14 Mindset Lessons I am Taking into 2025...

Just like every other year, in December, I sit down with my journal to cull out some of the most profound learnings, realizations and experiences I have had during the year. This year has been the most transformative year so far, I have been broken down so many times, only to be facilitated to rebuilt with newer pieces of wisdom. Here are a few of those lessons that I am carrying forward in 2025.

1. Your ability to FOCUS and cut out distractions will take you places?- Usually, when we speak about distractions, the most typical ones that come up are the ones that are directly visible, such as social media, Netflix etc. But the more potent and dangerous distractions are self-doubt, the weight of other people's judgements & opinions and things that manage to pull you away from the vision that YOU thought of, in the first place
2. Practice. Practice. Practice - The right mindset, public speaking, deadlifts! Every GOOD speaker, dancer, leader has spent hours practicing their skills. They do it every chance they get, consciously seek feedback and then work through it to get better each passing day.
3. Proactively seek difficulty - Math is NOT your strongest suit? take initiative to be on the task force that’s working around cost optimization; public speaking is NOT your strength? volunteer to lead internal trainings. Every time you CHOOSE to do the difficult thing; it trains your brain to NOT fear difficulty and when you do find yourself in challenging situations, they are easier to navigate.
4. Start with what you CAN, Scale & Build as you go - A great business, a fit body, a book, a choreography, everything can start with the bare minimum. It is really the intent and the confidence to start that makes all the difference
5. Cut off DOUBT at the very first instance and actively look for examples & evidence that strengthen your self-belief
6. Seek out people you admire. One of the most underrated enablers for progress is having a mentor?
7. Building on point 6, Humility and your ability to say, “I don’t know how to do this, could you please guide me on this?” will go a long way?
8. Cultivate a diverse pool of relationships- friends who are from different professions, engage with colleagues from different geographies & backgrounds, leverage LinkedIn to forge partnerships?and create meaningful dialogues.
9. One clear rule I’ve made for myself, if the feedback doesn’t come from people I want my life to look like, I’m not taking it.
10. Don’t RESIST stress. If you really want to grow, stress is a part of the whole game. Learning how to navigate stressful situations and making enough time for the body and mind to recover is what helps.
11. If your goal is unique, your path is bound to be different.?
12. Minimizing the time between ideation to action. This is the best way to avoid the onset of self-doubt and talking oneself out of doing something.
13. Self-actualization is the beginning of one's journey to excellence. I have seen so many of my people recognize their true potential this year and transform into unstoppable human beings.
14. Identity shifts are more impactful than motivation. Identifying as a gym rat, dancer, business leader allows for the corresponding habits to flow in more naturally because that is where there is least resistance.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this piece as much as I liked curating it. Wishing you all a great 2025!