2020 has been one of the most exciting and dramatic years of the past decade. I’ve grown and learnt so much through the experiences I had. I’m sure you have too. I’m really grateful for my friends and mentors because they helped me to uncover different perspectives and knowledge. To conclude the year, I’d like to share with you my discoveries – 20 of them for the year 2020.

1. Embody An Experimental Mindset

Having an experimental mindset allowed me to be open and take the pressure off myself. Although I’ve known the concepts of ‘growth’ and ‘fixed’ mindsets for some time, I’ve only recently applied it to making decisions.

Having many feasible choices and not knowing which to start with first can seem overwhelming. When you embody an experimental mindset, you are open to trying all of the options. You also expect yourself to ‘iterate’ and would not make any failures mean anything about your worth.

The next time you face a similar situation:

• List all the options you have. The more the better.
• Prioritise them in order as you deem fit.
• Select the first one at the top of the list.
• Commit to it for at least a week. You can always change it up later.

2. Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings.

Don’t judge yourself for having negative thoughts. Don’t beat yourself up when you overthink decisions. Acknowledge how you are feeling and let the thoughts be there. Do not resist them. Sit with them, and then slowly let them go.

3. Being in a new environment and then returning gives you a different perspective on things.

I came across an article in the newspaper talking about the joy of rediscovering Singapore. I resonated with a quote by Terry Pratchatt in his novel, A Hat Full Of Sky, which the author wrote, “Why do you go away? … So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.”

I realised that I viewed travelling and the world in a different lens after I went on a school trip to Germany. I also cherished the things in school that I took for granted now, after going on a local partial exchange.

“Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

Terry Pratchatt

4. Clean-rest days – we all need them.

I would keep myself busy at every waking hour if I could. But, I soon learnt that it is a recipe for burning out. Even if you can’t seem to find a full day to rest and not think about any work-related things, at least dedicate half a day each week to give yourself that time off. Do something for yourself. What does your body need right now?

You feel overwhelmed and stressed out because you compromised something for yourself.

5. Other people view something as ‘the best’ doesn’t mean it’s the best for you.

Seeking other’s opinions and listening from their perspectives can help you make more informed decisions. However, their interests and values may not be the same as yours. What others suggest may not necessarily be aligned with you. Take what you need, and leave the rest.

Also sometimes, you already know the answers. You don’t need to consult others or gather more information. The answers already lie within you. You just need to access them.

6. It is impossible to do everything. Especially at once.

I love to discover and try many different things. I regard myself as multi-passionate and would have many projects going on at the same time if I could. However, when I overcommitted and spread my energy among many different things, I tended to not make any significant progress on one thing.

Once you start focusing on one goal or commitment, you have no excuses not to pursue it to the best of your ability. Moreover, once you prove to yourself that you can achieve something, you would feel motivated to apply your habits to other areas of your life too.

7. It usually isn’t as hard as your brain makes it out to be.

I often overcomplicate tasks and end up procrastinating because I’d rather avoid doing them until I can’t postpone them anymore. Once I started working on the task, I realised that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, and wonder why I wasted so much mental energy on it.

If there is something that you’ve been avoiding for some time, just start.

8. Balance intuition with research.

Although it’s good to plan and come up with detailed schedules ahead of time, all the big and memorable moments are usually unplanned. Be open to changes and go with your intuition.

9. It is okay to start or quit things just because you feel like it.

You don’t need to justify your reasons to others for starting an activity. Just because you want to do it is a valid reason. What is more important is how you choose to act on it.

There will be sunk cost once you start something, but don’t let it cloud your decisions for the future. It is fine to stop doing a particular activity if the purpose of it has fallen out of alignment with your current interests and values. Are you doing it because you should or because you want to?

10. Give yourself credit for the things you did, whether they may seem small or random – they all count.

Celebrate your efforts. You have come this far because you took action. Even if you think your actions are too small, your brain doesn’t differentiate between ‘big’ or ‘small’ wins. It just knows that you are being rewarded for the effort that you have put in.

It is okay to rest after a ‘big leap’ or achievement too. Give yourself the time to rest and acknowledge your achievements.

Take a moment to stop all that you are doing and enjoy where you are in life.

You probably had your own share of ups and downs and picked up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way too.

What are you proud of yourself for in 2020?

Check out Part 2 to read more about my takeaways for 2020.