You maaaaaaaaaaaaade it!

Hey there,

You know what they say: "Clap when you land!"

And yes, that's why, when I saw these dogs clapping, I couldn't resist!

What a year, man! Can you feel it? 

When I look back at 2022, I'm glad because I can say that I don't regret anything. I'm mostly filled with contentment, joy, and relief because all the stress that I had felt at the beginning of the year was for nothing.

This year turned out fine. I gave myself permission to break some barriers and look toward new horizons, which allowed me to do what I loved and make friends in the process. I even told a friend that 2022 has been the year that I hoped 2021 would be but wasn't, so I'm hoping that next year will be even better if not the same. 

In this final newsletter before the new year, I'd like to share with you 5 key learnings from 2022 that I believe will help you prepare for the coming year:

1. Mind your business as if you're getting paid to do it: it's the secret sauce to happiness! Never letting other people's lives occupy an important portion of your mind gives you more time to invest in becoming a better you.
2. Don't let fear stop you: consider imposter syndrome as a form of fear. Once you overcome fear (meaning you're no longer overcome by it), you'll do it scared and succeed, and it's the best feeling ever.
3. Give yourself permission to have good things: embracing the good really changes you. Say yes to whatever you thought you didn't deserve, and give yourself a break.
   
4. Set goals for yourself or else other people will set them for you: the recipe for a life of regret is to live your life on someone else's terms (aka people-pleasing). Define what success means for you and work towards achieving it for YOU.
5. Be content, but learn well so you can grow: and this requires discipline and teachability. Undisciplined people never learn; they repeat the same cycles over and over until they get disciplined enough to make progress. Unteachable people think they know it all and hoard information they think is too precious. But if you want to grow, you need to practice what you learn until it becomes knowledge, because information is just that—information. But you gain knowledge through experience. Don't be an encyclopedia of useless information! 
   

The Listening Gems

1. Benjamin Cloth and myself were an unstoppable duo in this holiday-themed, joy-filled podcast episode about writing. And you don't want to miss it! 
2. Here's the single most important podcast episode every personal brand owner needs to play at least every 3 months. It teaches you how to monetize a personal brand, and it contains so much value that I had to reshare it with you. 
3. In this engrossing episode of the Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast: An ounce is heavier than a gram. We harmlessly mix them up sometimes, but a "unit conversion error" when you're filling up the fuel tanks of an airliner can be fatal. Which is exactly what happened to Air Canada Flight 143, a real-life example of why maths matter and why you should clap when you land.

The Reading Gems

1. The African version of a "home for the holidays" Christmas playlist is out, and it's AFREADA's new series titled "Home for Christmas."

2. New year, new bae? Read this article if you're someone who wants to meet a romantic partner as part of your new year's resolutions.

3. New year, new job? Here's an article that'll teach you the best strategy for studying to land the job you want. After this, you may want to check out this list of resume builders that will help you optimize for ATS, to which I'll add my personal favourite. 

Psst... If a friend forwarded this email to you, just hit the button below and subscribe:

The Watching Gems

1. A while ago I found this emotional true story of a woman who escaped North Korea and it's one of those stories that not only educate you about a really mysterious country and system, but also inspire you as it contains great lessons as well.

2. She Left France To Become The First Female Coffee Farmer In Kinshasa Congo! Another gem, courtesy of one of the best YouTube Channels in the world. This video is proof that you never know what's possible until you try.

3. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022): is the best feature film adapted from a children's book that you'll have watched in a long time, I promise! 

And it's a wrap! 

I hope this was a worthwhile roundup, and I wish you a Happy New Year 2023 🧨🧨🧨🎊🎊🎊

Cheers 🥂 

Priscille.