24 Years Later...
Happy Monday Everyone,
It’s my birthday week and as I enter my Kobe year (24 years old) I’ve decided to do a short reflection on some of the lessons learnt during my Jordan year (23 years old). My first ever article was a medium blog post I wrote this time last year on 23 life lessons, feel free to check that out here. This year I want to share 8 key lessons with you.
Self-confidence comes from doing your homework and putting in hours of practice in your respective field. I still struggle with imposter syndrome from time to time but I’m much more confident in my ability now that I’ve put a lot of hours into perfecting my craft and know I can create the results that I promise clients as I’ve done it, client, after client.
We all know the saying, surround yourself around 5 successful people and you’ll be the 6th. Even if you can’t physically surround yourself with 5 successful people you can do it virtually through who you follow, who you listen to and who you connect to. Over the years, I started using social media more intentionally and became really mindful of who I interacted with, what pages I followed and the type of conversations I was having. This made my social media experience much more enjoyable but also extremely productive at times.
You have to be adaptable to change. One thing this pandemic has shown us is how important it is to be flexible and adaptable to change, not just in business but in our mindsets. So many changes will happen in our lifetime, this could be a breakup, a loss of a friend, family or job, you have to be able to deal with changes. A great book I would recommend to help you deal with changes is ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson.
You have to create time for yourself. Time to think, to process, to grieve, to reflect, to rest and to get to know yourself better. You never notice how much time you spend pouring into other cups and not your own. The saying “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” is extremely true. If you feel drained and not yourself you can’t perform or be your best self. It’s important to take time out for yourself frequently to recharge your batteries and regain focus on what’s important.
Never say never. Having a closed mindset and saying you’ll never do something shuts you off from great experiences, lessons, and opportunities. I remember when I used to say I’ll never do Youtube and now I have a whole channel there. As we grow older, we change and evolve, so don’t write things off because you’re closing yourself up, plus your reason for never doing it isn’t always a good enough reason.
The best way to reduce your anxiety is to make better decisions. I am a fairly anxious person, however my anxiety levels are always lower once I know I haven’t left any crumbs. I heard an incredible speech from American Actor, Matthew McConaughey who introduced me to the phrase, “don’t leave crumbs.” Crumbs are choices that make us look over our shoulders in the future, crumbs rob us of our peace of mind. By making decisions that serve me better, I have more peace of mind knowing that I don’t have to worry about a past decision coming back to haunt me as it was the right decision.
Create personal rules and stick to them. This is the best way of forming boundaries. Have personal rules that serve you well and don’t break them. For example, a personal rule for me is to not commit to anything on the spot, always give myself time to make an informed decision. This is something I recently adopted and it’s been a game-changer because as a giver it’s important to set limits because takers don’t.
Don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t overcommit to things. I’ve decided to cut back on the number of projects and things I do. It’s always good to diversify but putting 10% in 10 things will never compare to putting 100% in 1 thing. The best time to diversify is once you’ve got one thing running successfully, trying to get 10 things off the ground will take you more energy and effort and might not even equate to the same amount of success as doing one.
Some of the quotes I live by.
“Don’t leave crumbs.” Matthew McConaughey
“The mind gives up before the body. When your mind says it’s done, It’s only 40% done.” David Goggins
“You will get all you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar
“Leave everyone with the impression of increase.” Bob Proctor
“Focus on things that move the needle.”
“Build once, sell twice.” Jack Butcher
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela
“Always bet on yourself, it’s the only time you can control the odds." Mike Amiri
“When you die, die on E, leave no dream behind.” Eric Thomas
I just want to say a big thank you to everyone supporting and encouraging me, I’m grateful for you all, and a big thank you to ME for betting on myself!
🙌🙌🙌