Lessons from 2023 🎉
The Essential Erasmus, selected and newly translated with introduction and commentary by John P. Dolan (New York: Signet, 1964), pp. 118:
There are two main obstacles to gaining knowledge of things: shame, which clouds the mind; and fear, which, once the danger has been sighted, urges one not to perform the action. From both of these, Folly grandly frees us. Few mortals realize to what great heights being free from shame and fear could lead one.
Happy New Year, folks. I hope you were showered with the love and light I sent you all at the end of last year. I am grateful to live to see another new year. Yes, time might be a construct, but it’s fun just keeping score. As usual, I engaged in my typical end-of-year and start-of-year rituals: enjoying food, reading books, and having movie marathons. I received many heartwarming birthday wishes and gifts. You people know how to make a dude feel loved. Around this time last year, I wrote a post listing some of the things I had learned in 2022. When I went back to read that post, I noticed that those lessons still held true for me in 2023. I am grateful to the universe for the lessons it brought last year. Anyway, here are some of the things I learned in 2023, among many others:
Commitment and consistency, in my opinion, are 90% of the battle.
You can do most things if you know how to manage your time and energy.
Sounds obvious, but both running and exercising in general are great for your physical and mental health.
Losing people will hurt terribly but you’ll be fine eventually.
Don’t buy into the terrible cliches of your race, gender, profession, nationality or race.
Purpose, or clarity of direction, is a strategic advantage.
Quantity has its own quality — be prolific.
To generate new ideas or insights, learn to ask questions. Adopt the curious and questioning quality of a four year old.
Writing can significantly improve the quality of your life. It sounds like an exaggerated claim but it’s true nonetheless.
Be OK with contradictions — learn to sit comfortably with the tension of holding multiple opposing ideas.
With time and practice, you can become competent at anything. Be prepared to look stupid and cringe at first, but eventually you will get better at it.
How you practice or train will determine how you perform in the long run.
Prioritise structure before speed; if not speed will be your undoing.
Long-term thinking is another strategic advantage.
Good friends are a blessing. They make life not only tolerable but enjoyable.
The things you expose yourself to, willingly or not, whether they be writers, music, films, people, or events, influence you more than you might think.
You will always be a villain in someone else’s story and that’s OK.
The motto for Nigerians this year is ‘no gree for anybody.’ In other words, it means do not yield or engage in anything that is not in your best interest. I think Nigerians have chanced upon a memo that we have mostly ignored for years: to love ourselves a bit more and avoid jumping into situations that will bring us needless pain or suffering. Here’s to another year, folks. I appreciate you all. 🥳 🎁 🎉
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :) 🍿