I am looking forward to 2017 as an opportunity to continue to grow even more than I did in 2016, which was an incredible year of personal growth. Here are a few things I am setting as my intentions for this year.

  1. Happiness. As I learned last year, the only personal truly responsible for your own happiness is you.
  2. Tattoos. I have big plans for getting inked this year, time to start covering my body again and filling in all the gaps.
  3. Afrika Burn. I missed last years burn, despite having a ticket, so this year I am making it my mission to make my way to Tankwa.
  4. Leadership. I wish to be a genius maker and less of a dictator. I have made mistakes but learned from them too. Here’s to leading a wonderful team, projects, driving the vision and leading the charge.
  5. Relationships. When I’m single, I’m very open to all sorts of experience, but I want to be in love and I am holding space for a very special person in my life.
  6. Vibration. Every day I will continue to raise my vibration and continually grow.
  7. Less sugar. I really want to shake this addiction this year. I know I have a problem, so I am putting it out there that I must stop. A swear, it’s the only thing holding me back from washboard abs.
  8. More sleep. If there’s one thing I never got enough of in 2016, it’s sleep. I have struggled to sleep for years now, and I am making it a goal to get a full 7 hours sleep a night.
  9. Self love. Nope, not that type of self-love, you filthy animals. Love for myself, it’s something I have had to learn to do and I believe it is why I have been attracting so much love in my life.
  10. Travel. I have been very lucky to live at the coast, work in Hong Kong, visit places like China and Macau. But I need to travel more in 2017. Especially over the holidays, I’m not spending another year in Joburg over December. I’m thinking Bali!
  11. Lemon. I only drink water, tea, coffee, coconut water, milk or freshly squeezed fruit juice, but this year I want to give my body the boost it needs every day by adding more lemon every day. Warm water with lemon in the mornings and lemon in my water bottle all day.
  12. Drink more water. While I don’t have a problem with drinking water, I don’t think I drink enough of it. Time to hydrate properly.
  13. Reduce coffee. I have started drinking far too much coffee and this year I plan on keeping it to a minimum, it’s probably the biggest reason I have too much sugar in my diet.
  14. Write it down. I often advise this, but don’t do it enough myself. This year I am writing things down with pen and paper and I know my dreams will come true.
  15. Be kind. It costs nothing, sprinkle that shit everywhere.
  16. Be generous. Don’t be such a tight ass, pay full price for things you value, give willingly of yourself and give abundantly when you do.
  17. Squat. I honestly think this is the single best exercise you can do to build stronger legs, by shape that ass, burn more fat and overall work your body. You don;t always have to go heavy, but try and add squats several times a week. I do them every day.
  18. Kefir. I cannot recommend any single probiotic more than this fermented culture. Get that gut-brain connection going with this biotic treat.
  19. Reward myself. I have worked for many years, mostly buying what I need, not what I want. I have hustled hard and I think it’s time to start rewarding myself. Being back in Joburg I drive a whole lot more than I did in Cape Town, so I’m thinking about spoiling myself with a new car.
  20. Learn. You are never too old to learn something new. I enjoy learning new things and this year I really want to keep my skills sharp and my brain full of new and exciting learnings.
  21. Get out. Nope not in da club, but out in nature. In order to give back, you should learn to appreciate how beautiful nature really is. Heres to many new outdoor adventures.
  22. Get social. I am the first to admit that I’m really introverted and quite anti-social. This year I want to say yes to more invites to go out and spend time with friends and make new ones.
  23. Go green. I don’t eat vegetables but know it’s what’s lacking in my diet. I want a juicer and some organic veg and I plan in getting my green juice on.
  24. Walk Joburg. Yes, that’s right, I simply don’t work enough in the city of gold, so I plan on making it my mission to walk more around and certainly find more places to walk in nature.
  25. Digital diet. I have tried for years to reduce the amount of time on my devices, and given my career, it is really hard. But I am guilty of being on my phone a lot more than I should, so it’s time to start being disciplined about putting the phone away and really enjoying the moment.
  26. Work hard, play harder. Honestly for me, work is like play, it’s what I love doing most of the time. But I am happy to kick ass in the workplace and at the same time, live my life to the fullest.
  27. Don’t take myself so seriously. I don’t drink, I hug trees, I manage teams at a very serious corporate company, I take my health super seriously and I am hard on myself about being able to provide for my son. Truth is I’m human, I need to be gentle with myself, remember to laugh more and do what I can do, without sweating the small stuff.
