Every month, no matter how busy we are or what’s going on in our business, my leadership team and I make time to come together to learn and grow as humans and leaders.

In celebration of turning 32 this week, I’m sharing 32 things I’ve learned in 32 years—it’s my birthday tradition!

As I write this, I’m in a place of total overwhelm. There’s so much work to be done. I could work all day, every day and still have an overflowing to-do list. At one point this week my inbox was in the high 200s. 

I’m a huge believer in choosing one big goal and laser-focusing on it. This year, our business goal is to pay off our last $250k in debt.

The other day, I had nine phone calls back-to-back. NINE. And it didn’t feel like work . . . at all. That’s because sales is one of my work “sweet spots.”

I had a mini leadership crisis recently. I came to the painful realization that I am NOT FUN ANYMORE!

Fear can be paralyzing, and it’s especially harmful to lead from a place of fear. Believe me, I’ve done it. And it isn’t pretty. 

You’ve tried everything to make it work at your organization, but it just isn’t enough. So what do you do?

New Year’s resolutions never worked for me. I always set too many goals, which meant they never stuck. That changed in 2019. 

Not too long ago, I was in an airport going through security. I put my bag on the security belt, and without realizing it, I bumped the hand of the man in front of me with it.

When was the last time you just sat around and . . . thought? No interruptions. No distractions. Just quality thinking time?

I used to be proud of how I could “juggle it all,” but now I realize there was nothing to be proud of. Not being fully present on the task or person in front of me hurt both my work and those around me. Both deserved my full engagement and focus, and I wasn’t giving that to anyone or anything.

On a recent call, my coach asked me a question that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. We were talking about the goals my team has set for this quarter, and as we went through each one, he asked: “How confident are you that the team will hit this goal, 1-10?”

My message this week is short and sweet. It’s simply this: It’s hard to lead a team when you are still learning how to lead.

Last week, I had my first session with a group of leaders I’ll be coaching for the next year. To help them get in the right mindset, I took them through an exercise that centered on one question: What kind of leader do you want to become?

What’s the thing you tell yourself you can’t do?

For me, it was always distance running. I convinced myself that I wasn’t capable of running beyond the 2 miles I could barely do without stopping. That is, until the day I decided to prove myself wrong.

Have you ever met a person and said to yourself, “I want to know everything they know”? That happened to me recently with one of my clients.

When I’m struggling with something, I write about it. I write to get clear on my thoughts and feelings about the situation, and doing so usually helps me identify the best path forward. It also helps me reflect on what the experience is teaching me.