57 Lessons at 57: Today I turned 57.

57 Lessons at 57

Today I turned 57.

I enjoyed a quiet birthday at home with the people I love most. Time with Lori, my kids, and my beautiful granddaughter, Margot. It was a great day to pause, reflect, and give gratitude for the incredible blessings in my life. I’m thankful for the life I’ve been given, the people who have walked beside me, and the opportunity to keep learning, creating, and serving others.

As I reflected today, I jotted down 57 lessons from the first 57 years of my life. I hope one of them encourages you.

1. Choose kindness first. People may forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

2. Protect your time. Even ten minutes a day on your dreams moves your vision forward.

3. Read every day. Readers become better thinkers, leaders, and creators.

4. Ask more questions. Curiosity has opened more doors for me than having all the answers.

5. Keep a paper and pencil journal. I carry a Moleskine because some ideas are too important to trust to memory.

6. Take the shot. You’ll regret the opportunities you never pursued far more than the ones that didn’t work out.

7. Become known for something. Find the work only you can do and keep getting better at it.

8. Say thank you more often. Gratitude changes everyone involved.

9. Take care of your body before it forces you to. I wish I’d learned this lesson sooner.

10. Walk every day. I walk my dogs first and last thing every day. Fresh air and quiet clear your head like nothing else.

11. Spend money on experiences. Memories outlast almost anything you can buy.

12. Don’t wait until retirement to enjoy life. Build a life you don’t need to escape from.

13. Become the person who follows up. Most people don’t.

14. Listen more than you speak. The best leaders ask better questions.

15. Keep your promises. Your reputation is built one commitment at a time.

16. Apologize quickly. Pride has never improved a relationship.

17. Learn people’s names. Still working on this one. It’s one of the simplest ways to show someone they matter.

18. Make your family feel chosen. Success means very little if the people you love don’t feel loved.

19. Put your phone down. Presence is becoming a superpower.

20. Invest early. Time is your greatest advantage.

21. Own fewer things. More stuff usually means more stress.

22. Protect your reputation. It takes years to build and moments to lose.

23. Read biographies. Someone has already walked the road you’re traveling.

24. Celebrate other people’s success. Be the first to congratulate, encourage, and celebrate others.

25. Exercise even when you don’t feel like it. Motivation usually follows movement.

26. Become dependable. Be the person others know they can count on.

27. Smile first. It changes more conversations than you think.

28. Stop trying to impress everyone. The people who matter are looking for authenticity.

29. Encourage people every chance you get. You never know whose life is hanging on a kind word.

30. Create more than you consume. The world needs what only you can create.

31. Never stop learning. Curiosity has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

32. Don’t chase perfection. Finished changes lives. Ship it.

33. Laugh often. Life is too short to take yourself too seriously.

34. Guard your attention. Your focus shapes your future.

35. Take notes. The shortest pencil is still longer than the longest memory.

36. Have difficult conversations sooner. They almost never get easier by waiting.

37. Help people without expecting anything in return. Life has a way of bringing those blessings back.

38. Create traditions. The people you love will remember them for a lifetime.

39. Practice saying no. Every yes is also a no to something else.

40. Treat everyone with dignity. Character is revealed in how you treat people who can do nothing for you.

41. Stay coachable. The moment you think you’ve arrived, you stop growing.

42. Take more photos. Today’s ordinary moments become tomorrow’s priceless memories.

43. Be the friend you hope to be. Show up. Listen without fixing. Remember what matters to them. Protect their stories. Be present in the small moments and the hard ones too.

44. Give people your full attention. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can offer.

45. Build systems instead of relying on willpower. Good routines beat good intentions.

46. Write the book. Someone needs the story only you can tell.

47. Share what you’re learning. Teaching deepens your own understanding.

48. Lead with hope. People need someone who helps them believe tomorrow can be better.

49. Be the calmest person in the room. Calm leaders create confident teams.

50. Live with vision. Don’t drift through life. Decide who you want to become, then take one step toward that vision every day.

51. Take care of your future self. Today’s small choices become tomorrow’s reality.

52. Forgive sooner. Carrying resentment is simply too heavy.

53. Never stop being amazed. Wonder keeps you young.

54. Leave people better than you found them. That’s the kind of legacy worth pursuing.

55. Remember that life is happening now. Don’t spend your whole life waiting for someday.

56. Love people without keeping score. Sometimes the people you love won’t love you back the way you hoped. Love them anyway.

57. Give the world something worth following. Let your life point people toward kindness, learning, hope, generosity, faith, and love.