Another trip around the sun for me. Here are a few things I learned, believe, or hold tight to from my journey thus far.

1. Write more. I am a bad writer, which is why I rarely write. But after reading the few things i have written in the past, I quite admire them, so recently I have been writing more. Putting thoughts into written words also has helped me personally and professionally.
2. Marry early and marry well. Building anything worth it takes time, and that time is way more fun and fulfilling shared with someone you admire
3. No one is coming. I used to rely on coaches and mentors to tell me what to do next. Reality is no one will show you the ideal path for your life, you have to make fast decisions and not be afraid to pivot.
4. Reduce farm-to-table distance of your food. The best ingredients are always the closest to the source. This general guideline helps my family eat well.
5. Growth comes from discomfort. And aging comes from comfort.
6. Nutrition is individual. Experiment, document what works for you, and stick to it.
7. Motivation is a feeling, dedication is a behavior. Focus on the behavior, you will be able to control the feeling.
8. Hard thing rule. One of my family’s “rules” that came from the book Grit: everyone pick one thing that they enjoy doing and aim to challenge themselves to master that thing. It must require deliberate practice and you must do for at least 1-2 years. Mine for the past 6 years has been building blockchain tech to enable the freedom to transact future.
9. Fun thing rule. Another one of my family’s “rules” that came from the book Grit: everyone should be doing things they find interesting and enjoyable, even if it doesn’t seem that they could ever lead to anything serious. Each family member will choose their own fun thing. Mine this year is boating.
10. Novice mentality. Nothing more challenging than being a “noob”, and having that spirit for everything will expand your knowledge boundary.
11. Distance is the ultimate time machine. Living away from my family since I’m 15 years old has shown me how fast things change from afar. It’s like I go into a time machine, and whenever i step out, everyone’s older and in a different life chapter.
12. If it’s not an absolute yes, it’s an absolute no. Focus on the vital few vs. the trivial many.
13. Ninety minutes of focus time is gold. Manage to get that time in everyday and you will get anything done.
14. Discipline killer is the 2-consecutive negatives. If you miss training today, do not miss tomorrow, everything compounds.
15. 1g/lb of bodyweight of protein. This has become common knowledge lately, specially in the tech community, but I have this guideline since the days of pro basketball
16. Intermittent fasting only works for cardio/HIIT workouts, and not heavy weight lifting. Again that’s what works for me.
17. Learn how to fight. It’s important to know you can crush someone, and just choose not to.
18. Men lead, provide, and protect their family. I live to be that man.