22 Lessons I Learnt in 2022.
A lived-and-learned collection of lessons to help guide you into the New Year.
2022 has been quite the rollercoaster. From an unstable global economy, a war, massive layoffs across major companies/industries to the bittersweet reality of everyday life.
Things have been good, things have been painful and things have gotten crazy but one thing is for sure. These experiences has brought along with them a ton of lessons.
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Join me in reflecting on some of the major lessons that shaped 2022. These lessons will be forming a solid bedrock for me as we walk into 2023 and I hope you can resonate with 1, 2 or even all 22 lessons in this article.
1. PROVE YOUR POTENTIAL: Whatever you think you’re worth, prove it. First, to yourself and to others.
People love modesty but they don’t hire it.
This is absolutely true. If you expect people to support you solely based only on your potential, then you’re in for a surprise. Be comfortable with the idea of earning your spot at the round table.
Put your worth where your mouth is. Prove that you’re worth what you believe to be worth and it’ll be easier to garner support that way.
2. YOU ARE ALONE: By coming to terms with the reality that you are alone in the grand scheme of things, you detach yourself from the expectations of others. Without the weight of external projections from family or friends burdening you, you’ll be forced to take full ownership of your life.
Coming to terms with this lesson can be depressing but is ultimately liberating. It will also help you make confident and objective decisions for the future.
3. YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORT SYSTEM SHOULD BE YOU: Picture this: You’re a global superstar performing on a world tour. Who would you like to see cheering the loudest from the front row?
If you mentioned anyone other than yourself, then you need to highlight this. Sure, it would be nice to see a familiar face in the crowd but it’ll be 10x nicer if that face was yours. Show up for yourself before you expect others to show up for you.
Having a supportive partner, parent or friend is great, but you shouldn’t rely on them for the one thing you need most as an entrepreneur or creative.
So be your biggest fan because no one else is going to fully understand the grit, effort, and hard work you put in better than yourself.
4. MAKE PROMISES TO YOURSELF: Yup, give yourself a promise ring if you have to. By promises, I don’t mean arbitrary ones. I mean solid promises that contribute positively to building better habits for yourself.
Want to make a change? Make a promise. By making promises to yourself and keeping them, you not only learn to communicate effectively with yourself but you build trust.
If you’re gonna trust anyone or anything, why not yourself?
5. NEVER BREAK YOUR WORD/PROMISES, NO MATTER WHAT: This might be one of the most important lessons in this list. If making and keeping promises to yourself helps to build trust, then breaking them does the exact opposite.
Worse than betraying yourself, it becomes difficult to be consistent with anything. As we know consistency > intensity, it's very paramount that you learn to be honest and dedicated to yourself. Keep your word. Be a man/woman of integrity. It’ll pay off in more ways than you can imagine.
6. BE DEFINITE: Don’t dilly-dally, and don’t second-guess. You should be firmly rooted in your values and beliefs. If you’re gonna say or do anything, do it with all resoluteness.
Have confidence in the decisions that you choose to take. If not, you’ll spend a lot of time regretting what coulda shoulda have been. Remember, “a man without a definite purpose is as helpless as a ship without a compass”.
So be steadfast, stand firm, and be unwavering in your beliefs.
7. SAY YES: Not to those parties that you don’t enjoy but go to anyway. But to those uncomfortable-in-a-good-way types of events. Yes to those events that coincide with your interests but you’re too nervous to attend because you’re scared of not fitting in with a tribe you want to identify with.
Say yes to unexpected opportunities that you may not feel deserving of thanks to imposter syndrome. Say yes to connections by making the first move. Finally, say yes to your goals and to the life you want by being open and receptive.
8. THE FASTEST WAY TO BUILD A WARDROBE IS BY GOING OUT MORE OFTEN: Pinterest boards won’t do it. The magazines won’t do it and neither will the hundreds of saved reels and Tiktoks. Like many other things in life, the best way to define your style is by action.
Go out!
Since you would probably be visiting places that interest you, you’ll be shopping for a specific place in mind each time you hit the stores. It’ll be easier to sync your wardrobe and define your style/aesthetic this way because you’d be visiting those types of places regularly.
9. LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCTS RUTHLESSLY: Just as aggressively as an animal would. Pretend that you can’t speak if you have to so that you can learn to rely on your internal voice. It’ll save you from a lot of unnecessary situations.
When you’re unsure, confused, and lost, lean into your instincts. Your brain is hardwired for preservation so it is always working to find the easiest way out of bad situations while avoiding pain.
So you have to trust your gut because your subconscious mind is always nudging you in the right direction.
When in doubt, go with your gut.
10. CHOOSE GRATITUDE, NO MATTER HOW HARD: When things get rough, as they will, it’s easy to fall into the trap of self-pity and pessimism. But remember those bad things happen to the best of us.
Pain isn’t exclusive to you and you cannot control certain circumstances. So focus on what you can control.
In these difficult times, look on the bright side, literally. You can’t choose what happens but you can choose how you react and what you focus on. There’s always something to be grateful for, stick to that. Hold on to it. It’ll help you through the pain.
11. LISTEN TO YOURSELF: To your reactions, to how you feel in several situations, to your words, to your voice. Listen to your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your actions.
