7 Life Lessons from Another Exciting Year Aboard a Giant Space Rock
Whether we like it or not, time passes for us all.
For me, it’s been another year.
Yep, that’s right.
Today is my birthday.
As I get older, I notice something about myself—I’ve become far more reflective.
I think that’s in part because I have more life experience in the rear view window. But it’s also because I recognize the value of learning from those experiences.
So as I round the corner through day 13,780ish (thanks leap years for making the math unnecessarily complicated), I wanted reflect on a few of the key lessons I’ve learned from the last 365 days in hopes that some of them may help you too.
Some I learned for the first time. Others were reintroduced to me or presented themselves in new ways.
7 Lessons at the End of 37
In no particular order, here are the seven lessons I’ve learned in my last year of life.
Lesson 1 — Everyone is at different places in the journey
The more I learn about self-development and the things that can help me along my own journey, the more I realize that not everyone is as interested in the topic as I am.
Or, better yet, they haven’t found some of the resources I have.
Each person experiences life in their way. While there are similarities in the human experience overall, we each come at it with different perspectives.
This year, I learned to be patient for those who may not know something I’ve learned and to be more open to those who are ahead of me.
Lesson 2 — We are what we choose to do
This year, I became a runner.
How do I know? I just started running. I told myself I was a runner.
I kept going out and running more. I invested into a new watch to keep me on track with my runs. I read about running. I watched YouTube videos about running.
Because I kept showing up, I became that thing. I am a runner because I choose to be.
Lesson 3 — Time loops have the most influence over our schedule
There’s a reason why productivity experts often advise us to say “No” to the things that don’t bring us clear benefits or help us achieve our goals.
Many of the things we say “Yes” to become time loops, or repeated tasks.
These loops dictate a large portion of what our days, weeks, months, and even years will look like.
There are common loops like sleep or work that are mandatory parts of our schedule.
But the loops we have control over dictate “our” time outside of that.
Be careful what you say “Yes” to. The time we have is precious.
Lesson 4 — We can get lost in “improving” ourselves without action
I wouldn’t say that I’m addicted to self-development, but I’ve come pretty close.
It’s easy to see how one could spend hours upon hours just reading about how to improve themselves without actually doing the work.
At the beginning of the year, I recognized that I had been reading a set amount of books (26 per year to be exact) for the past several. Then I realized that I hadn’t been implementing the lessons from the majority of them. Even worse, I hadn’t been writing down notes. I hadn’t been able to remember the books beyond elevator pitches and surface memories.
It’s amazing to learn new things, but action is what we need to see what works for us in reality.
I started testing out what I was reading—a little bit each day. Even the smallest steps can yield great impact over time. But you still need to take that first step towards action.
Lesson 5 — Look for the things that light us up
I love writing. I write all the time. But I often forget how much I love speaking.
This year, I had the opportunity to speak at multiple events. One was about writing. One was about mental health. One was about burnout.
Each time I finished a talk, I was energized beyond belief. Taking in that kind of signal is crucial when we’re looking for purpose.
For me, I know that I need to get out there and speak more, to create more opportunities for me to speak. For you, it could mean reading, writing, drawing, fishing, running, or any number of activities that give you positive energy.
Lesson 6 — Don’t try to control what we can’t
This was definitely a year of stoicism for me. I took a deep dive into the work of Ryan Holiday and started reading books like “The Obstacle is the Way.”
One of the key lessons of stoicism is that we can’t control what we can’t control. We can only control our reaction to what happens to us and what we do next.
Did someone annoy you? Let it go. Did something good happen? Enjoy the moment and keep moving. There will be more good and bad.
All we can do is become resilient enough in our thinking so that when things happen to us, we can stand tall to meet them.
Lesson 7 — Balance will always be a struggle. Embrace it.
All this is to say that being a human is difficult. My life is wonderful and I’m grateful for it.
Trying to balance between the hundred things I need to do each day is difficult, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to do so.
The more I learn, the more I realize that my life will never be completely in balance. That’s okay.
It means that I get the opportunity to play the game for another round tomorrow.
Recent Finds
Jay Shetty — Triggers and the importance of setting boundaries (Short) | A powerful sentiment and analogy from Jay Shetty about triggers. We go about our day and little annoyances bounce off. We deal with them. But sometimes just the right (or wrong) trigger pushes us over the edge. We explode. Setting clear boundaries helps us negate the influences of our triggers and remain balanced.
Simon Sinek — What happens if you miss your goal? (Short) | I love goals. I think that goals help us target and grow to levels beyond where we are today. That said, I love this sentiment by Simon. It’s not that we shouldn’t try to achieve our goals. It’s that we become something through the process of getting to our goals. Whether we ultimately achieve the goal or not isn’t as important as the process to get us there.
Ness Labs — The power of introspection for mental health and decision-making (Article) | The article that inspired me to think about the past year in my own life. I’m a sincere advocate of the importance of self-reflection. Without knowing where we’ve gone and recognizing who we are today, we don’t have enough data to make epic decisions about our future. Some great recommendations from the author about how to tactically reflect on yourself.
BONUS: Anna, Luke & Lady Pinto Bean — What to do on your level up day (Reel) | If you ever wondered what a perfect way to spend your level up day (aka birthday) would look like…. I found it. And it’s so wonderfully nerdy.
Quote of the Week
“Don’t lose this moment searching for another.”
—The Good Quote
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
