9 lessons from 2024
in retrospect, these are some of the lessons i (re)learned in 2024.
the more willing i am to face hard things, the easier life becomes, the freer i feel internally, the more capable my mind is of problem solving.
the most influential factor in my ability to do good creative work is my environment. both internal and external environments. (a) how i feel in my body can take a toll on how productive i can be, including what my mind wants, (b) how my space is organized for work, the kind of activities i conduct in that space, how much space there is even, can all affect my ability to do creative work. so prioritizing getting my internal and external environments in order has become a no brainer. creative work is very important to me.
if i have to think of whether or not someone is my friend, then they are not. it’s quite simple. friendship (for me) is an intuitive knowing, if i have to engage in mental calculus, then it is simply non-existent. they might be an acquaintance, which is okay. one might have more acquaintances than friends, and to be okay with that is to be free.
the only opinions that truly matter when it comes to work are qualified ones. what qualifies an opinion is their experience in the matter at hand, how much they know, what they have learned from said experience, and their ability to communicate said wisdom as palpable ideas. anything else is just “gist” <nigerian context>.
it’s never been easier to stand out in human society, which means it’s never been harder to do so. because easy things have become hard things, and the social consumer culture new tech is seeped in is hard wiring our brains for inefficiency. if i can figure out a way to CONSISTENTLY invoke discipline, to READ books, to create more or as much as i consume, to delay gratification! i can most certainly stand out like the sun in the sky on a cool morning. i will have everything i need to be great and satisfied.
engaging dull people is one of the seven hells (for me). i am better at enlightening knowleagable people than ignorant ones. this is also why i become intensely impatient with myself when i find my mind ignorant on any subject that interests me. if a person is clearly dull i avoid them, and if i have to risk a bad reputation for that avoidance, it is a consequence i have completely made my peace with.
it is futile, totally pointless, to volunteer answers to questions that have not been asked. especially where there is a lack of curiousity, which is most of the time (when a question has not been raised). curious people ask questions. serious people wonder. it is better to be curious and serious, but never the babbling volunteer of answers to questions no one asked you.
the best measure for (my) happiness is contentment. if i am content in whatever scenerio then i am happy. happiness is not a feeling, or pleasure, it is a combination of all of the above, and usually in very unequal measures.
romantic relationships that demand perserverance (outside of marriage) are futile. if you are married, then there is a high likelihood that you made an informed decision so you might as well wait it out to work “it” out. if you are unmarried, which i most certainly am, QUIT as soon as perserverance becomes a theme in that relationship. the earlier the better. it will hurt like hell, but you will be fine, and you will learn to love again.
