Thirty Nine Years

Today marks the start of the last year of my current decade.

Sure, that is a weird way to look at it, but as the sounds of Sons of Anarchy fill my office that is how my brain is spinning.

I traditionally compose thoughts on the morning of my birthday to look back and forward at the same time.

This past year was filled with the typical mixed bag of accomplishments, surprises and challenges. Flipping through my notebooks and photos it is hard to imagine that all this happened in less than the past three hundred and sixty five days.

I certainly did not expect to feel the soil of Ghana under my feet and leave with it in my soul. There were no plans to attend World Domination Summit and leave inspired to change the world. Who knew that I'd be on the TBEX stage in front of my biggest audience ever to share my passions? Delivering my first TEDx speech not here in Boston, but on the other side of the globe in Nottingham, England? Nope, that wasn't planned for either.

There were lots of smaller moments too. Seeing Amazing Things Will Happen in a bookstore and getting rave reviews from friends and strangers. Sharing sangria and giggles at a cafe in Girona, Spain with strangers who I know are now friends that I'll see many more times in the future. All the conversations, coffees, drinks and moments spent offline, in the moment with friends around the world.

At some point in the coming year I'm sure that I'll freak out over turning forty. Thinking about age is not something I do often, but those big milestone birthdays tend to do it to me.

The path I've chosen for the year ahead is not an easy one, but it is the one that I need to walk. Making The Cleon Foundation a success, finding patrons to sponsor my art and making sure as many people as possible read, watch, listen and are inspired by my work. Those are the goals. Can I achieve them? I'm my biggest cheerleader and doubter some days, but in my heart I know I can. I won't settle for anything less.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes that have already come in and those that will come.

I'm taking the day off to do nothing :)