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🧩 Framework of the week: 10 lessons learned from 2023

Hey .

2023 was one of the most important years of my life. It changed me in ways I could never have imagined, mostly thanks to my coming back to my home country of Nigeria after three years away. So today, I wanted to put together 10 of those lessons I learned. 

Without further ado, here are 10 lessons I learned in 2023. I hope you find them useful.

1. One difference between winners and losers is how fast they act on new information.

Having knowledge is overvalued. Using it is undervalued.

Real learning doesn’t occur when you read, see, or hear something. It occurs when you use what you have read, seen, or heard.

What you know isn’t half as important as what you did with what you know. 

2. The perfect condition to start is the one you’re in right now.

The ideal time to start almost anything is right now, in the present situation. 

If you can make progress or achieve success in your current circumstances, then that's the perfect condition to begin. 

Don't wait for everything to be just right; start where you are with what you have.

3. How people treat you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.

It’s not always about you.

Most people are dealing with stuff a lot of us will never understand.

So next time someone is rude to you or does something you don’t appreciate, it’s not that they are the problem. 

They could just be dealing with a problem. 

4. Pressure is a major part of success!

If you want to see results a lot faster than you normally would, you need to put pressure on yourself. 

Most times, the reason people don't change is because they lack pressure. 

They have no deadlines or accountability. 

There's nothing that will force them to leave their comfort zone and try to get the results that they want. 

In order to see progress, you need to put pressure on yourself, because if there's no pressure, you will most likely make little to no progress at all.

5. If you’re asking how to start, you have already lost.

The fact that you need to ask someone how to get started is a sign of a lack of commitment to achieving your goal.

Waiting for instructions or guidance can slow your progress.

Besides, how you start doesn’t matter. People will forget or never even hear about that. 

How you can improve is what matters. That is what you can ask someone for.

6. It takes more reparations than you think to be successful!

What if it takes 1000x more from you to get the results you want?

Rather than complaining about not seeing results or making any progress, assume the minimum is 1000 attempts. 

Your perspective on the amount of effort you need to put in will change. 

7. Never be afraid to ask.

“Closed mouths don't get fed.” - Sahil Bloom.

Most answers to your problems are just one question away. 

You just need to have the courage to ask. 

8. Nobody cares. Just do. 

Everyone is focused on their thing.

So whether you take action or not, they may never notice.

You might as well just do what you want to.

9. Lower your expectations of people.

It saves you a lot of disappointment and frustration. 

People will almost always let you down. 

Expect more from yourself but less from others. 

10. Your history with someone matters less than you think.

This year, I have ended friendships because I realised that I was the only one putting in the effort and trying to make things work. 

The thing about friends is that a lot of us often look at the history together rather than the current reality of the friendship, when it is the current reality that we should be focused on.

It doesn't matter how long a person has been in your life; one sign that it's time for you to part ways with them is to keep wondering where you stand in their life, because if they were real friends, they would make it clear that they want you in their life.

🤔 A QUESTION WORTH CONSIDERING:

What are the top lessons that 2023 has taught you?

I've shared mine; now it's your turn.

✍️ A QUOTE TO REFLECT ON:

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” - William James. 

While doing things may not always make you happy, doing nothing will definitely not make you happy.

Real happiness comes from taking action. 

You need to be actively involved in life to truly experience happiness. 

Whether that is being of service, practicing gratitude, or doing something bigger than yourself. 

Happiness requires action because, without action, there is no happiness.

👨‍💻 A COURSE WORTH EVERY SECOND:

My free course, "Lights, Camera, Confidence", will be out in 5 days. 🤯

This course is your complete guide to being confident on camera and connecting with your audience online.

In it, you'll learn:

• how to speak on camera in a way that is interesting and fun to watch,
• how you can get started on a budget,
• my mindset when it comes to speaking on camera,
• lessons I've learned from my journey,
• and so much more.

Camera confidence is definitely a skill you can develop, and I would be happy to guide you along the way.

So mark your calendars, guys. 25th of January 2024!!!

That's all, folks. I can't wait to hear what you think. Which one did you like the most? What would you like to have more or less of? Simply reply to this email. 

Have a wonderful week!

I appreciate you taking the time and trusting me with it.

Have a wonderful week!

Nurain.

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