20 Mar 28 Things I’ve Learned in 28 Years of Life (Part 2)

Welcome back! Last week I shared with you the first half of the 28 Things I’ve learned in my 28 years of life, well now I will share with you 14 things.

15. JUST DO IT

Nike is right on this one, when it comes to live your life to the fullest, you need to just do it. Go with the flow, act on the moment, be spontaneous but more especially, enjoy what you do. In the past year, I’ve taken WAY MORE trips that I took in my whole life. I decided that it was time for me to explore and I decided to do so. You want to go to Mexico, just do it! You want to quit your job, JUST DO IT! But please know, the entrepreneur life is NOT EASY at all! There’s ups and down and you need to balance it all.

16. Travel Heals

As mentioned above, last year I’ve travelled way more than the rest of my life. From discovering different states in United States, to road trip in Halifax, to enjoy Europe with the boys without forgetting going to Guatemala to just relax, I’ve realized that travel heals. Other cities have different tempo and if you are from Montreal, Toronto or other big cities, it gets stressful. When you travel, you change your pace, your mood is different and you definitely want to take it easy. It is definitely one of the best way to recuperate from your daily life but watch out, it gets addictive and the urge to travel is an expensive drug. However, I believe that must of you should take some time off to travel and discover new cultures, countries or simply new cities!

17. Keep your head up

Life loves to give you jabs and uppercuts, but if you fall down 7 times… make sure to get up 8! You have to keep your head up. It is too easy to quit and that is why you shouldn’t do it. One of the most corny line that is true is that life begins at the end of your comfort zone and trust me on this one, it really does. As soon as you get off your comfort zone, things are more tough, you want to let go and just go back to where you are comfortable but BELIEVE ME, when you are able to get off your control zone and that you are able to stand back up after whatever life throws at you, YOU ARE GOOD. One of the most inspiring podcast episode that reminded me this was from Andy Frisella, Through Hell from the MFCEO Project.

18. Learn to say no. (You cannot do everything)

If you want to be productive, or be able to achieve your goals, you have to learn to say NO. It is important for you to know how to say no. I’ve learned it the hard way by spreading myself too thin! I always wanted to be involved in different projects and to be part of great events, however, I was accepting it all! We all can relate, we don’t want to disappoint and we don’t want to miss out. FOMO is REAL (FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out!) Often, it is better to say no than to say yes and not be able to deliver!

19. Taking the bus is not that bad

This is probably the last lesson I’ve learned in my 28 years that has a big impact on my wallet. For the past 8 years, I’ve been driving everyday to move around town, to go to meetings and now, it has been over 3 weeks that I did not use my car, why? Because I am not lucky with it! Last winter, I got 4 flat tires, and this year I am already at 2! I never realized how much my car was costing me until I decided to not risk it anymore and take the bus instead of driving downtown! In fact, when I take the bus, I do not risk having a flat, I am able to schedule myself, to be productive on my way to the office or a meeting and also I do not need to pay for parking! There’s a time in your life that you want to track where you spend your money and using your car has a big weight on your budget. Give it a try, take the bus for a week and look at how much you spent on transportations! You will find out that you spent less money by taking the bus than just on parking fees at the end of a week.

20. Disconnecting is good for you

When it comes to be on my phone, you could probably say that I am on it more than full time. My job consists to be online, to be on social media and to be aware of what is going on. However, most tends to loose themselves in this world ( I am guilty) and forget to takes some time off for themselves. Disconnecting is good and I am currently trying to be better at it. Can you believe that I have not spent one day without a phone in my 28 year! Now, I am changing it up, so far my record was 12 hours ( which happened last night). Once you can disconnect from your phone, it seems that you get a clearer vision. In Guatemala, I was spending 6-8 hours at a time without a phone and it definitely felt good. Instead of looking down, you look up. Instead of looking at other moments online, you can live the one you’re in. Disconnecting is good for all of us.

21. Networking is KEY

My friend Thierry just released a video saying “ It is not who you know, it’s who knows you” and I couldn’t agree more. Your network often predicts your net worth! Build relationships and try to connect with others as much as possible. In the past year, I’ve met so many people at different events and online. It is tough to be a friendship over a night but you can always make a good impression so they can remember you. If you want to network more, there’s so much ways to find events to attends from Meet-ups group to going to 5@7. Feel free to listen to my keynote on How to Network Better ; F.E.E.L.

22. Make Time For Yourself

It is quite simple, get some me time. Work on your projects and even if they don’t bring you value or money; if you enjoy doing it, JUST DO IT! I personally enjoy doing vlogs and while I don’t have that much subscribers on my Youtube Channel, I LOVE DOING IT and it is one of my way to make time for myself.

23. Be Accountable to YOURSELF

Do you know what it means to be accountable? It means to be responsible or answerable to someone for something. Now, you should be accountable for yourself and understand why you do every actions. Accountability comes from within and you will see online many accountable groups where members support each other but at the end of the day; you have to be good with yourself.

24. FREEDOM HAS NO PRICE!

I must admit, the life I live now is better than I ever wished for one reason; I FEEL FREE! ( Well not yet, I still have a mortgage to pay but that’s a detail). Over are the days when I used to go to work from 9 to 5 and report under several bosses. Now, I am able to wake up at the time that I want, do whatever that I want with whoever that I want! However, I must keep in mind that I have to work and get paid if I want to be able to travel and more. People are quick to judge when it comes to being a solopreneur thinking that you are not making money. Money ISN’T everything, time IS! Being free is awesome and you must understand that no matter how much money you make if you don’t feel free, you are missing out.

25. Be Creative

Don’t be scared to be creative. As mentioned above, freedom is everything but being able to let our creativity guide us is one hell of a feeling. By being creative, I mean to change your perspective. To look at things differently and to turn negativity into positivity. I consider myself a creative person since I was a kid, however, I don’t know how to draw. I can write, I can rap, I can DJ and now I can create content ( photography, videos, and blogs). Creativity is the way you showcase your personality and imagination via different channel. Be creative! And once you are creative, try to get paid for your art, now we’re talking! BE

26. SOCIAL on SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and more are social media for a reason. Often, people tend to forget that they can connect on these platforms and decide to only use it to showcase themselves. I can ensure you that in the past year, I’ve hung out with more people I met on social media that I’ve known before. Social media is amazing and it also gives you the opportunity to connect with people that are far from you.

27. Read More

I can’t believe I am saying this, but reading is actually good for you! Reading every day gives you a mental stimulation that helps with the reduction of stress. And it is important to pick up a book, your brain reacts differently to what you read in a book and what you read on your phone or computer. When you read more, you increase your focus and concentration. This is an important skill to have in 2018! There are so many noises in our everyday life that it becomes difficult for us to stay focused. Reading helps you with that and finally, it improves your vocabulary! Even if you don’t write blogs or essay, reading will change the way you talk and the way you express yourself! READ MORE

28. BE YOU

I don’t need to tell you what this means. Stay true to yourself.