15 Life-Changing Lessons from 2024 (That Actually Matter)
If you're anything like me, you've been journaling wrong your entire life...
Before discovering Obsidian, I was that person lugging notebooks everywhere, convinced my scribbled wisdom would somehow lead to enlightenment. Spoiler alert: they didn't.
I rarely if ever go back to look at what I used to think. (Rightly so, I might be horrified).
But Obsidian allows for all sorts of bells and whistles that make you think you’re being productive. Throughout the year, I’d tag entries with #breakthrough if I came to something particularly important.
I reviewed my journal based exclusively on these tags. The lessons are collected here and organized as themes.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to drink more water (though you should probably drink more water).
Here are 15 needle-movers from 2024.
1. You Become What You Do (Not What You Think)
I started an HGSE course this year (yay for Teacher Coupons!), and quipped to my friend, "How soon do you think I'll have to make a vision board?"
Sure, vision boards are cute.
But I'm pretty sure Eliud Kipchoge isn't the greatest marathoner based on his scrapbooking skills.
Wild, right?
I spent countless years and dollars trying to “find myself,” trying to figure out who I was supposed to be. I’d try out personalities like hats.
Turns out I like hats, but they didn’t help, because…
Doing is being.
Stop trying to be and start doing. Your present actions are writing your future autobiography as we speak.
Don’t worry too much about the plot. It will sort itself out.
2. Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast
That's a Marines saying, and it turns out those guys might be onto something.
(Btw, one of my favourite YouTube channels is Iron Wolf – subscribe and then check him out!)
We live in a world that mainlines hustle culture, worships rise-and-grind, and loses its mind when Netflix buffers for two seconds. But here's the plot twist: slowness is your secret weapon.
I learned the hard way – I tried to speed run my way through personal development. Even if letting YouTube play Dr. K on auto-play, it turns out that slow learning sticks to your ribs. Slow thinking reveals what fast thinking misses.
Think of your favourite things to do (you cheeky monkey)…
…do you want the time to last or for it to be over quickly (even if you swear it’s a good amount of time)? Now take that frame and put it onto the hard things you need to learn, and you might start to love the process.
3. Your Inner Voice is Your Outer Reality
The meanest person you'll ever meet lives in your head.
Rent-free.
I used to protect myself with the asinine idea that no one could say anything meaner than anything I haven’t already said to myself.
That’s not self-preservation.
That’s self-destruction. (I’m an ass, I know).
The good news is that you can evict that inner critic (and do so immediately and unceremoniously).
Catch yourself the next time you're flipping yourself the Larry Bird and ask yourself if you’d talk to anyone else that way. Chances are you wouldn’t.
So stop being a dickhead and be kind to yourself, ya filthy animal.
4. Forward > Backward
Your eyes are in the front of your head for a reason. Looking back is like trying to drive using only your rearview mirror – you're going to crash into something eventually.
This year taught me that anger, regret, and "what-ifs" are just ways of living in the past.
The monkey on your back is always going to blow up your phone.
This year, leave your demons on read.
5. Productivity Theater vs. Actual Productivity
Confession: I spent way too much time optimizing my to-do list instead of doing the things on it.
Seriously, finding those check-uncheck buttons on Google docs was awesome.
And a time suck.
Turns out, optimizing for productivity easily gives way to procrastination. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop optimizing and start doing the damn thing. (See #1).
6. Purpose Comes Through Production
Want to find your purpose?
Stop looking for it.
Start making it.
The "aha" moment came when I realized purpose isn't something you find, it's something you create. Bonus points if what you create is useful for other people.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a writer, too. And maybe you’ve heard the advice to write for one person, or to write for yourself.
Yes, write to one person.
But, no, that one person can’t be yourself. (Otherwise you’d be satisfied if you were the only one who bought your book. Let’s be honest, your voice deserves to be heard by more people – just one at a time).
7. Reliability: The Unsexy Superpower
Frankly, I’m getting a bit sick of “disruptors” and “thought leaders.”
The real superpower in all areas of your life is reliability.
It’s not easy, but it’s simple. All you have to do is:
Show up on time.
Do what you say you’re going to do.
Taking the shot is the first step.
But making the shot is about the follow-through. (cue *swish* noise in your head).
Start with yourself.
Be someone you can rely on.
If you can’t rely on yourself, no one else will be able to rely on you.
And that’s all your partners want from you – to be able to rely on you. Once you stop letting yourself down and learn you can be reliable to yourself, you can send that energy outward.
It’ll change everything.
8. Entrepreneurship > Self-Help Books
Want personal development on steroids? Start a business.
It's like a PhD in human nature, problem-solving, and resilience, except instead of paying tuition, you might actually make money. The problems you'll face will teach you more than any "7 habits" ever could.
I’m only at the beginning of my journey, but I’ve never experienced more personal growth than when I switched my mindset over to being the CEO of my life and the Founder of my own happiness.
