I keep a list of lessons learned through the year and share it towards the end of the year. More for myself than for others, but it can only help to spread positive lessons. This year will be no exception.

I am fortunate enough to have a brilliant partner, mingle with intelligent friends through the years and work with some of the brightest minds in Melbourne. Here are some of the things I promised myself to keep practising.

Here goes…

  1. Habits are like compounding interest. Good habits compounds with time to greater things, vice versa for bad habits. So don’t despair or stop trying with good habits. Keep going until you hit the tipping point of success.
  2. It’s good to have a goal, but better to have a system towards the goal. Winners and losers have the same goal, but it’s the system that differentiates them. Systems are also long-lasting, it forms your identity. Goals come and go.
  3. Identity is important. If you think you can’t, you already fail the first step. Your mental model is fed back to you from expectations of others. If your identity is a successful person, people’s expectations on you to be successful will give you extra motivation to make sure you keep that identity. Conversely, if you think you’re a bad map navigator, you will almost try to avoid being a good navigator – James Clear
  4. There are many things that are already known but cannot be explained. In order to approach a known problem in a systematic and logical way, challenge the assumptions and use a standard analysis framework.
  5. “So when we are frustrated, angry or unhappy, let’s hold ourselves responsible for these emotions because they are the result of our judgments.” – Epictetus
  6. Your outer world is the reflection of your inner world. What you think becomes your reality. This is true for success. It is very much measured by the size of your belief. Think little goals then expect little achievements. Think big goals and you will win big successes.
  7. This goes without saying and is as cliché as it sounds: Don’t let anything take precedence over your health, family and relationships.