I was recently on a podcast and was asked what business and leadership lessons I would tell my 20-year-old self.  This is such an important thing to consider and reflect on as a business leader and entrepreneur.  Asking yourself this question unlocks the lessons learned and wisdom gained through your journey in life, leadership, and business.

Here are just a few of the things I would tell 20-year-old Matt.

• People over profit. If you focus on the profit the people will run.  When you pour into people the profit will come.  Focus on relentlessly investing in your people, their life, their leadership, and their growth.  Get to know them, their story, their dreams, goals, visions, and aspirations.  Then make it your ultimate goal to journey alongside them to accomplish these things.
• Painting a picture of perfection prevents true connection. We live in a world where social media bombards us with images, stories, and reels of someone with the perfect life, the perfect wife, the perfect meal, the perfect family vacation, holiday, and the list just goes on. We are conditioned to take a posture of perfection in our business dealing, putting our best foot forward, showing and sharing our A+, 5-star, shiny marketing brochure. Drop the perfection, and instead show up as just who you are; your imperfect human self, who makes mistakes and doesn’t always get it right. It is in this space that people actually connect and build trust, and that is what will build your business and advance your life and leadership.  To learn more about this concept in depth, check out my book Painted Baby: Connect with Clients Through Brave and Vulnerable Storytelling.
• Good things take time. Great things take more time.  Amazing things take even more time.  Things will not happen in business as fast as you think.  Be patient.  Many times, you will overestimate what you can do in a day, a week or a month, but grossly underestimate what you can do in a decade.  Start to view things in windows of decades.
• Stop comparing your journey to others. Focus on your journey and yours alone.  When you compare, make sure you compare where you are today with where you are from the past.  Have you improved and become better? Have you learned and grown? Have you advanced the things that matter?
• Focus on excellence not perfection. Excellence is the relentless pursuit of showing up as the best version of yourself every day.
• Your spouse and kids don’t care how much money you make. They love, care and want to spend time with you.  Be there for them and be present with them.
• Taking a few steps back is okay. We live in a culture where the hustle and grind mentality is pushed.  “DRIVE FORWARD,” they scream.  It seems if you are not ALWAYS moving the ball down the field, then you are a loser.  Remember that losing 5 or 10 yards, taking a step back may be exactly what you need right now. You may have been charging, grinding, and hustling so hard and fast that you were about to take your life or business somewhere not good.  God has a way of sacking you when and where you need it.
• Remember that every journey begins with a first step. Take that step.  You may not fully know what you are stepping into.  You may feel like you are walking in the dark or jumping into the deep end of the pool.  Have faith and take that step.
• Please remember that if entrepreneurship and leadership was easy, everybody would be doing it.
• Consider what you want your kids, grandkids, and great grandkids to say about you. One really fun way to do this is to write your own eulogy. Doing so may give you some fresh and needed perspective into what really matters in this world.
• Be selfish so you can then be selfless. Invest in yourself.  Fill your cup.  You cannot serve others if you have nothing to give. We are sold a lie that we should be entrepreneurial and leadership martyrs (I see this a lot where faith and business intersect). I have heard so many times that you should selflessly give of yourself, down to your last penny, last drop of energy, and last piece of yourself. This is not true. Do not be fooled.  Find ways and times to unplug, disconnect, refocus, recenter and revision your life.  Then find ways to restore and rejuvenate with things that fill your cup. An overflowing cup that is filled with joy, abundance, excitement and gratitude will naturally overflow to others. By the way, if you are looking for a unique and once in a lifetime way to fill your cup, I will be doing this with an amazing group of business leaders in September when we take the Hike of a Lifetime on the Camino de Sanitago. 

There you have it.  These are some of the lessons I would tell 20-year-old Matt.

How about you?

What lessons have you learned?  What wisdom have you gained?  What would you tell a version of yourself from 1 year ago, 3 years ago, 5 years ago, 20 years ago?

I hope this week’s blog gave you a quick shot of inspiration and practical wisdom for your life and business.

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