Lessons from 2019

While cleaning out files, filling out reports, and setting goals for 2020, I began thinking about the top lessons that I have learned in the past year. At this stage of my life there is so much change. Marriage, beginning my career, graduating college, moving cities, joining new groups, more responsibility, etc. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle of life and forget about the overarching themes and trends that have taken place in the last year.

However, I believe that to move forward, I should learn from looking back for a moment. After doing that, I realized that these are the three main takeaways that I have learned in the past year:

1. Attitude, Transparency, and Empathy are More Important than Hard-Skills

I have learned that these three qualities are the foundation of most successful people who truly make a difference. I cannot control the negativity of the world, what the media says, what others say, or the other immense amounts of distractions in the world today. All I can control is my attitude and how I carry myself.

This is definitely not easy and I am having to work incredibly hard at this every day. However, no matter how bad things may seem, we are truly living in the best time the world has ever seen. My ancestors wouldn't know what to say if they knew the luxuries that I now have at my fingertips. When I remind myself that they were dealing with wars, the Black Plague, and other horrific things, and they were able to get work done and be thankful, it helps me realize my "problems" are nothing short of laughable.

Once I am able to put myself into a positive and thankful head space, I am able to be transparent about struggles and new lessons learned because I am constantly using failures as lessons and wins as progress on a longer and much more meaningful journey than short-term success. When I am positive and transparent, I am able to care about others more and put their needs before my own because I am not competing against anyone. I am able to see that my job is not to win, but to serve. When I serve others with empathy, we all win.

2. What We Take In Truly Does Matter

At the beginning of 2019 I decided I was not going to take in any negative news, media, books, articles, music, etc., for an entire year and see what happened. Well, it has been almost a year and I can honestly say it has been the most positive and thought-filled year of my life.

I used to spend time listening to all the issues going on in the world, read comments to find out what strangers thought about issues, and debate these topics with others. This year, I unfollowed all forms of media that could have negativity, and I filled my head with Gary Vaynerchuk, Dave Ramsey, sermons, positive music, articles about progress being made, leadership materials from LMI, and articles/seminars dealing with opportunities all over the world. When I filled my head with people and content who see the world as full of opportunity, I began to see opportunities everywhere too. Instead of complaining about an issue, I began to see the issue as an opportunity for a solution. My entire mindset and being has shifted.

Of course, there are still moments of negativity and pessimism. However, I can honestly say this has been one of the best decisions of my life and one I am going to continue in 2020.

3. Everyone Can Add Value

At the beginning of 2019, I was completely and totally overwhelmed. I was in a new company, a new job, working with people in countries I had never been to before who were much more experienced than I was in their careers. I was incredibly nervous as to how I could possibly do a good job and provide value to them. This consumed me.

I then began talking to these new people I was working with and found that everyone can add value in different ways. I learned that where someone older than me has way better insights on something that has to do with experience and wisdom, I can add value through my inexperience, high energy, encouragement, and willingness to try something new. Where I used to be nervous, I began feeling excited for each and every potential conversation knowing that I would learn something and that I could potentially add value as well.

It is truly amazing what happens when we work together. No matter the age, gender, race, experience level, or personality type, when we work together, value is created that impacts many other people in a positive way.

I now have a goal to add value and learn something new in every single conversation I partake in.

This article is slightly uncomfortable for me because it feels raw and not put together well. However, I feel that is the story of all of our journeys. We are constantly learning new concepts and sometimes it can feel uncomfortable. But when we feel uncomfortable, great things tend to happen.

What did you learn in 2019?