9. The Valley of Despair Is Real
Every learning curve has a point where you want to quit.
People call it the Valley of Despair, but for me it’s the valley of wasted money.
Real life example:
I spent thousands on a course.
I loved it.
Until it got hard.
And when it got hard I convinced myself that I’d made the wrong decision and it actually wasn’t for me. I changed course and guess what?
I bought another course.
And you know what happened?
Same thing.
The valley of despair is where everyone quits or “pivots”. The thing is, you’re starting the next thing from the same low latitude.
I’m going back now and closing loops by pushing through that valley. I’d be further ahead than I am right now had I not, but I had to learn that lesson the hard way.
I hope reading this saves you thousands of dollars.
The Valley of Despair is crowded. Push through, and you’ll find yourself with plenty of space.
10. Your Body Is the CEO of Your Mind
Turns out you’re not Krang.
Your body isn't just a meat robot directed by your beautiful brain.
Your body – your temple would you believe – is more like the foundation of your mental skyscraper.
If something’s wrong upstairs, look to the body.
This year taught me that sometimes the best thinking happens during a walk and that no problem can’t be solved on a 30-minute run.
And if it can’t be solved after that, just go to sleep.
The problem will still be there in the morning, but you might now be equipped with a solution.
11. Envy Is Just Bad Lighting
Envy is walking with your back to the sun – all you see is your own shadow, a downcast, you-shaped emptiness.
Every minute you spend being jealous of someone else’s journey is a minute you’re not building your own path.
Trust me – your path is worth building.
Stop casting your eyes downward and staring at what’s not there. Instead, look at what’s in front of you.
12. Faith Without Action Is Just Wishful Thinking
Around this time last year, I committed to daily prayer.
My faith grew as a result. The proof is in the surprising ease I feel inside whale bellies, when watching The Exorcist, and in difficult situations.
The biggest lesson, though, is that far too often people make faith a fancy form of procrastination. As if you can offload your troubles to God and He’ll take care of it.
Prayer shouldn’t ask for help. Instead, prayer should give thanks for already being equipped with everything you need.
That one simple shift in prayerful intention changed everything for me.
Try it — it’s the thing that makes prayer more than just the other side of the barbell, opposite thoughts.
This is what it means when people say “God helps those who help themselves.”
13. Document or It Didn't Happen
Remember that Obsidian setup I mentioned? Here's where it pays off. Keeping track of your insights is like creating a Google Maps for your mind – except this time, you're both the cartographer and the traveler.
But here's the catch that took me months to learn: there's a massive difference between documenting for yourself and publishing for others. Your raw journals might look like a crime scene board with strings connecting random thoughts. That's fine. That's for you.
When it comes to sharing, though, be ruthless. Nobody needs another "live, laugh, love" post or your morning coffee routine. Share the insights that cost you something to learn. Share the stuff that would've saved you time, money, or heartache if you'd known it sooner.
Document everything. Publish only what serves.
14. Consumption ≠ Production
Here's a truth bomb that cost me six years and a Master’s degree in *gasp* literature to learn: just because you love consuming something doesn't mean it’s worth studying.
I loved reading books, so I studied Literature. Know how many jobs want you to just sit and read?
Exactly zero.
Well, maybe one – but that audiobook narrator position was already filled, and even it’s getting replaced by AI.
Your Netflix queue isn't a career counselor. Your Spotify playlist isn't a business plan. Your Instagram feed isn't a life coach.
Instead, flip the script: What do you want to create? What problems do you want to solve? What void in the world are you uniquely positioned to fill?
Focus on what you want to produce, not just what you enjoy consuming. Because trust me, the world needs more makers and fewer critics.
15. Boundaries Are Blueprints
Boundaries aren’t walls.
They’re foundations.
The strongest relationships are built on solid foundations, and those foundations are delineated and defined by their boundaries.
It’s important to be flexible, but have some non-negotiables.
Here’s a non-negotiable you can put into practice right away:
Never let anyone get comfortable disrespecting you.
Remember, humans are comfort-seeking creatures. If someone is comfortable treating you poorly, guess how they’ll treat you…
Don’t let that happen. And, if it does, you know what to do.
The Bottom Line
Looking back through my Obsidian vault to write this piece, I realized something funny: the most valuable insights weren't the ones I tagged #breakthrough at the time. They were the quiet realizations that kept showing up, day after day, until they couldn't be ignored.
These lessons give more than they take, but they took everything at the time. And that's okay – because that's exactly how it's supposed to work.
So here's to another year of learning things the hard way – because apparently, that's the only way they really stick.
And hey, maybe start that Obsidian vault. Future you will thank you for it.
P.S. If you found this helpful, consider sharing it with someone who needs to hear it. If you didn't find it helpful, share it with someone you don't like. 😉
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