40

It has arrived. That wisdom that comes with a birthday that is divisible by 10.

What’s crazy is that I find myself ruminating on the past 10 years – thinking back to how turning 30 made me “legitimate,” and started a decade of, well, lots of stuff.

Is ruminating the right word?

Well, the very last thing I want anyone to do is be subjected to a load of crap on this site. So, instead, here are a few things I’ve picked up in the past decade:

1. Your significant other is likely definitely smarter than you.
2. Trust your gut.
3. If you have to choose between two or more opportunities: take the job (or gig or client engagement) that pays more money.
4. Some people will never get what they deserve. Get over it.
5. Often, the job that no one else wants is the job that provides the best opportunity for you.
6. Don’t be afraid of failure. (I ran a startup called U Sphere; it went under. People still ask me about it, want to know what I learned.)
7. Ideas are like water: the only way you’ll know if your idea is worth anything is to try to do something with it.
8. Remove toxic people from your life.
9. Working by yourself has its pluses and minuses. Consider both.
10. Don’t get hung up on what you name the product or service or business. Give it thought, sure, but there are more important things to worry about.
11. Avoid companies that are traded on the pink sheets.
12. Pick up the phone.
13. Don’t leave a voice mail message unless you absolutely have to.
14. Don’t read your own press clippings, if you have any.
15. When launching a business, think about sales cycle. If you call a prospect and they ask you to call back “next year at this time,” you are in the wrong business.
16. Put the Blackberry down when you’re eating dinner. (Kid #1 told me this in 2005. Stuck with me.)
17. The direct route is the best.
18. Being a Cubs fan is torture. Think long and hard before subscribing.
19. Being a Bengals fan means you don’t have to worry about watching the NFL playoffs.
20. A plus for someone in your circle does not necessarily mean a minus for someone else. Happiness is not a zero sum game.
21. If your business card is not a conversation piece, then you probably don’t need to hand it out.
22. Guys: on a two-button sportcoat, button the top button. On a three-button sportcoat, button the middle button.
23. If the boss asks you to lie, don’t do it. You may well lose your job, but you’ll be able to live with yourself.
24. If the other side in a negotiation won’t tell you who they are, who they are working for, or what they want with you, move on. It’s not a negotiation, anyway.
25. Adoption is just another way to build a family. Doesn’t make adoptive parents or kids any more or less special than anyone else. Just different.
26. Corporate America loves to say they’re “entrepreneurial.” However, at the end of the day, Corporate America hates hiring “entrepreneurs.”
27. Empathy is a nice trait.
28. So is politeness.
29. Belt and shoes should match.
30. You can wear an inexpensive suit – but if you add a pocket square, you’ll make it look much more expensive than it is.
31. Socks are an extension of the pant. Same color is best.
32. Your children may think someone else has a cooler job than you. That’s okay.
33. The best emails are sometimes the ones never sent. Ditto for tweets and Facebook posts.
34. Some people don’t want to have kids. Asking them why they don’t have kids is not cool.
35. Ditto people who are single.
36. The best way to build a business is to actually build a business.
37. Never turn down a chance to sit with a VC person, even if only for 10 minutes. And don’t waste their time: be succinct.
38. Life’s about way more than business. Maybe your passion is business, maybe it’s something else altogether.
39. Faith, Hope and Love are very important things.
40. The greatest of these, without a doubt, is love. (Yes, that’s Biblical.)

I’ve made connections, made friends, learned a ton, and am so very grateful for your time, your thoughts, your comments, and you just being you. All of you. You know who you are.

Thanks.