Reflections from 2012

As the year is coming to an end, I wanted to share with you my 25 best reflections and lessons learned from 2012. Here it goes:

 1. Give everything you have.  Then give more.  The fruit does not come from the end.  It comes from pushing through the end into the area of the unknown.

2. Forgive yourself and others.  Set down your bag of rocks and move forward.

3. People want your attention.  Give it to them.

4. Never give up on your dreams. 

5. Tell your loved ones you love them. Tell them a lot. Tell them often. And always with love.

6. Be grateful... For everything.

7. Look for opportunities to grow, even if it scares you... Especially if it scares you.

8. Tell the truth but speak with love.

9. Don't just look to be ordinary. Be unique. Be extraordinary.

10. Be humble. The truly confident and loving people shine with their sincerity, vulnerability, passion, and compassion, not the volume of their words and actions.

11. Meditate everyday and listen to your inner voice. You may not always like what it has to say, but sometimes that what holds the most valuable lessons. 

12. Read nonfiction. People spent thousands of hours mastering and boiling down a lifetime of
lessons into a couple hundred pages. Learn from them. 

13. Demonstrate discipline. Discipline in thoughts, words, and actions. Don't be a victim to your vices. Live consciously and choose wisely. 

14. Smile. You'll be happier and make others happier in the process. 

15. Become of service to others.  In a society built around technology,  people need your time, energy, and attention now more than ever. 

16. Show compassion for people.  Even the most hardened people need your compassion.  They are usually the ones who need it the most. 

17. Wear your heart on your sleeve. There is tremendous strength in vulnerability. 

18. Listen more than you speak. You don't know what you don't know and what you don't know usually turns out to be more powerful than what you already know. 

19. Build the people up around you. They will carry you further than you can take yourself alone. 

20. Dream big dreams and then get to work on making those dreams a reality. 

21. Surround yourself with people who are better than you. 

22. Write often. Even if nobody else gets to read it. 

23. You'll never regret kind words spoken to another person. 

24. Have patience. With yourself and others. 

25. Ask for help. It's builds stronger connections and opportunities to learn and grow.  

I hope you take these lessons, apply them to your life, and make 2013 the best year yet. 

Love,
Matt