We don’t talk enough about how okay it is to fall in love in yourself. There is nothing like the process of falling in love with the person you are and the person you are becoming. Inevitable failures over the years have brought lessons with them.
Those lessons help mold the person you become, a person worth being proud of.
Regardless of the challenges faced within each year, the silver lining will always be the wisdom obtained from the lessons you choose to learn from.
2019 was a great year for me, personally and professionally. I will be sharing some of the key lessons 2019 taught me, in hopes that you might also learn from them. Perhaps, you may even find yourself reflecting on your own year on a deeper level.
The first key lesson 2019 taught me was, If you truly care about people, be selfish.
If you’re anything like my younger self, you constantly find yourself going above and beyond to help those you care about, even at the expense of your personal well-being. Unfortunately, your selfless nature is often hurting you more than it is helping those you care about.
Your foundation determines your actual ability to make a positive impact.
When your foundation is weak, your pillars will crack when trying to lift others up. In order to carry heavier burdens, you’re going to need to build a stronger foundation.
Even when your heart is in the right place, bandaids cannot fix cracked pillars.
Investing in your personal and professional life will help establish a foundation capable of supporting yourself, and ultimately actually capable of helping others. It is necessary in order to share a burden of a loved one without the burden weighting you down.
Taking the time to take care of yourself first will always be worth it. In time, the positive impact you will be able to make when helping others will far outweigh the expense.
The second key lesson 2019 taught me was, practicing true self awareness can give you advantages over most people.
I truly believe that most people go their entire lives without practicing true self awareness. I’m not talking about the kind of self awareness where you find every flaw about yourself and use them to constantly beat yourself up.
I’m talking about learning about yourself, your likes your dislikes; your strengths and weaknesses. What triggers you? In what types of environments do you excel in? What are you good at or passionate about? Why do you not like where you currently are, personally and/or professionally, and what habits lead you there? Why are you unhappy? Have you gotten too comfortable?
Are you willing to stop playing the victim and make drastic changes? Are you humble enough to acknowledge and learn from your mistakes?
2019 taught me learning about yourself is a continuous process. Humility allows you to go through the process with a clean lens.
After a period of practicing true self awareness, the advantages can be obtained by consistently learning from your mistakes, leveraging your strengths and working on your weaknesses.
The third key lesson 2019 taught me was to continue to invest in people.
Unfortunately, many people find that the older they get, the harder it becomes to put their faith in humanity. “No New Friends” culture has grown in popularity over the years. In addition to that, most people tend to flock to people with similar beliefs or cultures.
I challenge you all to give people a chance. Have conversations, with an open mind and open heart. Genuinely care about their responses. You never know whose company you might enjoy or who you might learn something new from.
When you show genuine interest in people, ask them intimate questions, and follow up with them from time to time, you’ll build rapport with them. They’ll appreciate it, and deep down so will you.
There were many other lessons which 2019 managed to reiterate.
You can speak positive energy into fruition. There is much to learn from the younger generations. Go with the flow. Proper planning before pursuing a goal is necessary. Optimism is still better than the alternatives.
Accept people for who they are rather than trying to change them. It’s okay to accept people for who they are , but not want them in your life. Sometimes growing apart from people is a natural process of growing up. The path to success is often lonely. Loneliness is freedom. Comfort is laziness’ favorite disguise. There is no maturity without humility. Having faith is yourself is everything.
Get the mind right and the body will follow.
My hopes for all of you and myself in 2020.
I hope that we continue to learn about, and invest in, ourselves. Stay focused in the face of adversity. Make the most of every opportunity. Have the humility to learn from our mistakes. I also pray that we have the patience to endure what we cannot change.
I hope 2020 is the best year of your lives.
Believe in yourself. Be yourself.
Always forward, never backwards.