5 Crazy Lessons from 2023 [that changed me]

The year is about to end. And it’s the perfect time for reflection.

So… for me, this year was wild. With wins and defeats. With some mistakes, failures, and rejections. With some incredibly fun, adventurous, and memorable experiences. And with a lot of valuable lessons.

I’ll share with you the 5 most impactful lessons. They changed my mindset significantly, and I think they can do the same for you.

So here we go…

1. You Can Get Used to Anything

The thing I like about the human mind: it’s the most resilient part of our body that can handle all sorts of stuff.

For example, I used to struggle with waking up early. I’d turn off the alarm and go back to sleep because I was used to the comfort.

But now, I get up at 4 am every day. My mind is used to this challenge, and waking up has become a habit. So I do it effortlessly.

Similarly, if you find anything hard- like sitting down for meditation, working 10 hours a day, or hitting the gym daily- it’s probably because your mind isn’t used to it.

The good news is you can program your mind to make that difficult thing easy. How? By doing it consistently, no matter how you feel. By giving it a lot of shots until your comfort zone expands.

2. You Won’t Always Love It

There was a time when I used to avoid challenges and do what I loved and made me happy. I thought that was what following your passion meant- the work must give you pleasure.

The problem? There was no growth. And ironically, it made me more unhappy.

It took me a whole year to realize your passion isn’t what you love doing. Passion is what you love so much you do it even when you hate it.

And you’re going to hate it. It’s going to be uncomfortable. And you’ve got to go through all that. Because that’s when the real growth happens. Those 5 am runnings, those extra work hours, and those difficult conversations are what build your character.

3. Don’t Follow People Blindly

Here’s the thing: millions of people are on the internet now. Everyone is different. They see the world in different ways. They have different sets of opinions and beliefs.

So you can’t listen to everyone. What worked for someone may not work for you. If someone says getting up early helped him do more, it may not be good advice for someone more productive at night.

And most often, people’s opinions are contradictory. Some would tell you to save money for a secure future, and some would tell you to enjoy life now because nobody knows the future. So you can’t follow everyone all at once.

The solution? Don’t listen to people blindly. Always check if the advice works for you. Experiment with it to see if it’s beneficial. (This also applies to what you’re reading right now.)

And most importantly, listen to yourself. Because the only person who knows you the best is YOU.

4. Control What You Can Control

This August, I started posting on LinkedIn. I spent hours writing good posts on website copywriting or personal stories.

It was going well. I was doing it consistently and getting engagements. But a disaster came:

I got attached to the likes and comments on my posts. I began to have expectations.

And those expectations made me miserable. Especially when they weren’t fulfilled. It discouraged me, and I struggled to focus on writing good posts.

The problem here? I was trying to control something that wasn’t in my hand: likes and comments on my posts. It was decided by my followers and not me. My job was to keep learning and writing valuable posts consistently. So, that’s where I started focusing.

What you can control? Your effort. What you can’t control? The results of the effort. So, focus on putting in the effort. When it’s the right time, results will come to you.

5. Consistency Beats Hard Work

I failed multiple times in the last two years. I started a freelance business, a booktube channel, a travel YouTube channel, and a blog. None of them worked. Although I worked hard.

Why? I wasn’t consistent in any of them. I just moved from one shiny object to another. When something looked attractive, I jumped into it. And when it became difficult, I left it.

This taught me the toughest lesson of this year: consistency beats hard work. Working hard and doing the work with perfection is nothing if you can’t be consistent with it.

For instance, don’t try to read the whole book in a day. You won’t be able to do it consistently.

Try to make it simple. Like reading only 5 pages every day for the rest of your life. This way, you’ll build a habit of reading and see the magic of compound results after some time.

That’s it. Those five lessons I learned this year made a huge difference in my life. Now it’s your time to reflect on this year. See what you did well, what could be improved, what mistakes you made, and what you achieved. Take lessons and prepare yourself for the next year. Wishing you a very happy new year.