10 Lessons I Learned This Year

Today’s a little different. It’s my birthday. And I’m not one to make a big deal out of it, but I do use this time every year to reflect. To look back on what I’ve learned. To take stock of what changed me — for better or worse — over the last 12 months.

This past year taught me a lot. Some of it I’ve been through before, but the lesson came back louder. And some of it hit for the first time. So I wanted to share ten lessons that shaped me this year — the kind of real-world reminders that keep you grounded, focused, and growing.

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1. If you don’t have a plan, life will hand you someone else’s.

I learned this the hard way. When you don’t wake up with a plan — not just for your year, but for your week, your day, even your morning — you start saying yes to everything and everyone. You let other people fill your calendar. Before you know it, you’re living someone else’s life, moving on someone else’s timeline, helping build someone else’s vision.

You can’t move with intention if you don’t have direction. So I’ve learned to guard my time, and more importantly, I’ve learned to own my time.

2. Know when it’s time to leave.

Whether it’s a job, a business, a role, or even a relationship — you have to know when to walk away. I’ve stayed in situations too long thinking they’d get better. But if you’re honest, you usually know six months before it’s time to go.

Staying stuck is easy. Leaving is hard. But what’s on the other side of the decision to pivot is usually what you’ve been waiting for all along. You can’t grow when you’re rooted in places you’ve outgrown.

3. Don’t hire if you haven’t made money yet.

I’ve seen this mistake too many times — people building teams before they’ve built a business. They hire out of ego. They want to look like a business instead of focusing on becoming one.

Before you hire, get clear on how the business actually makes money. Get cash flowing. Prove the model. Then bring people in to help scale what’s working — not to figure it out for you.

4. Don’t be afraid to look foolish in pursuit of something real.

This one was personal. I remember leaving my job to start my business and still going to happy hours with people I used to work with. And every time, someone would ask, “So how’s the business going?”

At first, I answered confidently. But when things weren’t growing the way I planned, I started to feel embarrassed. I questioned if I made the right decision. But I stuck with it — even when it didn’t make sense to anyone but me.

Being willing to look foolish might be the price of building something no one else sees yet. Pay it anyway.

5. Being well-liked shouldn’t come at the cost of liking yourself.

This came from a conversation I had with someone I really respect. I was doing a lot for other people — showing up for everyone but myself — and I was drained. That’s when I realized I was trading respect for approval. I was sacrificing my own boundaries to maintain relationships that didn’t feed me.

So I started asking myself a simple question: Am I okay with this?
If the answer was no, I stopped doing it.

You don’t owe anyone access to you that comes at the expense of your own peace.

6. Power and money can’t buy genuine love and respect.

Money can buy attention. It can buy access. But it can’t buy loyalty, love, or respect. That stuff is earned over time, and it shows up in the way people treat you when they don’t need anything from you.

You’ll know who’s really in your corner when there’s nothing to gain. Focus on those relationships.

7. It’s okay to want more — including more money.

For a long time, I felt guilty for wanting more. I grew up around messages that said money was bad, that ambition was selfish. But I’ve unlearned that.

Wanting more — more freedom, more impact, more income — doesn’t make you ungrateful. It makes you human. And when you do it with the right intention, it’s not about greed. It’s about growth. You can be grateful and still want better for your life.

8. Great people > a lot of people.

You don’t need everyone. You just need the right people.

This year, when life got hard, I saw clearly who showed up and who disappeared. That clarity was a gift. From now on, I’m doubling down on the people who pour back into me — the ones who check in, hold space, and stand tall when I can’t.

Life’s too short for surface-level connections.

9. When you feel overwhelmed, do one thing.

I’m a dreamer. I’ve got big visions, big goals, and sometimes that makes me freeze — because the gap between where I am and where I want to be feels too wide.

But I’ve learned that progress doesn’t require a leap. It just needs a step. So now, when I feel stuck, I ask myself: What’s the one thing I can do today that moves me forward? And I do that. Just that. Every day.

10. Things won’t always go how you pictured them — but they can still work out.

Sometimes the path you wanted won’t work. The timeline you believed in won’t happen. The door you thought would be open is closed for good.

But that doesn’t mean it’s over. It means it’s time to find another way.

You can still get where you’re meant to go. Just don’t be afraid to take a different route to get there.

As I step into this next chapter, I’m carrying these lessons with me. I’m still learning. Still growing. Still figuring it out. But I’m walking into this year with more clarity, more confidence, and more conviction than ever.

Thanks for being part of this journey. Every message, every share, every time you hit play — it means a lot. I appreciate you.

See you next week,
—Abu

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