do, discover, chase, pause and enjoy.

Today marks my one month of official living in New York City.

While I’m not normally the type who celebrates short-term anniversaries, I will say that I’ve never felt this level of closeness and connection with a city. I feel this strange commitment and atypical desire to stick around for a while… this is very unusual for me… but I like it… a lot.

That said, there are a few memorable lessons and learnings from my past month here:

(1) embrace challenges. limitations lead to enhanced creativity and more resourceful problem solving. with challenge comes opportunity; with restraint comes certainty and decisiveness. embrace challenge as it helps you limit possibilities and make more decisions faster. always trust yourself. you’ll amaze yourself with what you’re actually capable of.

(2) be an explorer. become immersed in the world around you and marvel at the beauty, design and colors. never allow routine and consistency to interfere with your ability to explore and experience something new and uncertain. (ps - please put your damn iPhone away. it’d be wise of you to instead experience the unrepeatable beauty of today.)

(3) chase uncertainty. the most strange, bizarre or seemingly incomprehensible experiences are often the most invigorating, meaningful and worthwhile. chase these moments until curiosities exhaust or answers are found. you’ll remember these moments for the rest of your life.

(4) monitor your behaviors closely. extreme stimulation increases your likelihood of feeling overwhelmed. when your personal time doesn’t feel like enough, pause. be aware of your reactions and behaviors, and give yourself time to breath. know when to say no, know when to walk away.

(5) re-energize. spend more time getting quiet and finding your small moments of joy. discover the meaningful experiences that energize you. above all, be rid of everything and anything that exhausts you. the sooner you remove, the faster you recover.

(6) always enjoy. life is not about reducing risk. what matters, instead, is minimizing regret. when presented with any new opportunity, consider whether or not you’ll regret it later in lieu of the potential risk involved now. that said, go after that which you think is impossible. take a chance on the unknown and be open to uncertain experiences.

in short: do, discover, chase, pause and enjoy. there’s no other way.