18 in a nutshell.
From overthinking:
* Most of the competition around you is superficial. Truthfully speaking, there's no competition in life.
I don't remember the exact moment I got to this conclusion, but it was more along the lines of "what's there to compete with anyway?". I remember not finding a plausible answer to that, which led me to conclude, truly, considering everything, there's no competition. You're here to live life, not spend it obsessed with competing.
* It do be not that deep. Truly.
Chill, have fun, don't overthink. Enjoy the good parts of life.
* Take your time with things. It's ok. Your time is yours, there's no need to rush or slow down if you don't want it.
From experience (I.e. ህይወት በጥፊ መቶ ያስተማረኝ):
* Networking before skills = Cart before horse (Professionally)
I think this is probably one of the mistakes I made this year. Without the skills or the experience, you don't know what you're looking for or how you can maintain the relationships you build.
Plus, if you have the skill-set and build good stuff anyway, the network will find you without you needing to find it.
* There are times when you build quietly, and there are times when you build publicly. It's not exclusively one or the other.
It's easy to get disillusioned about which path to take. On one hand, there's always that quote that's like "build quietly, let your results show themselves". Here's what bugs me, YOU have to show your results. And in a culture where talking about your achievements or yourself is seen as bragging, this was a takeaway that it's okay to be loud sometimes, especially when you deserve it.
But then again, there are times you build quietly. Not everyone needs to know your every step, save some of those for your close friends, and when it's time to show, show it loud and proud.
* You can always do better - From Shape Africa
Not harder, better. Find role models/mentors, figure out what the next step is, find a bigger project. You can always do better.
* Know your seasons within your days, weeks, months (especially relevant to the girls) - seasons to rest, to sprint, to work quietly.
When I was burnt out during the summer, I thought what I lacked was balance. In some ways, it was. But more importantly, it was recognizing when it was time to step back. Having rotten (-ish) for the next few months, I had time to contemplate and find patterns with how I operate.
The most obvious one was, of course, my energy levels during the day. I am a true night owl, my peak hours are in the dead of the night. The second obvious one was, of course, my energy levels during the month because of mother nature. The one I missed though and eventually found the pattern of was the annual one. I had months I sprint, months I rest and lay the foundations of my next projects, and months I build quietly. Recognizing that pattern, I found, was as important as balance was for my work flow.
* If the only form of conversation you can have with people is gossip, leave.
I'm not dismissing all gossip. I think it makes sense to discuss life's events and sometimes, the juicy stuff. In a way, it's how you build close relationships.
But there are some places and people where the only form of conversation you can have is gossip. If that's the case, leave. It's a waste of time.
Things I regret from the year:
* Not keeping track of my journey as consistently as previous years. I forgive myself, but I still regret it.
* Not keeping some of my promises. I'm consistently doing better at keeping them, but my tendency to bite more than I can chew has bit me back too much.
* Not pursuing some relationships because well.... believe it or not, I'm shy sometimes, especially when it comes to people I put on a pedestal.
#Theblogseries
2024 - Part III
