The 3 Biggest Lessons 2018 Taught Me

Throwback

2016 was the year it all began. It was the year I started to discover and develop an interest in personal development.

It was all thanks to my good friend, Karen. She was the one who told me all about it and made me develop a curiosity in the subject. I owe it all to her because if she had never talked to me about it, I would never be where I am today. That year was the year I took up books for the first time in years and fully satisfied my thirst for knowledge.

I was working at a corporate job at the time, fresh out of university. Every day was robotic for me; I would mindlessly get through the days, leaving my brain in idle mode until work finished. I felt stuck and didn’t know what to do with my life. I felt limited. I needed a new challenge in my life.

That year was the year I read “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki for the first time.

That was the year my mindset began to shift.

2017 was the year I learned to take risks and break free from fear. It was my year of awakening.

All that reading and knowledge lead me to the common ‘analysis paralysis’ status that often occurs in everyone as a result of information overload. Not acting out on anything I was reading about lead me to enter this state for quite some time. As a result I stopped reading, lost motivation for a few months and went back to my mundane routine.

It was only in the middle of 2017 when le boo pushed me out of my idle state. He was the one who made me come to the realization that having all this knowledge was useless if I wasn’t going to do anything with it.

That was my major wake up call – the rude awakening.

I took what he said to heart and moved past my fear of failure. That’s when I decided to launch my first ever passion project; Belle Luxe Fashion. My very first e-commerce store dropshipping products from Aliexpress. Mind you, this was my biggest failure but also the biggest lesson learned of 2017.

One thing lead to the other and eventually I started realizing my potential in designing websites.

At that moment, I knew. I was born to be an entrepreneur. This feeling of euphoria was everything to me. Never once have I ever felt this way before.

I knew that this was the feeling I wanted to experience my whole life and I was determined to make it happen.

Upon ending 2017 in full swing, that’s when 2018 began and taught me the 3 biggest life lessons.

What This Year Has Taught Me

​2018 pushed me even further by teaching me how to break out of my comfort zone, realize my limitations, discover my self-worth & find my tribe.

I was able to achieve real mental clarity based on all the opportunities that presented themselves to me throughout the year. It was the year I discovered real independence and learned how to pave my own road.

It was also the year I learned what my true mission was; to inspire and set an example for those around me. To be the light to others and to help guide those who are afraid to take risks and venture into the unknown.

Lesson #1: Self-Love

Learning what my limitations were and when not to overstep my boundaries. I learned I can get burned out pretty easily getting carried away doing the things I’m most passionate about. That’s one down side to being an INFJ.

Often times I would work on my projects for hours on end without giving myself the rest my body needs in between – leading to a feeling of overwhelm and longer recovery times as a result. This would lead me to have a poor diet and neglect the proper nutrition fundamental in fueling my body to function optimally.

When I was living with my parents, I never had to cook. But since I started living on my own this year with le boo, my diet has become increasingly poor because I would choose to work on my projects rather than eat.

That’s how bad it was!

It’s since gotten a lot better but it’s something I’m constantly reminding myself not to neglect. Le boo helps a lot these days in helping to cook meals for both of us and saving me tons of time after work.

I’ve also learned that my energy levels can suffer significantly after attending social events which can lead to slight memory loss if I don’t give myself ample time to recover (this is what happened during our makeup workshop last month!). I even took off a day from work just to recover because I barely had energy to get up the next day!
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Lesson #2: You Can’t Depend on Anyone But Yourself

Not everyone who has big dreams has a strong enough “why” to get them to start moving and taking action.

Another huge lesson 2018 has taught me: You can’t depend on anyone but yourself. Why wait for other people when YOU can be the one to take the reins?

Don’t expect anyone to carry you to success & freedom. You better take what you learn, test out the waters and make sure to carry your own ass to the finish line.

Your time is valuable just like everyone else’s. If the person you’re working with cannot deliver on their promises, there’s no point wasting time listening to their excuses. If you want to see progress, focus on yourself first and find the right tribe who will take you where you want to be. Not everyone will be on the same level as you, that’s what I’ve come to realize with time and you can’t expect them to be either.

Accept the fact that everyone moves at their own pace depending on their circumstances and level of motivation.

Not everyone who has big dreams has a strong enough “why” to get them to start moving and taking action. That’s one thing I’ve learned to understand. I’ve learned not to be naive and take word from anyone who isn’t willing to show what it takes to prove that they’re serious.

You have the privilege to take control, take initiative and to deliver results based on your own expectations. Don’t expect someone else to deliver the results for you.

Being dependent on someone else will never get you anywhere if you’re looking to up level your life.
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Lesson #3: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help When Needed

With that being said, I’ve been independent my whole life because it’s just ingrained in my blood, it’s who I am as a person and always have been. I kind of grew up with it seeing my mom always being the ‘man’ of the house, taking on all of the responsibilities and doing everything it took to make sure we always had food on the table.

Hence, why I have a lot of trouble giving up tasks or asking for help because I never think I need it. My mom always had the same mentality as well. I always believe I can do everything myself without having to burden anyone else to do it for me. Like mother, like daughter!

It’s bad, I know.

But this year I’ve learned the importance of time and realized how much more I can get done if I just delegate the easy tasks to someone else who is capable and can help me out with it such as cooking or cleaning. I’ve learned that asking for a helping hand is never a burden and that you’d be surprised how many people would be willing to help you out if you simply just ask!

Especially being an INFJ and one who gets burned out pretty easily, I’ve realized how important it was for me to ask for help to take some of the load off my back.

To Conclude