I Just Turned 40!

Standout Creatives: Business, marketing, and creativity tips for solopreneurs launching their ideas

Today is my 40th birthday so I wanted to do something a little different.

I started thinking about what I’m grateful for, so I wanted to bring back the idea of my gratitude journal to celebrate.

Here are 40 things I’m deeply grateful for, broken down into themes that matter the most to me.

Personal Relationships

This is where everything starts.

• My wife, Anita — she’s my favorite person, a creative sounding board, and my biggest cheerleader.
• My dog, Pookie — he never lets me down, is a master of napping, and the cutest thing you’ll ever see.
• My family — laid the foundation for my growth and let me dream about weird, wonderful, things.
• My Friends — people who’ve cheered me on, created with me, and cared about me.
• Creative business friends who just get it — it’s a special kind of magic when people speak the same language.'
• Jeff Wirth, Matt Moeller, Lauren Morris — for introducing me to improv, and creating amazing spaces to explore creative storytelling.
• All my collaborators — whether we made a zine, recorded a podcast, or just worked on fun creative projects. And a special shoutout to Marc Cordon, my Creativity Parties partner in crime.
• The Central Florida Fruit Society — for turning me into someone who geeks out about pineapples and permaculture.
• Jacques Ho and Stephanie Graham — Amazing accountability partners, wildly creative humans, and even better friends.

Creative Work & Expression

The stuff that lights me up from the inside.

• My podcast — and everyone who’s tuned in, shared it, or sat down to record. Your creativity inspires me.
• Captivate + Riverside — two platforms that make it possible to connect with people from across the world.
• My Substack — and the beautiful weirdos who read along, reply, and remind me why I write in the first place.
• That spark when an idea turns real — from random scribbles to something I can share with the world.
• Helping other creatives launch — it’s such a gift to help someone spread their joy and creativity with the world.
• Discovering new ideas on the fly — some of my best breakthroughs didn’t come from thinking harder, just from thinking out loud.
• Past-me, who quit but never gave up — even when things got hard, you still kept the spark alive.
• My notebooks — half-thoughts, doodles, dreams, and reminders that messy is magic.

Vision & Life Goals

Zooming out a bit and get a bird’s eye view.

• This slow-building path to Costa Rica — for teaching me how to follow a dream step by step.
• The idea of mountain life — simpler, slower, closer to the Earth and living among the plants.
• Creating a life driven by curiosity, not just productivity — this one’s a work in progress, but it feels good.
• Freedom to try things — even if they don’t "make sense" on paper.
• Designing a business that feels like me — something real. Not some copy and paste formula like everyone else.
• Non-hustle income streams — because I love creative work, but I don’t want to live in burnout mode anymore.

Tools, Tech & Tiny Miracles

A love letter to the behind-the-scenes magic.

• The internet — for letting me meet people who change my life without leaving my desk.
• Notion and ChatGPT — my digital brains that keep track of everything.
• Zoom — for all the deep, soul-filling chats that happened in tiny boxes.
• Podcasts — as a medium, an art form, and the great equalizer in media.
• TidyCal — the unsung sidekick that makes creative connections happen on time.
• Spotify playlists — music that holds my focus, lifts my moods, and fills the blank spaces.

Learning & Growth

Because learning doesn’t end when you finish school. It’s a lifelong pursuit.

30. Valuing the power of “I don’t know yet” — I follow curiosity wherever it leads me.

• Finding strength in my quiet voice — because louder doesn't always mean right.
• Embracing depth over expansion — go deeper instead of wider with your ideas and exploration.
• Seeing failure as a rough draft — failure is a step in the process, not the end.
• Not needing to prove myself — creation itself is often its own reward. Don’t let others tell you otherwise.
• Celebrating creativity’s quirks — every medium can be a canvas to explore. Let’s have fun with it.
• Geeking out on marketing — it’s really about the art of connection. Don’t sweat it so much.
• Recognizing rest as a strategy — rest is essential fuel for the creative mind.

The Little Joys in Life

Tiny things and big feelings.

• Every delicious thing I’ve eaten recently — I could write a second list just about food.
• That first sip of coffee in the morning — it’s still one of the greatest joys in life.
• And you — yes you, reading this right now. Thanks for being part of this journey.

That’s all 40. I could keep going because gratitude has no end.

But I’ll try to remember this list when things get tough. It’ll remind me why I do what I do.

Thanks for sticking with me. I’m grateful you’re along this ride with me.

What would be on YOUR gratitude list?

I'd love to hear about the people, moments, or tiny miracles that light you up. Drop a comment or send me a message. Let's celebrate what matters!

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