Happy New Year, Creative Hustlers! I hope 2017 was everything you had hoped for.

As I’ve done in the past, below are 18 intentions for the new year because let’s face it, resolutions don’t work, and within a few weeks, everyone has fallen back on what they ‘resolved’ to do.

Like they say…Old habits die hard!

So here they are… 18 Intentions for 2018:

1. I intend to be more mindful of the present by practicing self-awareness while I take the stairs (more on this coming soon)
2. I intend to be profitable with every project I work on by paying attention to timelines, budgets, and my own time management
3. I intend to do more purposeful networking both in my ‘backyard’ and across this amazing world by escaping my comfort zone and entering industries I’m not as well known in
4. I intend to listen more and talk less by taking a more proactive approach to asking the right questions at the right time
5. I intend to have more empathy towards friends, family, clients and my audience by striving to remember their wants and needs
6. I intend to read 40 books this year through a combination of audio books and hardcover, which I prefer
7. I intend to continue to focus on my quality of life through fitness, diet and making healthy choices at every opportunity possible
8. I intend to focus on metrics that matter, because data for data’s sake is useless
9. I intend to engage my left brain and right brain equally by taking time to ‘play’ and engage my creative side
10. I intend to find more work / life harmony by keeping the focus on quality and not quantity
11. I intend to make more music this year by writing actual songs and not just ‘jamming’
12. I intend to continue to invest in my personal and professional growth including joining organizations to further my career, remaining focused on education, and have the opportunity to pursue personal interests
13. I intend not to let the highlight reel of social media distract me from my goals by limiting social usage and leveraging tools to engage while not getting ‘sucked’ into the social media vortex
14. I intend to influence by example by blogging, speaking, and continuing to play my game
15. I intend to finish and publish my first ‘real’ book, not just an ebook, by writing, even when I don’t feel like it
16. I intend to optimize my life through focus, consistency, and a stoics mindset
17. I intend to hustle smarter, not harder
18. I intend to grow my business, family, and my value + worth by focusing on the above 17 intentions

What are your intentions for 2018? How can I help you along your journey to optimizing your life, business, and value?