16 Lessons from 2022

As we wrap up the year and conclude, I like to evaluate how things went with an annual review. Some basic questions you can ask yourself:

• What went well?

• What didn’t go so well?

• Where did I land with my goals?

• What did I learn?

• What am I going to change?

Our misses and mistakes prove to be our biggest lessons.

Evaluation is critical.

How am I doing? Am I heading in the right direction?

16 things I have learnt from 2022:

1. Relationships - don’t lose sight of important relationships. Your family, friends or work colleagues. Sometimes you’re too busy working or playing, and not slowing down to re-connect with people you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Pick up the phone and call that loved one this week. I challenge you to do it.

2. Consistency is Key - we’re heading into a new year, and everyone has resolutions and “new year, new me”. Consistency trumps any motivational talk or January hype. When I consistently turn up, things begin to happen after a while. Just turn up. I saw that this year when I smashed my 5k PB.

3. New actions create different results - you’re not going to get different results with the same actions. Expecting different results with the same actions is insanity. Evaluate what you’re doing, if things are not working, try something new. Find people who are a few chapters along from you and ask for their advice, it could save you a lot of time.

4. Nature - leave your phone at home and go for a walk in nature. Explore the countryside and open spaces. Removing yourself from the noise and distractions of your work really helps you clear your mind and will leave you feeling calmer.

5. Listening pays - don’t be the advisor. Sometimes people just want to be heard and don’t want you to respond. Listen to understand, and you may realise by their delivery they’re just looking for a sounding board. You cannot hear 100% of what they’re saying if you’re already articulating your response in your head.

6. Serendipity - sometimes people, or even you, put good fortune or results down to luck. It’s not luck, it’s because you turned up. Increase your surface area of good fortune by continuing to turn up and putting yourself out there. Going the extra mile may not pay dividends on that occasion but your extra effort rarely goes unnoticed.

“I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year, it took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.” - Lionel Messi

1. It takes a Village - the old proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” rings true. You cannot go through life on your own. You need a support network, a team of people who will provide you with the resources and help you. Start partnering with other like-minded people who can contribute and help you to get to where you’re going a lot quicker.

2. Hang out with high hope people - these people are motivated towards a positive future as they believe it is possible and they take action towards it. Their energy is contagious. They’re rooting for you, not criticising and shooting you down.

3. 3 goals only - against my own advice I had 9 annual goals at the start of this year. Dropping the lesser goals allowed me to focus on the 3 most important ones. You cannot deliver on 9 different things. You end up taking one step in 9 directions rather than 9 steps in one direction. Identify what the most important ones are and go after them.

4. Slow down to speed up - slowing down allows you to evaluate your environment and make the right decision. We’ve all heard the saying “Measure twice and cut once”. Some decisions require you to just take your time. Getting these decisions right before hitting the gas will probably save you a whole lot of pain further down the line.

5. Exercise is the secret - I knew this was important but I have realised this even more so this year. Exercise is a keystone habit, which means it has bi-products of your original goal of exercising. I exercise to stay fit, but exercise keeps you healthy, clears your mind, helps you sleep better, and is good for your mental health.

1. Show me your friends - and I’ll show you your future. Who you spend time with is ultimately who you become. Your environment drives your state, the way you feel, the way you feel drives your behaviours, and behaviours lead to your results. Are you hanging out with the right people?

2. Journaling - a powerful way to raise self-awareness, gain clarity and provide focus. Journaling a few times a week is a powerful tool to reflect on how things are going and if you need to re-evaluate your current journey or even bring in some additional help.

1. Keep an accountability partner - don’t underestimate the power of telling someone what you’re working on and when you’ll have it done. Share it with your mentor, your partner, your colleagues, or anyone who is invested in you.

2. Repetition is the mother of skill - when we’re trying something new we’re probably not going to be very good at it. Not being very competent at the beginning is usually the cost of entry. Don’t be discouraged, repetition is key here. Keep practising and working on it. Continue to seek out opportunities to stretch yourself and work on that skill. If you practice a speech or presentation I can guarantee you the 50th attempt will be far better than the 1st. Iterate and learn as you practice.

3. Comparison is wasted energy - comparing yourself to others will never help you win. Focus on being better than you were yesterday and you won’t go far wrong.

The end of the year is certainly a time to reflect and evaluate what’s important to you.

Hope some of these lessons give you some inspiration and things to think about as we head into a new year.

Drop a comment below or respond to this email to let me know what your biggest lesson this year was?

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• YouTube - Simon Sinek on Why you Win with Consistency. Simon talks through why all the small things and the daily occurrences help you achieve your goals. Not one-off events.

• YouTube - Gary Vaynerchuk on Quantity - Gary talks about how quantity teaches you a lot of things quality doesn’t.

• Book - Drive by Daniel Pink - Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people - at work, at school, at home. It is wrong. As Daniel explains in his paradigm-shattering book Drive, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and the world.

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