What's on your Holiday wishlist?

'Tis the season where family and friends start asking the dreaded question: what do you want for Christmas? I was actually talking to my girlfriend about this and she made a very excellent point:

At this stage in my life I don't need more "things." I'm at a point where I value experiences over things.

Brilliant. As a student of the uber-successful Tim Ferriss I agree entirely that I'd much rather a few bucks towards a ski-trip in Canada over a few bucks towards a new suit. Sure, it's not as fun for parents but its more meaningful to me.

The way I see it, in twenty years I'm not going to think about how nice that jacket looked. Instead, I'll stop and remember the great time I had.

Besides, we have too much stuff anyway. This year I'm going to ask someone to donate to a cause in my name or sponsor my upcoming adventure. That sounds like a pretty good wishlist to me.

What's on yours?

In the midst of selling out, learn to stay true

When Ryan Paugh wrote me a Facebook note asking me to provide tips on "How to stay true to yourself while chasing the dream," I closed my browser and didn't revisit his request for two weeks.

After all, how could I, the king of perpetually selling my soul to "the Man," write anything about staying true to oneself?

In 2004, I was on top of the world. I had just chartered a chapter of a fraternity in record time at Johns Hopkins University, finished a stellar internship at Bloomberg Financial where I rubbed shoulders with the CEO and won the stock market competition, I had a beautiful girlfriend, a job offer and I hadn't even started my senior year.

Yet, there were things I forgot along the way. As I tried to be "Mr. Perfect," I started to call my family less. I became more concerned with myself and my needs than those of others. I lived to add titles to my resume and to win every opportunity possible. And for what? I don't know.

It took selling my soul to a man who wouldn't take it: Bill George, before I started realizing the importance of being truly authentic. In working with him I was able to begin applying his tools and bring meaning to my life again.

Get to know yourself:

Where is your favorite spot in the world? Wherever it may be, mentally place yourself there and ask what it is you are connected with in that moment. Then, do your best to align yourself with those things in life.

Get Feedback:

Ask others for direct feedback on how they think you're doing as a person, a friend, a colleague, etc. If you don't know anyone who will give you direct feedback, you may need to rethink the criteria you use to keep friends.

Take Risks:

Tell people how you feel and take action. It might be awkward to tell your boss how you really feel about your job, but opportunities will open up when you're willing to step out of your comfort zone.

Have Fun:

Be honest about what you like to do. Do you like eating corn dogs at the beach? Then do it – and enjoy it wholeheartedly. Having fun helps remind us how to keep all the other things in perspective.

Life, as they say, is definitely full of twists and turns. If we are able to stay true to ourselves during this journey we'll certainly have more surprises and opportunities to live for. What's more is that we'll influence more people around us and leave a legacy that cannot be duplicated.

As for me, I have no idea where I'll end up next, but I know that by staying true to what's important in my life, I'll have little problem getting there.