Pay attention to yourself and regularly access who you’re becoming through introspection. Since your opinions and thoughts come first, it’d be easier to question why you think or believe the things you are familiar with.
The most important conversations you’ll ever have are those you have with yourself. To learn how to properly communicate with yourself by listening and getting to know who you truly are.
Self-awareness is a superpower, build it.
12 . DO IT ANYWAY: This is pretty cliché, I mean if you own a pair of Nike’s you probably see Just Do It almost every day.
As often as it is said, it still remains age-old wisdom. Action is the best and fastest way to learn anything (even The Alchemist confirms this). Take a break from the color-coded calendars, the motivational videos on YouTube, the plan-it-with-me Tiktoks, and the self-help books.
Put yourself to the test and learn. Forget all the reasons and restrictions and trust yourself. Do it anyway.
13. YOU ARE NOWHERE CLOSE TO WHO YOU ENVISION YOURSELF TO BE: Your higher self might never exist and that’s fine. The closer you think you are, the farther you’ll be. This is because your higher self is ever-evolving, just like you are, adapting into a newer, better, and more efficient version of itself as time goes on.
So let go of that ideal persona you have in your head and focus on improving every day. There will never be a perfect version of you, just the best version of you in the present because the goalpost is constantly shifting as life goes on.
Focus on being the best version of yourself that you can become NOW.
14. DO IT FOR YOU, LIVE FOR YOURSELF: Never make personal decisions because of other people. It’s pathetic.
You’re the captain of this ship which is your life and are fully responsible for the outcome of every decision you take. Good and bad.
There’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish. Why not make decisions with full conviction? Why not make decisions that align with your vision for your life instead of that of other people?
Your life is yours, live for you.
15. ONLY SHARE WHAT YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH GIVING: When it comes to generosity, make sure to only and always give what you’re comfortable with giving.
A wise man once said, “give and expect nothing back”. How can you do that when you’re parting with something that you aren’t ready to let go of?
If you’re not ready to let it go without looking back, then you don’t give it away. This doesn’t only apply to material things but to immaterial things like your time too, basically anything and everything that can be given :)
16. BE BOLD ENOUGH TO DARE. BE AUDACIOUS! Bet on yourself. Those ideas? Work on them. That connection? Make the first move. Sometimes, we have to chase after our dreams because they’re worth the chase. You have to be able to take risks by doing things that make you very uncomfortable.
They say ‘No risk, No reward’, but there’s literally no award for the timidest person in the room.
Be bold enough to go after what you want. Be bold enough to dare.
17. DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES: Stop making excuses for bad behavior. Stop trying to rationalize disrespect. It’ll continue to happen and you’ll be taken a fool multiple times over until you define your boundaries.
It’s okay to define boundaries and expect people to respect them. Once you have clearly defined boundaries, it’s easier to sift through bs and see things for what they are.
You’ll save yourself time and multiple brain cells that would have been spent entertaining miserable people when you make it clear to yourself and them what you will and will not accept.
18. THE BEST OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN EVER HAVE IS THE ONE YOU CREATE FOR YOURSELF: Stop wishing on a shooting star. You can make whatever you want to happen for you because your life is in your hands. Stop waiting on Prince Charming, the President, or your mom.
Get up and get to work. You can make it happen. Believe in your ability to expand your universe because you absolutely CAN.
19. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF IN A DELUSION-LIKE STATE: Like several people suffering from the main-character syndrome in the streets of New York, you need to be a little delusional.
Not crazy, but delusional. This is the only way your belief would be strong enough to withstand the sticks and stones that’ll come your way.
How can anyone believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself?
20. CELEBRATE YOURSELF: The little wins. The major wins. Celebrate yourself whenever you can. Celebrate the minor milestones before the major ones. Make it a habit to congratulate yourself for striving, persisting, and remaining steadfast in every endeavor you choose to take.
Think of it like this, no one else will ever know the entire behind-the-scenes of your success story better than you. So why won’t you celebrate yourself?
You’re the hero in your story and what do we do when the hero prevails? Yea so gets to do that more often.
21. FIND PURPOSE IN THE PAIN AND DON’T FORGET THE LESSON: There’s a reason for every season or so they say. Well, there’s also a purpose behind every pain. You have to find it.
Think about most of the difficult situations that you’ve gone through, usually, there’s an underlying message when you reflect on them. Whether it was meant to help you pivot, lead you, or mold you. These painful situations can have a silver lining to them.
Find it and hold on to what it taught you. They are your war trophies.
22. SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOURSELF: The older you get, the less time you’ll have to spare. Why not be generous and spend the most expensive thing you own on yourself?
You’ll never be as young as you are now, and you’ll never be as free as you feel today. The older you become, the more responsibilities you’ll take on and the thinner your time spreads. Stay home and see a movie by yourself, go on a solo date, pick up a new hobby, and find ways to make the most out of your solitude.
Spend time with yourself alone and enjoy it because you’ll miss it someday.
We’ve come to the end of our 22 in 2022 rundown of lessons. Which of these lessons did you resonate with? Which lessons would you be taking into 2023?
Let me know in the comments!