  28. Be less me. I have been told that I come across as aloof or above other people, this does not offend me, I know I’m just really quiet in social environments, it’s just my awkward nature. But hearing this is exactly what I need to break out of my comfort zone and be a little warmer, we can all do that, it just takes some effort.
  29. Skate. I have been trying to get better at skating for ages, spent the money decking out one of my boards and just haven’t done enough of it. So this year I will try my best to get my skate on.
  30. Paint, Sketch and Make. I am artistic, it’s a natural gift other people wish they had and I neglect this talent. Doing things that seem natural to you is the way to finding purpose in your life. Time for some art classes to shake off the rust. Looking forward to some exploration, making and creating!
  31. Perfection. I do aim for perfection in most things I’m interested in doing. I sometimes tell myself you cannot be perfect, but you can try to be as perfect as possible and strive for perfection. That’s the key, at least try and do your best, I was not made to half-ass things.
  32. Cook. I’ve never applied myself in the kitchen, but I think I’d like to try. I think it could be very romantic to cook for or with someone I love. My son also needs to learn that a man has a place in the kitchen, so I might as well learn and be able to teach him a thing or two. I deserve to feed myself this way too, after all, it’s a sign of self-respect.
  33. Be grateful. Gratitude is one of the quickest ways I know to make yourself realise how much you really have, never stop being thankful for the wonderful gifts of this life.
  34. New site. I have not redesigned a site of my own for a while and the truth is my portfolio is outdated and not the best representation online of who I am. It’s time for a refresh and given that I am constantly learning new skills, I might as well apply them to my own site.
  35. Mentor. I am very grateful that I have had the good fortune to meet some wonderful people who see me as an inspiration and are willing to confide in me and at least listen to my advice. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need some mentorship in your life.
  36. Watch the sunrise. I don’t need a silent disco as an excuse to take in a beautiful sunrise, all you need is to be up or wake up early enough to appreciate the magic of a new day beginning.
  37. Cape Town. The mother city stole my heart and I will frequent this magic place as often as possible until I am able to move back down there.
  38. Freelance. I am capable of doing so many things when it comes to design, so I am absolutely going to take on some freelance projects, both for the financial reward and to also keep my skills sharp. Feel free to contact me if you have an opportunity to work together.
  39. Teach. I aim to share my skills and knowledge through teaching. The industry is changing so fast, and knowing what to learn to be current is more important than where you learn. Let me teach those who wish to learn.
  40. Dance. We all need to shake that booty, lets dance!
  41. Be interested. If you want to be interesting, be interested. Be enthusiastic about all things, discover the new, spot the trends, listen to their stories and borrow from to create your own.
  42. Less meat. I will probably never be a full blown anything, so I won’t deny myself a lamb chop from the braai or a mouthful of biltong, but reducing the amount of meat consumed is not only good for your diet, but great for the environment.
  43. More sunshine. I want to bath in the beautiful sun. Get my tan on. Be outside. Get some vitamin D. I don’t want to stay in the shade all day, appreciate the thing very thing we revolve around.
  44. Yoga. I got to do yoga last year in some amazingly beautiful places, and while I have a long way to go, I look forward to practicing this technique for keeping me balanced, stretched and centered. Namaste bitches!
  45. Be brave. Put you whole damn self out there for everyone to see. Don’t apologise for who you are, be weird, be yourself and be free. The bravest person you can be, is your true self.
  46. Music. Got to keep discovering and appreciate more music this year. Download new tunes, stream some mixes, go to parties and join the crowds at concerts, however it’s consumed, we all need a soundtrack to our life.
  47. Climb. A tree, a mountain or an indoor climbing wall. I loved climbing stuff as a kid, and given that it gave me so much innocent joy, despite my fear of heights, I want more of that feelings again.
  48. Share the joy. Take photos to inspire, drag people along, write about it, do whatever you can to let people experience your joy, we all need to celebrate this life.
  49. Read. I spend a lot of. time reading reference books, but it’s time to start reading stories to take my mind on journeys of all sorts of things from fantasy, mystery to poetry and history. Word.
  50. Laugh. The type of laughing that makes your tummy hurt, that makes tears roll down your face and makes your face hurt you’re smiling so much.
  51. Art. Appreciate the work of others, be inspired, respect their craft and open your mind to new ways of appreciating self-expression.
  52. Arrive. When you show up, be your best self. Dress smart, smell good and leave people glad they met you.

There are just so many things to do in 2017. The time is now to live your best life!