Chris Jarling

I recently did my annual review and wrote down some things I learned this year.

Here they are, in no particular order.

• Taking risks and leaving your comfort zone is always worth it. You will make new experiences and no matter how they turn out will you always learn something valuable as long as you keep your eyes and mind open
• Tools don’t matter that much. Settle for something that works and only start min-maxing if it gets in your way. The note taking tool or the keyboard you use make only a marginal difference. Focus on the hard things instead.
• Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Usually, if you have a stupid question, at least one other person in the room has the same question and is afraid to ask. Also, this is how you learn.
• Do not care about what other people think of you. Because when you do, you live your life to their expectations and this is the road to unhappiness. Get comfortable with being judged.
• If you have the chance to help someone, do it. You will feel a lot better afterwards and you almost always learn something on the way.
• No matter the kind of relationship, if it drains you you are allowed to cut it. Successful people say goodbye.
• Contact people from your past you felt a spark in at the time meeting them. Most of the time, there now is a fire where that spark used to be.
• Write. Whatever it is, once you have written it down, it will become a lot clearer. It forces you to order your thoughts and take a differentiated point of view.
• Speak slower. People will understand you a lot better. The optimal pace is right at the edge where you feel people must think you are stupid. They really won’t notice a difference other than your improved pronunciation and fewer “ehm”s
• Don’t read the news. The only impact it will have on your life is the negative influence on you mental health.
• If you are going places, some people might not be ready for it and leave. That’s okay. Some people are only meant to be there for a season.
• If you wander off the beaten path of society, people will start talking about you. If you are sure this is the right way to go, the amount of shit people talk about you behind your back is a good indicator on how you are doing.
• If you know your escape mechanisms, they can serve as a tool to indicate if there is something in you life you need to deal with.