13 things I learned from my friends
I’m a firm believer that you’re never still. If you’re not growing, you’re already dying. That’s why my 26th MADweeks celebration was all about my need for constant growth, my willingness to learn.
I asked 60 friends for their opinion and advice. Those friends included family, childhood buddies, but also bosses, co-workers and even clients. The idea was to reflect on my first 30 years of life and plan for the next 30.
These are 13 things I learned from this survey:
1. WHAT POSITIVE TRAITS DO MY FRIENDS SEE IN ME?
When asked to select my top 3 characteristics, more than half of my friends described me as creative and 34% see me as open-minded. Other commonly referred traits where ambitious, balanced, focused and joyful (all above 20%).
2. WHAT NEGATIVE TRAITS DO MY FRIENDS SEE IN ME?
More than half of my friends see me as prudent or cautious, and exactly half of them see me as a shy person. They can also see competitiveness and vanity in me (around 30%), while 20% think I am absent-minded.
3. WHAT ARE MY BIGGEST ASSETS?
According to my friends, my top assets are my intelligence; being calm and cool even in stressful situations; my dedication; creativity; discipline and willpower. Other assets include: ambition; being polite and humble, my moustache, and my optimism and good mood.
4. WHAT’S HOLDING ME BACK?
My friends say I’m too shy and too quiet. Being too reserved makes me seem inaccessible and indifferent. I’m hard to read and people feel I don’t say what I really think because I’m not very clear or a very assertive communicator. They see me as a lone wolf, who prefers to do everything himself. Someone who is too benevolent sometimes and has a hard time saying no. I expect a lot from myself, and very little from others.
5. WHO DO I REMIND YOU OF?
I mostly remind my friends of characters with a moustache (3 mosqueteers, Pablo Escobar, Salvador Dali, Dalton brothers, Mandrake), or super heroes with a secret identity (Superman/Clark Kent, Batman/Bruce Wayne, Spiderman/Peter Parker) or even serial killers like American Psycho or Dexter.
6. WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES SUIT ME THE MOST?
- Simple, unpretentious clothes with good taste.
- Discrete but elegant look, with one small/signature detail that stands out (colored socks or a bow tie…)
- Sporty but clean. No shoes, just sneakers but always with a simple design.
- Basic and dark jeans or chinos.
- Polo shirt or a slim fit shirt buttoned to the top.
- Blazer or slim fit suit.
7. I WOULD NEVER…
My friends said I would never be cruel or harm someone on purpose, and I would also never betray friends, be involved in gossip or be dishonest with them. They can’t imagine me being rude, swearing or even screaming. According to them I would never ignore a challenge except if the challenge is entering a reality show.
8. WHAT I DO BEST
Creativity was the number one word referred by most of my friends, but it’s highly linked to my rational thinking capacity that allows me to deconstruct problems, connect the dots and synthesize ideas. I’m also good at bringing people together or into an agreement. I guess we can call it diplomacy or good mediation skills. I’m a good listener and a good learner, which also make me a good mentor or coach. Lastly, music was also referrer 5 times, due to my DJ alter-ego Mad Mac.
9. HOW DO I HELP PEOPLE?
I’m most helpful in stressful situations by being a generous, considerate, calm and optimist friend. I also help people understand by clarifying or simplifying complex subjects or tasks.
10. ON WHAT SUBJECT WOULD YOU ASK FOR MY ADVICE?
There are 3 big subject on which my friends would ask for my advice. The first, and most common, is advice on finding creative solutions for a problem, specially when the problem is related to marketing, advertising or tech/digital. Secondly, my friends rely on my good taste to suggest new music to listen, places to travel, nightlife, parties. Last, but no least, they would like my opinion on personal/profissional development, decision making and priority definition.
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK I DO EVERY DAY?
The keywords are brands, strategy and creativity. Most of my friends think I do some kind of social or digital marketing strategy, but others put it in more broad terms like ‘solving marketing problems for brands’, or even ‘creating value for brands and their users’. Some also see me helping comOn grow.
12. WHERE DO YOU SEE ME IN THE FUTURE?
Almost everyone sees me still working in the creative/advertising industry in the future. A majority of my friends think I will become CEO of a creative company or agency (owned by me or not). Some of them also predict that I will eventually move abroad to work.
13. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO TURNED 30?
- Drink less, exercise more.
- Nothing is as serious or urgent as it seems.
- Enjoy today. Worry about the future tomorrow.
- Don’t settle, never stop being a nonconformist.
- Don’t try to do everything.
- From now on, make every week a mad week.
- Be more available to those who like you. Stop wasting time with people that doesn’t matter.
- Don’t let your most ambitious projects die.
- 30 years old combine creativity, energy, wisdom and willpower in the ideal proportions.
If your curious about the other 29 ways I celebrate my 30th birthday check the other article I wrote about it:
I’m available for speaking — see here the topics I usually address.
