thought or rant could shed some light on a wealth of insights.
As collective intelligence, and various crowd-sourcing business models, continues to demonstrate smart(er) thinking, we must be more willing, as individuals, to challenge those who are in control and attack problems or existing solutions from different angles. This process of thinking is not a future trend. It is now and it thrives off of questioning others in an effort to create better ideas.
Start something exciting and inciting.
Whether it’s a new hobby, a social media profile or a business, start something with the intention of watching it grow over time. Great ideas are a dime a dozen, so you might as well dabble in as many areas as humanly possible. You never know what is going to take off and spawn opportunity.
But the key is to get people on board early. Build something great and get people excited. As soon as that thing catches fire, you’ll already have an audience ready and able to help.
I started a meet up group a couple of months ago. My goal was to 1) meet people, and 2) assemble like minds. We now roll 100 people deep, all with similar interests and the willingness to mobilize for a cause. This inspires me to be a better leader and organizer, but it also incites others to take advantage of a new platform for creative exchange.
Originally, I didn’t have a plan for this group, but now I can’t stop thinking about ways we can continue to develop and grow. There is opportunity here and I’m excited about new ways to fuel the group’s growth and overall creative output.
Develop your own method.
Big ideas rule every industry. They come and go in our minds while we are left scrambling desperately for a pen, or in my case an iPhone, to write them down.
I’ve learned that I need to develop my own style of trapping ideas. I need a method that works for me.
My most successful thinking happens on my bike. When I cruise down hills and between cars my ideas take on a surprising level of clarity. It is only when I slow down that these thoughts tend to slip away.
If riding and thinking come hand and hand for me, I need to do it more. I also need to make a better effort to write down these ideas and record bits of inspiration with my flip. The bottom line is that I need to manage my method in a way that encourages and provokes a constant stream of insightful thinking.
Be your own kind of awesome.
Screw other people’s preconceived notions of awesome. Be your own awesome and dominate. Wear weird shit. Read random books. Collect odd toys. Listen to different music. Be yourself and people will always be interested in what you have to say. But awesomeness is and always will be synonymous with authenticity, so make sure your awesome is real and rooted in genuine passion.
