Your key to success: biggest lessons and regrets from 2019

Here are a few of my biggest lessons and regrets of 2019

Hard to believe that 2019 is coming to a close and we are not only entering a new decade, but also a new year. This year I learned a couple of things, a lot

of them are my biggest lessons and regrets. I learned a couple of things this year that have taught me a few things. They have also made me realize that I have a long way to go.

What I have come to realize is that every year comes with its own set of lessons and regrets. One year you might learn to fight for what you believe in and the next you could learn how to love yourself. This year, I learned a couple of things I never thought I would learn and it pushed me out of my comfort zones. I had this idea of who I was and what I wanted.

Then life slapped me hard and I realized, I had missed the mark on so many things. I had underestimated myself for far too long. The interesting thing is we have all been there.

We have all underestimated our capabilities to some extent. Thinking that we aren’t equipped or that we aren’t good enough to do something. Then we realize that we have what it takes. I had to learn this because this was the first year I went for my dreams with full force. I learned so much in the process and that made me stronger as I was pursuing my dreams.

My biggest lessons and regrets taught me what mattered at the end of the day. It helped me figure things out and I decided to write this so it could help you as well. I am not the exception, who knows, maybe next year could be your year to follow your dreams.

Start now

A lot of us don’t start on our dreams because we believe that there’s enough time. That might be true, but it doesn’t mean that we should take advantage of time.

Sometimes you need to dive right in so that you can start working on your dreams. This is one of the biggest lessons that I learned this year. I regret not starting earlier a few years ago.

What I have discovered is that sometimes we forget to live life because we are afraid to fail. It is scary failing and there are a lot of people who choose to focus on the wrong things because they are afraid that if they start before they have all the cards on the table then it would be a painful experience. I once was told that no one changed the world by playing it safe and yet many of us do this often.

We never start early and therefore, we regret not doing that down the line. Something powerful happens when we choose to start now. When we choose to follow our dreams. When we step out in faith.

This is one of the biggest lessons and regrets from 2019. What it taught me was that when you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you are telling yourself that you believe in your dreams. That is important because then whatever comes your way, you are more willing to fight for it.

Too terrified to charge more

One of my biggest regrets was not asking for more. I had this belief that I needed to be as affordable as I could be. That is not a bad thing, but I ended up doing so much work. I wasn’t confident in my capabilities and therefore I was alright with settling for less. I have come to realize putting yourself out there isn’t enough, it is also important to understand the worth that you are bringing to the table.

Even though this is one of my biggest lessons and regrets, I also understand putting myself out there made me confident. People talk often about making money online, but once you do that it changes the way you look at life and yourself. Before I wasn’t sure how it could be done then I did it. It was as if I had a light bulb moment.

In my first year of business, I made money and it wasn’t as much as I thought it would be. Though it did make me realize that I could make more money from working online then I had thought was possible. Stepping into the next year, I know it is possible and now I am more confident in my capabilities.

What you need to take form this is that never be terrified of charging more even when you are starting out. That doesn’t mean you should be exorbitant, but it also doesn’t mean that you should be terrified of asking for more.

Choosing fear over my dreams

One of my biggest regrets of 2019 was I often chose fear over my dreams. You might be wondering how does one choose fear over chasing your dreams. I had so many plans brewing and I was too terrified of failing I never went for it.

I spent months procrastinating instead of going after what I wanted. Maybe, if I had fought harder than I would have made more or done more. However, even though I regret this, it also was one of my biggest lessons. I have learned that we all need to grab the bull by its horn. Sure, it is terrifying, but not doing that is as if we are saying that we aren’t good enough.

Next year, I want to take more charge of my life. Do more, follow my dreams. Yes, in the beginning, it will be terrifying, in fact, I am expecting it to be. But life is all about taking chances. Even though, it is terrifying at first. Not taking chances is almost like giving up.

Caring about what people think is a waste of time

This is one of my biggest lessons and regrets for 2019. I spent the last decade caring far too often what people thought. It often drove me crazy. I would spend so much time consumed with worry and that stole not only my joy but my confidence. I was worried about how someone would see me if I went after my dreams.

After all, I was no one special and maybe, people would think that I was trying to be someone I wasn’t. For the longest time, that fear kept me stuck. I couldn’t move past it. I couldn’t move past the worry or even try to build myself from the ground. As a result, I never did anything that was seen as spectacular. A lot of people have this belief that you need to be like Oprah or Elon Musk to make a change.

As a result of that, they never step out of their comfort zone. They never chase after their dreams because the thought lingers in their mind and consumes them to the point where insecurity plagues them. I decided to stop chasing after jobs not because I am special, but because I realized that I wanted more for my life.

Never give up

This might seem corny, but often when things start getting harder it is so much easier to throw in the towel. One of my biggest lessons this year was I almost

gave up. I almost threw in the towel. I had to decide whether I wanted to list this as one of my biggest lessons and regret of 2019. I decided I wanted to be honest with.

Most people on the internet tend to shy away from this. Maybe, they feel it will make them appear vulnerable or human. No matter how many years you spend working on your business, they will be times when you will want to throw in the towel. Why? Because sometimes running a business isn’t easy. Will it always be like that? Of course, not. We all have our moments when we contemplate giving up.

I had a few of those moments this year when I almost threw in the towel. It was here that I learned that anything worthwhile requires time and patience. I started to think about the amount of time I dedicated to working on my business. Here’s the thing, many of us give up way before we start building traction and we never know what it could have happened if we stuck it out.

Also Related: How to Be Fearless by Doing it Anyway

Waiting for people to come to my blog

This is one of those life lessons we read about and promise ourselves that we won’t do then we do. I read often about how new bloggers tend to wait for people to come to their blogs. I promised myself I wouldn’t do that and then I did. This is my top biggest lesson and regret from 2019. I have learned that often it is important to go out there and put yourself out.

There are so many people with blogs these days that it is important to share your content so that it can be seen. Often, we have this belief that people will show up. “Field of Dreams,” could have inspired this trend of building something and believing that people would show. Even though that movie was inspiring and motivated a lot of people back in the day to go after their dreams, often even if you build something no one will come. You are lucky if you hear grasshoppers instead of the wind whistling.

Once I realized this, I came to understand how it important it is not only to fight and push for my dreams. This was one of my biggest lessons and regrets of 2019.

What risks are you willing to take to chase after your dreams? Loved to know. Comment below.

Keep Pushing

Vanessa