30 Lessons at 30

Hello everyone, Hector here…

Today I turn 30.

Yup…30. Three-zero. I still consider myself a kid, so here we are…

Every year on my birthday, I do the same thing: I sit down, I get quiet, and I reflect. Some of you have been on this list long enough to remember the "Lessons at 27" email. This one is a bit bigger, because I'm not just looking back at one year…I'm looking back at a whole decade.

And what a decade it was.

I stopped playing soccer. MAGIS was born. We went from 0 players to thousands and thousands of sessions. From one coach (me) to a whole team. I ran marathons I never planned to run. I climbed a mountain in Venezuela. I lost people, I gained people, I made a LOT of mistakes, and somewhere along the way I became a Memphian.

Today, I'd like to share 30 lessons from the last decade. I hope they serve you:

1. Gratitude is the antidote to everything. When we are grateful, nothing is missing…and there's always something to be grateful for.

2. Seek growth. The more you grow, the more you get to offer to the world. That's where fulfillment comes from.

3. Stagnation is not staying the same. It's becoming less.

4. Humans will always look for what's best for them. Still, provide value without expecting anything in return.

5. Nobody will care as much as you do, but you can build an environment where caring deeply is the norm.

6. Everywhere you go, leave a mark.

7. Be the different in the room. Break the status quo, provide an over-the-top experience, and ask: "why not us?"

8. People are always watching. Every single detail matters.

9. What you say is important. How and when you say it matters more.

10. Believe in the power of the word.

11. Core values are nonnegotiable. Define them, be clear, communicate them often.

12. Hire for core values, train for skill.

13. Trust fully in others, until proven otherwise.

14. If people copy you or talk about you (negative or positive), you are doing a good job.

15. No matter what, look for ways to help others…even if sometimes it means being taken advantage of.

16. Leadership means empowering others.

17. Adversity is a good thing. It means I'm in territory I've never been before, and that expands me.

18. Don't be scared of solitude. Sometimes elevation requires separation.

19. Getting where you want to go requires leaving places and people behind. That's okay. It's part of growing.

20. Assume responsibility for everything that happens to you. True or not, it takes weight off your shoulders.

21. Life is just life. We are the ones who give it perspective. Scary, but freeing…no matter what happens, we control how it affects us.

22. The people you think are way ahead of you are not. It's all in our minds. 95% of success is taking steps forward while scared and figuring it out on the way.

23. Don't hold on too tight. Let go and trust. You are not in control.

24. Maybe the biggest storm in your life was the single best blessing. You just don't see it yet.

25. Ask questions. Seek help. If you stay true to your core values, most people will want to help you.

26. What if you can actually be the one? Everything starts in your internal thoughts.

27. Being really great takes time. More than you thought. But eventually, things start showing up.

28. You don't have years left with your parents. You have moments. Make the most of them.

29. Take care of the things that don't require skill. Nobody can take those from you, and they separate you before talent does.

30. Control what you can control: your attitude, your energy, your actions. Everything else is noise.

One more thing…

If you read all 30, thank you. That means more than you know.

You'll notice most of these lessons have nothing to do with soccer. That's on purpose. Soccer was just the classroom. The lessons were always about life. Pick one and talk about it at dinner tonight. Ask your kid which one they'd add.

What a blessing it is to be alive. I'm excited for every single lesson this new decade has waiting for me…the good ones and especially the hard ones.

Thank you for being part of this journey. You have no idea how much this MAGIS family means to me.

Always More,

Hector