5 pieces of Christmas wisdom

This Christmas, I'm NOT doing a Christmas sale.

Instead I'll give you something more valuable.

I call it "5 pieces of Christmas wisdom".

When you finish reading this post... Make notes and reflect on what I shared. Then take action. Incorporate into your daily life.

It will make a difference to your 2025 in the personal aspect and business aspect.

Of course, you're free to skip it if you think you're already filled with wisdom.

But you'll realize you're missing out a whole lot when you do that.

So it's your choice :)

Whatever path you take... Take responsibility for your actions and move forward.

If you value what I share... Here are your 5 pieces of Christmas wisdom:

1) Experience doesn't mean wisdom.

When I was a therapist in my previous career, I met some patients above 80 years old. Our conversations about outlook of life made me wonder... Why did they say I sound very mature?

It feels like I'm an old soul trapped in a young body.

Eventually I found the answer: It's because I reflect on the things I do frequently.

Everyone goes through life. But not many think about the things that happened.

And even fewer will bother to think about what can be improved.

I observed the same thing when doing consulting too. Some business owners who ran their businesses for more than 20 years still lack insight about why they can't retain customers.

Here's what I learned: You need life experience to gain wisdom. But if you don't reflect on the things you do, you may not have wisdom even after having lots of life experience.

You can go through the motions in life and think everything is due to fate or luck.

Or you can reflect on things that happened, make a conscious effort to make changes and track the results. Then you'll understand the power is truly in your hands to change your life.

That's where you gain wisdom to know what works and what doesn't.

Don't be surprised next time if you encounter someone with vast experience but seem to be lost in life. It does happen.

Just don't let it be you.

2) Adaptability is key.

During the pandemic, we saw many businesses shut down.

Even some companies who were around for a century were not spared.

The reason is simple: They're not adaptable.

Did you realize those that shut down are mostly "brick & mortar" businesses?

They've huge rental costs to bear running a physical shop. But they've no income when lockdowns were imposed.

Without income and cashflow... Their businesses die a natural death.

On the other hand... You'll realize online businesses made huge profits during the lockdowns.

Because people still spend money online.

The lesson here is: Be as adaptable as possible. Be very aware of the changes in the market and economy. Those affect buying behaviors.

Law of nature works universally. Even animals that can't adapt to their environments eventually go extinct. What makes you think you don't need to be adaptable for your business?

3) Do what works best for you.

Many gurus, influencers and millionaires will tell you what they do to achieve success.

But it doesn't mean you'll succeed when you model them.

Just because someone wakes up at 4am doesn't mean you have to.

Just because someone swears by doing cold showers doesn't mean you'll also get the life you want by doing so.

Some people work well in the morning, some work well at night being night-owls.

The truth is... No one is right or wrong here.

They've figured out what works best for themselves.

If you're blindly copying what others do... You're wasting your time.

You might as well find out what works best for you.

It's hard for you to achieve what you want when you don't understand who you are.

Ask yourself what do you value. Because values guide beliefs. Beliefs determine action. Action leads to results.

4) "Proven tactics" mean nothing. But "proven principles" mean everything.

When someone gives you their "proven million-dollar funnel", or "million-dollar sales script", or "high converting email sequences", etc.

It just means they've found something that works for them and their audiences.

If you blindly just "plug-and-play" and expect the same results... You're crazy.

Because all you're seeing is the surface level tactics.

You don't understand their strategy and what are the principles behind.

That's the reason many people fail in their businesses. They're just looking for "shortcuts".

They don't understand the foundational principles.

If you build a house using twigs as the foundation... What do you think is going to happen? You expect your house to collapse during storms.

But if you understand the foundational principles... Lay down the foundation brick by brick to build your house...

You get a solid house that can weather the storms.

So if you're a business owner... Make sure you understand the principles behind the moves you're making.

The key things to understand are:

a) Human psychology - Know yourself and your clients.

b) Communication skills - Know how to relate your ideas in simple ways people can understand. People don't buy if they don't understand you and your offer.

c) Marketing and sales - Understand how to attract attention, compel your audience to take action, and close the sale. Your business will suffer if you can't make sales.

5) Ego is your enemy.

When you've a huge ego... You won't be open-minded enough to listen even if it's a great advice.

You won't be able to recognize opportunities even if they're handed to you on a platter.

Your ego will keep you stuck in the same place if you don't keep it in check.

It's the voice that says "I know better" when others are showing you new ways of doing things.

Do a simple reflection to see if your ego is stopping you from progressing.

There were instances when I dished out really great solutions... But the recipients didn't take it too well because I'm much younger than them.

Their ego told them not to listen to younger folks. They thought their vast life experience counts for a lot...

But like I mentioned in point (1)... Experience doesn't mean wisdom.

My suggestion is... Everyone can learn from everyone. No matter their age. Because the younger folks have something they're better in than you.

Some mentors whom I look up to are younger than me.

And it's perfectly fine. I'm learning so much from them.

Now ask yourself... Is your ego helping you or hindering you?

With that...I'll close out this post.

If you find my sharing useful, just reply in the comments and let me know.

I'd love to hear your feedback.

Merry Christmas and have a great 2025 ahead!