I should start my own line of fortune cookies from this post! (source: stevendepolo)

ONE HUNDRED POSTS, BABY!

Today’s post is number 100 for Heroic Destiny.

As I look back through my archives, I thought “what better way to celebrate than to summarize”. (I am a data guy, after all…and we love to aggregate!)

The following are either lessons that I wrote about in the post linked to or that I learned as a result of it.

1. Amazing things can be born from a passionate desire to not be held captive by your fears.
2. A 9 to 5 job requires more than eight hours of your day; be mindful of that or your life will slip away.
3. Your creative muscle grows stronger even when coming up with awful ideas…and occasionally good ones slip in too.
4. The manner in which we live our lives is always according to our core beliefs (which often differ from what we THINK we believe).
5. Our fears cause us to live differently than that which we profess…but those fears are often unrealistic.
6. Fear is not an unconquerable monster; ignoring the “what if” and pushing through that which we are afraid of is the cure for fear.
7. Heroes give us hope that things can be better; they do so because we know they have to choose to overcome their circumstances.
8. YOU were born to play the part of the hero! If you don’t accept that, the world won’t be what is was meant to.
9. There is value in reminding people about their beliefs, fears, and heroes.
10. I like to read a lot.
11. You have a limited time offer: Your life. Act now to get the most out of it.
12. We all have the capacity to be saints and sinners…and our goals are a reflection of both.
13. Regardless of how bad an individual day is, the key to being happy is to be thankful for the sum of all prior days and how lucky we have it.
14. The incorrectly perceived safety of the template life will cost you more than you will ever risk to leave it.
15. Many of us don’t have the luxury of packing everything in a backpack; I’m thankful for my wife and her support on this journey!
16. Continually sharing your intent is a good way to make valuable relationships.
17. To quote another blog: “You need talent, luck, and persistence. Pick any two.”
18. Intentional living is not an abandonment of your beliefs, but requires a strong sense of belief to flourish.
19. Our story is not about the destination but about the journey to get there; that journey is all the things you learn about that destination.
20. The technology and tools at our disposal can help build relationships like no other time in history!
21. Your biggest dreams won’t come true while sitting on your ass playing video games. Own up to the sacrifice or stop dreaming!
22. The “well rounded” mentality is a product of the factory mindset. Choose to be excellent in something.
23. My formula for success: Focus on your beliefs, create a strategy to reach your dream, and then make the appropriate sacrifices.
24. Sometimes your heroes are thankful that YOU acknowledge THEM.
25. Sometimes you may write something you regret later; if it’s your blog, take that crap down! (No link…I took it down.)
26. You may be amazed at which of your interests people find entertaining; don’t be afraid to play them up.
27. Contentment does not equal success; we can fool ourselves to be content with less than our dreams.
28. Cynics are threatened by your desire to change; it highlights the fact that they have avoided the responsibility in their own lives.
29. Of all the things I have learned about being online, the most life changing is the discovery of amazing people I would not have met otherwise.
30. Don’t be afraid to talk about things more than once; not everyone listens the first time around.
31. There are amazing things being produced online every day.
32. We don’t go from ignorance to mastery in one step. Knowing the process gives us the freedom to learn.
33. I say this often: YOU KNOW STUFF OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW!
34. The belief in the Church of the Template Life is stronger than any other religion right now. You’ll need help to escape it!
35. Providing valuable feedback is a legitimate strategy for building relationships.
36. Don’t just focus on your final product, make the delivery equally artistic and engaging.
37. YOU have the ability to be a rockstar in your own life.
38. This post linked to one of my favorite online stories ever.
39. You can learn from one of two places: Your own experiences or someone else’s. (Psst – The second one is less painful)
40. Waiting around for inspiration is a waste of your time; cultivate a lifestyle of inspiration to achieve your dreams.
41. Waiting around until you “feel” like doing something is also a waste of time; cultivate a lifestyle of discipline to achieve your dreams.
42. None of my experiences have change my belief that people pay for one thing and one thing only.
43. Anytime that we claim to be helpless in a situation when we have options, we are choosing to be a victim. Don’t make that choice.
44. It is an awesome thing when someone else recognizes you and your hard work.
45. Our lives are positioned in the middle of a lot of noise; eliminate that which is unnecessary.
46. If you are putting yourself in the public eye, it is always good to communicate your intentions and changes in strategy.
