24 Lessons from Year 24

I'm old af lowkey...

Oven: Ding!

Oop, looks like my prefrontal cortex is done cooking.

Yup, that’s right, your boy turned 25 this week. 25 sun laps. A quarter century. Call it anything you want, but don’t call me a spring chicken, because I’m now officially old.

Every year, around my birthday, I like to take some time to reflect on the things I learned during the previous sun lap. Hopefully there is something in here that either resonates with you, challenges a belief you have, or makes you chuckle.

So without further ado, here’s 24 things I learned this year. About the world & about myself.

24 Lessons from Year 24

1. You can’t do it alone. Find mentors and partners & don’t be afraid to ask for help.

2. Chasing shiny objects is a bad idea and hard to resist. I’ve struggled with this.

3. It’s foolish to try to become the best at everything. Have your core skillsets & learn how to communicate & work with others. I’m working on this now.

4. I can grow a mustache! Who knew? Whether you like it or not, it is there, and it is a mustache.

5. Your actions will fall in line with who you believe yourself to be. If you don’t think of yourself as a “morning person” you won’t find yourself getting up early. If you think of yourself as a “gym person”, you will go to the gym, because that’s what gym people do.

6. The biggest battle you will face will be in your head, battling yourself and your own thoughts. You are the only one that stops yourself. Nobody else really ever stops you from doing anything, it’s always you.

7. Riding a bike around a city I’ve never been to before is one of my simplest pleasures. If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a go next time you are in a new city.

8. What works for everybody else, won’t necessarily work for you. Learning what makes you tick is super important because it’ll help you make personalized decisions rather than just constantly listening to other people’s advice who don’t understand your context.

9. Travel isn’t always fun. This year, for the first time, I had a moment where I was headed to the airport and I didn’t want to go. Up until now, travel has always been so fun, but after taking 60 flights this year I realized that there’s times when it is hard and not fun haha.

10. Asking good questions is very rewarding. It leads to interesting conversations and new opportunities.

11. I will never leave New York City uninspired. It just can’t happen.

12. When you’ve looked everywhere external for answers and can’t find them, try looking inward instead. This has helped me.

13. Comparison is the quickest way to kill your motivation. Social media is a breeding ground for comparison. I’ve found it helpful to step away from social media at times in order to focus on myself.

14. The locals offering to “help” you navigate the streets in Morocco are actually going to take you down a small alley and press you for money (learned this the hard way).

15. Putting yourself in new environments can help you to make important changes.

16. I’ve been wearing the same socks, boxers, and a lot of my clothes since the beginning of high school. I keep seeing old photos of myself where I’m wearing the same shirt in the photo as I am as I’m looking at the photo. Humbling.

17. You will suck your first time at everything, almost guaranteed. If you had fun while sucking, that’s a good signal for something to pursue, as you will be able to persist through the periods when you aren’t good at it. I found this with playing the piano, photography, DJing, and a few other times.

18. I’m at my best when I’m in a good mood. If I can figure out how to be in a good mood everyday I will accomplish anything I want.

19. Simply asking for stuff has like a 80% success rate, even when the ask seems ridiculous. (Example: I asked for 10% off at Home Depot one time, the lady asked: “Why?” To which I responded “No reason, I just figured I’d ask.” And then she said “Okay, no problem.” Pretty wild. Discounted lumber!!)

20. International DJs live the most insane lifestyle. It’s not all partying and groupies, in fact, a lot of them don’t drink at all. It’s more long travel days, sold out shows, and having fun creating content on the fly. I’ve been lucky enough to ride shotgun to this lifestyle while filming this year. An experience I am truly grateful for.

21. Sometimes breaking your current routines is what you need to wake yourself up. Often times life will break your routines for you, but sometimes you need to do it for yourself.

22. Honest self-reflection can be painful. Especially when you realize that you aren’t exactly who you thought you were. However, this can be the first step in becoming the person that you want to be.

23. Health is everything. As soon as your health detoriorates your other problems just aren’t that important. In light of this, I’m trying to be proactive with my health. Been lifting. Been sauna-ing. Body’s feeling good.

24. When you drown yourself in social media & other people’s lives it’s really hard to remember who you are or what you want. Taking breaks from this stuff can help get back on track.

And there you have it! Another year in the books. Many lessons learned & many memories made.

If you read through them all, let me know which was your favorite or which struck a chord with you!

Thanks again for reading.

Until next time,

Flickman

P.S. Here is an awesome photo my mom took of me in Greece. Look at that mustache!!