Today, I learned…

Today, marks 29 years of my existance on this planet we call Earth, and while I have many things to be grateful for—my two boys, my health, a somewhat successful company, my immediate family, good friends, and the ability to surf almost every day—I am still not where I imagined I would be a few years ago; but, today I learned, that’s also okay.

I aimed for that golden number, 30, heck, I missed countless opportunities with my boys, my family and my friends, hours of sleep were lost to my Mac and my notebooks. Maybe, perchance I will still get there, but today—especially today—I have learned that that coveted top 30 under 30 is not a title, or a place, that is meant for me. 35 is also okay, so is 40, and that if I reach my goal(s), albeit 5/10 years later, I’ve still reached my goals, and that’s okay. Killing myself to get there, well that’s just silly. If I don’t make them all, or get to that pedestal I’ve set for myself, well, fine.

I’ve also made peace, finally, with that which cannot be changed. I did my best, and yes, I faltered, I made mistakes, I let people down, I hurt many of those closest to me—including myself—but it is in the past, and if all I can do is learn from it, learn to not repeat it again, then I have learned the lesson that was being taught.

Today I’ve learned that my emotions tend to rule, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is also not an ideal thing; often emotions can cause more damage than good.

I’ve written many things, some that those closest to me have seen, others that are banished to the drafts folder to die, unread and unpublished; but reading those again today, I learned, that’s a good thing.

I’ve had some really good friends give me some solid advice recently, and in the past; advice that I have been somewhat reluctant to take, because a part of me didn’t want to give up, because, a part of me believed (or still believes) that there was maybe a glimmer of hope, even an inkling of a chance at making it work; but today I learned that sometimes it’s okay to just walk away and accept that you’ve done the best you can, and the outcome: well it’s out of your hands.

This is not a challenge, or a goal setting piece of writing, but more about acceptance, and a lesson.

That lesson: it’s okay to walk away, to admit defeat, to pick up, and carry on.

Yes, I have goals (both personal and in business) which I have set, some that I need to achieve urgently, others that I need to achieve at some point and others that if I never achieve them, well, okay.

There are a few opportunities in what I have learned today, and I will touch on them in the coming articles, but if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading. In the words of Mr Kenny Rogers:

You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em,
know when to fold ‘em,
know when to walk away,
and know when to run…