I’m going to win this year. That’s a fact.
Is it arrogant? Is it cocky? Maybe. If you want to call it that. But then the next question is, how could I be so sure?
Well, there are a couple reasons…
I’m making my focus on providing value to others
My goal for this year is to add value to everyone and everything. I aim to impact those around me and those interacting with what I produce or create. That’s it.
The focus is not to make more money. It is not to have more followers. Nor is the goal to play better gigs.
All I want to do is make an impact, which is the core of everything I do this year.
- I’m not writing to make money or to become an influencer. I’m writing to impact and help those who need it.
- I’m not doing YouTube and interviewing people to make money from ad revenue or for any other reason besides providing a platform where people can tell their stories.
Of course, there are things I will do for myself. I plan to go to Indonesia, Japan, or both. That will be for me. I plan to invest at least £2000. That will be for myself and my future family. But for most of my work, I’ll dedicate my time and effort to impacting those around me.
I recognise that people are the greatest resource. I recognise that people are in the midst of everything, whatever struggle or challenge I face. There’s someone or people either in the way or who can help and elevate me.
I also recognise that it’s quite boring to be selfish. Serving myself is nowhere near as fun, purposeful, or fulfilling as serving others.
The third thing I recognise is that the most successful people add value. The places they walk into are different because they are in it. They aren’t successful because they want to make money – not directly. They are successful and make money because they impact the lives of others.
They aren't successful because they want to make money - not directly. They are successful and make money because they impact the lives of others.
I'm focusing on the process, not the outcome
I’m not looking at the results this year. I’m not using the outcomes as a determinant for my actions.
I won’t stop posting because I haven’t got many followers. I won’t stop going to the gym because I’m not getting any bigger. I won’t stop working on my business after a couple of weeks because I haven’t got any customers.
I've learnt that seeing is NOT always believing.
If I’m honest, this is why I’ve been pretty inconsistent throughout my life. I’m a numbers person. I look for numbers. I look at facts, and I rely on these facts to guide my decisions.
I’ve started so many businesses and ventures. I’ve been on and off the gym more than I can count. I’ve practised drums on and off more times than I can count. One of the biggest reasons I’ve struggled to do anything is because I rely on the outcome to determine whether or not I should continue. I’d practice drumming for four days and expect to immediately see results the next Sunday at church.
But results don’t work like that. They take time. Many of the great things in life aren’t materialised overnight. But most importantly, just because it doesn’t look like it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t. It depends on your perspective, clarity, what you focus on and the understanding of the subject.
I'm actually learning from my mistakes last year.
I don’t think a lot of people actually learn from their mistakes.
The simple reason is this: they do not pay attention to learning.
The analogy that I always have is that no matter how long you’ve been in the classroom. It doesn’t matter how many other people are in the classroom. It doesn’t matter if it’s you by yourself or with another 30 people. It doesn’t even matter if you have the best teacher.
If you're not paying attention or want to learn, you won't. You can be taught but not learn.
If the teacher teaches me something, which, in this case, is life, and you’re not paying attention, you’re not gonna learn anything.
I’ve taken the time to reflect on my year, list my mistakes, and list what went well and what didn’t. I’ve gone through my photo album and messages to remind myself of what happened, both good and bad. And in doing so, I’ve collated some lessons learned and understood my mistakes and why. I’m better informed going into the next year on how to do things better.
There has to be a deliberate intention to learn. It has to be a conscious effort to improve on what you have or haven’t done.
If we don’t take the time to reflect and to enquire within ourselves and the year we’ve had, how can we expect to move forward or learn anything from it? We will keep making the same mistakes and live in the same experiences.
Life is trying to teach us, but we’re just not paying attention. You don’t just learn because you’re being taught. You learn because you’re paying attention to the lesson.
