Happy New Year!

2023 is going to be an interesting and challenging year for most of us. We are going to have to work harder than we have had to in the past couple of years to get the same results. We will continue to see employees move from company to company. We’ll see companies eliminate positions, with no plans to rehire. We’ll see consumers slow down with some of their spending. And, we’ll also see companies soar, new products and entrepreneurs enter the market, employees getting promoted, new books being released, and more. With every challenge, comes opportunity. 

The best way to thrive and not just survive during challenging and uncertain times is making sure that you are taking care of yourself first and preparing yourself for whatever comes your way. There is a lot of things that you are not going to be able to control in the year ahead, but what you can control is your mindset, your spiritual growth, your leadership, your emotional and physical health, how you save and invest your money, and who you spend time with. Focus on leading yourself first in those areas and you will be able to handle whatever shows up.

2023 is where the pros show up. It’s not going to be easy, but it can be simple. And we’re here to help every step of the way through our blog (more fresh content launching this month!), podcast, trainings (stay tuned for our 2023 events calendar), and more.  

But before we completely, say goodbye to 2022, I want to share 22 key lessons from last year (in no particular order). I encourage you to take some time to reflect on your own as we wind down the year and gear up for a challenging and exciting year ahead! 

1. Stop taking yourself so seriously. 
2. Determine how much time you are willing to work. And then focus on being the best version of yourself in the time you’ve allotted. This is achieved by subtracting things from your life, not adding. 
3. Stop chasing after significance and a sense of self-importance. Just be in the moment of life and experience it fully. 
4. Figure out what your aim is in life. What is your North Star? Why are you here? Oriente yourself in that direction and decisions become easier and more effortless. 
5. Remember, the moment isn’t bothering you, you are bothering yourself about the moment. 
6. There is nothing material or physical in life that will make you feel happiness for long periods of time. The only thing that produces happiness long-term is the ability to accept, and be happy with, whatever is happening in the present moment.  
7. You are always leading someone or something. And you are always following someone or something. Great leaders know when to lead and when to follow. 
8. There are three parts to any moment: 1) Your experience, 2) Your awareness of the experience, and 3) The story the mind creates about the experience. Be careful not to buy into the story. 
9. Life will always be hard if you are always trying to get what you want. Life is effortless when you need nothing and enjoy everything. 
10. Cultivate your curiosity and creativity. 
11. You are going to die in a relatively short period of time. 80, 100, 120 years? Whatever the number is, it’s inconsequential compared to the earth’s 4.5 billion years of existence? So, whatever is bothering you right now, ask yourself, “Does it really matter?” 
12. Never give up. Never give up on your aim in life. Never give up on finding the deep truth about life itself. 
13. The purpose of your life is to let go of the piece of you (your ego) that is preventing you from fully enjoying life. Every morning you want to wake up with less ego and more You than you had the night before. 
14. Focus comes from clarity. Clarity comes from your awareness of the moment, without any story attached. 
15. You’ll need resilience and dedication in 2023 in order to succeed in real estate. Make peace with mastering the boredom of extreme focus on a few activities and consistency in all areas of your life. 
16. Relax and release is the greatest technique you can implement. 
17. Open your heart a little bit more every day and keep it open longer by falling behind whatever emotion you are feeling and allowing it to move through you without becoming stuck. 
18. In order to “win” at life, you need to understand what game you’re playing. So, what game are you playing? Are you sure you want to play that game or is it time to upgrade the game itself? 
19. Smile more. 
20. Stop overvaluing the future moment by creating a story in your mind about how the future moment will be better than the one you’re experiencing right now. 
21. Do not be wealthy or healthy for a day. Focus on the activities and habits that will create wealth and health for life. 
22. We live in a 200% world. The external world is only 100% of the puzzle. There is a whole other 100% of life that we often ignore or deem too insignificant to put any real effort into. But it actually has everything to do with our fulfillment and happiness! Your inner world is the other 100% of the puzzle. And it’s by working on the internal world that will ultimately unlock everything that you’ve been looking for all along.