47. It is more difficult than you think to elicit a response from people sometimes.
48. Way more difficult than you think.
49. The concept of “perfect” is most people’s biggest enemy to ever finishing (or even starting) anything.
50. If you want to be successful, choose hard work that you enjoy and make it an art!
51. Complicate things too much and you’ll lose people. Make things valuable, simple, quick and actionable.
52. Trust me, if you DO make it complicated, you’ll want to pull your hair out at the lack of good results.
53. Sometimes you need others to point out what you’ve had all along.
54. Spend your energy solving expensive problems…they pay more.
55. You WILL hit a dip occasionally. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving.
56. Really good plans sometimes take much longer to implement than you originally think. (Don’t give up on them!)
57. You need to be honest about yourself WITH yourself to succeed. Honest about the bad AND the good.
58. Look back at your past successes; is there something you can enhance and bring back for another success?
59. If you want to succeed in today’s world, you need to build an online presence. (That’s not an analogy, quit living in fear and get your ass online!)
60. The internet can be tamed. There ARE tools to help you be an online ninja.
61. Still not convinced that the template life is bad? Seriously? Ok, 50 reasons why you should leave it.
62. Dig through your features to discover what your core business is, then focus on that.
63. Online is not the only place to find humans; make sure you have an offline strategy too.
64. The purpose of my blog is threefold: networking, marketing, and focus development.
65. Interview people who know more than you.
66. Instant gratification is the entrepreneur’s best friend…just avoid the temptation yourself.
67. Your strongest voice is the one that comes from who you truly are. Don’t be afraid of it.
68. You never know what a casual interaction with someone can turn in to.
69. We all have an emotional bank account in each other; be careful to not live with insufficient funds or the relationship will suffer.
70. Find amazing people, get to know them, highlight them, then meet them face to face.
71. Be grateful for people that are brave enough to contact you; they can be your biggest asset.
72. We’re all imperfect. Stop thinking you’re the only one and get over it so you can do amazing things.
73. Be clear about why you do what you do.
74. Sometimes you’ll find friends in unexpected places that make life so much more enjoyable. Be thankful for them.
75. Don’t be afraid to share real life events with the world. After all, we are humans living real lives.
76. Consuming information is not the same as intentionally studying it. Their is a wealth of knowledge ready for you to discover.
77. Listen to what people are saying when they talk to others; you’ll learn more than just when they talk directly to you.
78. Interview people with whom you share life and have become good friends with.
79. You’re not too old to decide what you want to be when you grow up.
80. Don’t be afraid to let people into your life. They just might change it forever!
81. Don’t be afraid to kick personalities out of your life…especially if they are your own.
82. Treat your customers with respect as if they were a sacred thing. They are!
83. In fact, treat people well enough that they fall in love with you before asking them for money.
84. There is a secret war between the bloggers and hippies in Portland, Oregon. Be careful.
85. Focus on relationships and traffic will take care of itself.
86. Step away from the computer. Live life with people in the “real” world. Be in awe of how good life is.
87. Offer extravagant things to your people and you will never lack for a good return.
88. Don’t just fill the air with clutter, present your information as a story and people will remember it.
89. Happily ever after? Meh. Dragons, orgies, and spreadsheets? Hell ya! (Story is better than formula.)
90. Money is not the only commodity. Be mindful of the economy of each.
91. Be specific about what you do by focusing on your abilities, strengths, and interests.
92. Then look for the problems that you find and make money by solving them.
93. Thinking that you can quit your current life and be immediately successful on 4 hours of work is ignorant. Your dreams require more than that.
94. Even when it’s free, make sure you create amazing things! People will notice.
95. Your success can come from more than one place.
96. Watching gorillas will never make you one. Now is the time to join the band.
97. Have a threesome every now and then (I’m referring to interviews, you freak!)
98. Don’t be afraid to let others speak on your platform.
99. You know people who know stuff others want to know.
100. Be proud of your successes, but don’t dwell on them. Instead, use them to catapult you into the future.

(I should also add lesson 101 – Posts with 100 or so links will take about 5 times longer than you think to create. Plan accordingly!)

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who has been more amazing than I could have possibly imagined. My life has changed so much since starting this endeavor and the people that I have encountered have played a starring role in that change.

Here’s to the next 100!