6 Life Lessons for 2023

Lessons learned, and a free Notion template to copy my annual review process.

Every year I like to take my birthday off and use it as a time to reflect back on how things have changed in my life. This helps me to plan my path ahead as well as set goals and clear intentions for the year.

I’ve been doing an annual review for 4 years now. This includes, things I’ve been interested in, books read, people met, life accomplishments, and failures. There are many benefits to sitting down and seeing how you’ve grown.

Unfortunately, most people don’t take the time to reflect very often. It’s difficult to remember what you did last week vs. an entire year. Doing your own annual review will help you gain clarity.

So, here are six key lessons that I want to carry with me into 2023.

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Sometimes you have to go all in

Last year, I bought my first home. It’s truly a dream home that any MCM or Frank Lloyd Wright fan would become obsessed with. The buying process was painful. We didn’t see the house in person (because we were living in California). They had a deadline to put in an offer, we had to waive all contingencies and battle multiple appraisals and extensions. It was brutal.

During the buying process and friend told me “Somethings you have to go all in”. He was 100% right. This has been true in buying a home and becoming a solopreneur. Shirakaba Studio is now my home and full-time studio.

Make action the goal, not the intention

Just start and get your reps in. You will inevitably get better. The discipline to focus on a thing for a little while each day is the real secret to becoming a master at anything. We have so many choices available to us that we regularly feel decision paralysis. Just picking something and starting small is often the cure.

Money and opportunity are everywhere

A big mental shift for me was moving from a mindset of scarcity to abundance. Scarcity is fear-based and much of what people are feeling in the hiring market right now.

“Everyone’s getting laid off, how am I going to find a job?”

“I can’t compete with all these other people looking right now”

There are nearly 5 billion people in the world. You only need a tiny fraction of them to become wildly successful. Thanks to no-code tech and AI there’s literally never been a better time to become a millionaire.

Selling your time isn’t worth it

An extension of the lesson above. Do you know what it takes to make $1 Million in a year? You’d need to bring in 6-figures a month.

You don’t get there by selling your time. You could instead get 2,000 people to pay you $42/month for a subscription or sell an ebook. These examples require the same amount of effort no matter the scale.

The average millionaire has 6 separate income streams. Most people working full-time have 1 their monthly paycheck. With massive tech layoffs happening in the industry, it’s a good time to start thinking about diversifying.

Shirakaba Studio isn’t my only income stream. I also run an online store, invest (mostly index funds), and consult with entrepreneurs. I plan to add a few more this year. I’ve also tried Amazon FBA and a few others for fun that I plan to write about in the upcoming weeks.

Writing is the foundation for my creative career

I remember 6th grade standing in my father’s office holding the Goosebumps novel “The Abominable Snowman” when I told myself “I want to be a writer.” It was a writer or scientist then. Both of those have molded me into a pragmatic designer and now, a solopreneur.

Design is still all about the words. What would the internet be without its words? The more senior I become in my career the more it becomes all about the words and less about aesthetics.

You control your feelings

This lesson comes from a book I read recently “The Courage to be Disliked”. It explains that it’s my job to control my feelings and intentions. When someone cuts me off or is mean to me that’s their problem. Focus on what you can control and you’ll be more at peace. This is a similar lesson taught by stoicism.

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My Annual Review Template

I’m excited to share my annual review template with you. All you need to do is tap the link below and hit “Duplicate” in the top right corner of the page to save a copy into your Notion workspace.

If you have any questions or issues just reply to this email and let me know. Also if you find it helpful, share it with a friend.

Here’s a link to my Annual Review: https://bit.ly/3oagf2o

If you’re not using Notion, you can sign up here: https://bit.ly/3MCuDuk

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