Earlier this week I turned 30 and I wanted to capture my thoughts at this time of life. I started working on this entry two weeks ago with no real plan and this is what I came up with.
Character First – This one has become important to me recently as I realised that it is where we must start. We must develop character first before anything else. It lays the foundation for all future success. Technical skills will come. Everything else will come. But start with Character first.
Memento Mori – I’ve talked about this one a lot but it is still something that spends a lot of time in my thoughts every week. It is way too easy to pretend that we are guaranteed a certain amount of time in life and that important tasks can wait. They can not. We are guaranteed nothing. The only guarantee is the present. The warrior lives here, now.
Girl Dad – Being a parent is one of the coolest and toughest roles in the world. We basically never really know what we are doing and yet, here we are accountable for two human lives. It’s funny how much stuff just comes naturally though, and the rest, we bloody researched a lot. Also, Piper and Hazel don’t give a shit about half the stuff I thought they would about me as a Dad. I thought I had to be this perfect Dad; good job, nice house, money for everything etc. But they just want me to be with them. To play, laugh, learn and explore. To hold them accountable when needed. To just be present and care and really listen. To love their Mum right and to lead by example. We have a little family motto “Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter.” It’s a pretty good place to parent from too. I love you girls.
Husband – To an absolute superstar. I don’t even care how cliché it is but I wouldn’t be where I am without Amy. Not even close. Watching her battle through motherhood, and it’s definitely a battle, is nothing short of inspiring. She is my favourite person to do everything and nothing with. Without even meaning to, she taught me how to focus my pursuits and gave me purpose in life. I love you superstar.
Action – Still the one that I, and most humans, struggle with the most. Talking is easy. Telling people I am going to do something is easy. Thinking about doing something is easy. Planning to do something is easy. Writing about doing something is easy. Action is hard, but it is the key. Like, the only key that unlocks any door forward. If I’m not interested in action then I can just chill because this is as far as I’ll ever get.
Sound Mind in a Sound Body – Brick number two in the foundation after character. I must exercise my mind and body every day. Become strong, fit, healthy, and mentally prepared. There isn’t an argument anymore for not looking after your body and mind. It has to be a priority. No matter what else I, or anyone has going on in their lives. This is a must.
Crew – The pursuit of potential is easier when surrounded by the right crew. The tricky part is that when we are in a group, we can move in the group direction at unbelievable pace. It’s all about picking the right crew and moving in the desired direction.
Books – Read. A lot. Take notes. Treat the book whilst reading like the author did whilst writing. Respect it.
Service and Love – The older I get and the more I discover about the world, the more one thing becomes clear to me. Being of service to others is the highest calling. In any way that you can. We must give more than we take if the world is to become a better place. We must give with no thought of reward or praise. We must love even when it seems like the hardest thing in the world to do. One of my mentors regularly says two lines that are really etched into my brain: “The hardest people to love are usually the ones that need it the most.” and ” A candle loses nothing by lighting another.”
Beginners Mindset – There are two types of people I’ve met a lot in my life. The first are the ones who think they have it all figured out. They know it all and how it works and they are set in how they think and act. The second are the ones who know for certain that they will never have it all figured out and that life is a constant game of learning. Be the second one. The first is just your ego taking over. Little tip: No one has it figured out.
Journal – I have a busy mind at the best of times. Journaling has helped me to organise that in a way that is nearly indescribable. Getting thoughts down on paper, for me at least, makes them that much easier to work through. I carry one with me everywhere now so I never have an excuse not to write down ideas, thoughts or inspirations.
We choose – This is a tough one to grasp and even tougher to implement but that doesn’t make it any less true. No matter what happens to us, no matter the circumstances, no matter what we are presented with in front of us, we always get to choose how we respond to that stimulus. Our response is always in our control. For good or for bad, it’s always on us. We are solely accountable for how we act and must take ownership of that.
Get to – This is another great one that my mentor has instilled in me. To change my have to’s to get to’s. Nearly everything that we take for granted in life is something that someone else would beg to have. Driving to the shop, watching the kids play sport, going to work, a family gathering, the gym, house repayments etc. The list goes on and on. I don’t have to do any of those things. I get to.
I think that will do. I had no plan at the start of this, just to get written down some of the things that have become most important to me at 30 years of age. I’m not guaranteed another chance to write this at 40 but if I get to, I look forward to seeing how my thoughts have changed in the next 10 years.
Pursue your potential
Dice
Inspired Lion 
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