Finish Strong: Important Lessons from 2024

As you know, in just. a few weeks we will be closing out 2024. Many people came into this year with great hope and great expectations. However, this is normally the point in the year where many people are filled with disappointment or overcome by regret. While we do not have the ability to turn back the hands of time, we do have a responsibility to reflect on the year so that we can position for great results in the year to come. 2024 has been an extraordinary year in my life. While I faced some adversity along the way, I made extraordinary progress and realized so many dreams. I look back on 2024 with a profound sense of gratitude for the lessons, wisdom and victories I have gained along the way. I hope these insights will inspire you to finish strong and start 2025 empowered.

1. Some things you just have to let go. Early in the year, I found myself frustrated about a particular area of my life that just seemed to not be working. As someone that does not like to allow anything to defeat me, I kept probing and trying to find a solution. However one day I just got fed up and that is when I had such a powerful moment of clarity in my life. I realized that we complicate our lives when we cling to things that no longer serve us. I was attempting to make an old strategy work for a new season. It was frustrating and it was exhausting. That day I made a decision that I was just going to let it go. In letting go, not only did I find peace but I was able to perceive new strategies that removed the barriers in my way and ushered me into breakthrough. Stop holding on to things that are hijacking your peace and handicapping your potential. Know when a season has ended in your life and have the courage to wave goodbye to it so that you can embrace the new season.
2. You command the moments of your life. If you know me, then you know I am all about making the best use of your time and maximizing the moments of your life. 2024 presented me with a plethora of opportunities. The challenge with an abundance of opportunities is coming to the realization that time is a scarce commodity. As a result, you must be able to discern what demands your attention and what is a distraction in your life. Many things disguise themselves as opportunities but they are often opposition to the advancement of your life. This year taught me that you are the ultimate commander of the moments of your life. What does that mean? It means that you have an internal alarm clock and that you do not have to move according to other peoples expectations or timelines. When you truly understand that you command the moments of your life, it empowers you to know what to say yes to and what to say no to. More importantly, it empowers you to have the courage to speak up for yourself and the things that are important to you. If you do not command the moments of your life, then you will live controlled by the agendas and expectations of others.
3. You must quickly reject any attempt to devalue your life. Those that know me will tell you that my good heart is the thing that has often gotten me in the biggest trouble. My desire to want to help and be there for people can be obsessive at times. One thing I had to come to grips with in 2024 is that I do not have to tolerate or explain myself to people that devalue and dishonor me. At one time in my life, I felt the constant need to explain every choice and every course of action. However, as I get older, I realize that I do not owe people explanations for every move I make in my life. In fact, I have made a non-negotiable decision that I love myself enough to detach from any environment where I am devalued. This means that I dismiss myself from any place that does not respect or value my perspectives, my contributions, my boundaries or my time. It was one of the most liberating lessons I ever learned and it is one of the greatest ways that I preserve my peace. You devalue yourself anytime you acquiesce to people that do not respect the authentic you.
4. You cannot have meaningful relationships without cultivation. I talk to so many people that desire healthy and meaningful relationships in their lives. In fact, I was once that person that was hoping, desiring and even praying for meaningful relationships in my life. However, as I continued to do the inner work, I realized that we can often demand of others what we are unwilling to demand of ourselves. More importantly, we can try to hold people to standards that we are unwilling to adhere to in our own lives. Anything that you desire in your relationships you must first be willing to become. In other words, your relationships are a reflection of the worth you associate with them and the work you are willing to put into them. This year more than any other time in my life I realized that I must be intentional about cultivating meaningful relationships in my life. If you do not cultivate relationships, the connection is broken and the relationship ultimately dies. Relationships require work and if you are not willing to invest the time and energy then you will never have meaningful relationships in your life. Love people where they are. At the same time, leave them where they are if they are not willing to put in the work to create meaningful relationships.