2019 was a BIG year for me. I experimented with a lot of things in my life and tried to live each day like I was a scientist in my own lab. I also started a business on the BYU Idaho campus for a semester in a class called IBC (which stands for Integral Business Core). I started this podcast as well, and worked on a potato farm for about a month!
There was a lot to dig up from this year. I hope that something I share in this episode helps you in some way, or helps you to avoid some of the mistakes I've made. Remember to YIELD to the good in your life and tomorrow will be a brighter day. :)
1. The 5x of value rule (talked about in the book, "The Compound Effect").
The general idea of this is that if you're about to buy something and you don't think it's worth 5x what you're paying for it, you shouldn't buy it. I bought an Amazon Echo on Prime Day for $50 and yes I've definitely gotten $250 worth out of it! I've used it as an alarm clock, and it's helped me to get into the flow state more than once, or just to chill out. I also got a Nintendo 2DS XL on Prime Day for $130. I already had a Nintendo 3DS XL, so I got this one just for the stronger processing power and the extra game that came with it. Have I gotten $650 from that investment? No way! I'm trying to sell it haha. This lesson has helped me save some money since then. I wish I'd learned this earlier!
2. You live and die by the mornings.
I had one semester (my IBC semester in Spring 2019) where I had a very strict schedule and sure I was tired most of the time, but I had mostly the same schedule every day (except weekends). Fall 2019 was a different story. I chose to focus more on building my podcast and working on other projects and do less credits and so I had way more free time than I needed. I ended up going to many classes drowsy, including some service that I did in the laundry room at the Rexburg Temple. I learned tons from it, but still I felt I was more tired there than I should have been.
3. You cannot hold on to everything - minimalism.
Be careful what you hold on to, because you carry it with you wherever you go. I had quite an eventful time leaving my apartment complex because of all the stuff I had accumulated, and the same thing happened when I left my aunt's house to fly home for Christmas. Never letting that happen again.
4. Thoughts are literally everything.
Your actions influence your thoughts a lot. There were times where I would be very wishy washy about what I was getting done (like during Thanksgiving Break) and so I'd waste hours and hours of precious time. I wasn't taking a break, rather I was working hard to procrastinate!! Treat your thoughts well because do very much contribute to the world you live in.
5. People do not forget what you did for them.
God does not forget what you’ve done for people either. I had a number of times this week where I was really not having a great day, but somebody would appear and help me out. One time in particular my friend, Harrison, recognized that I was having a rough day (and I was low on money) and he bought me some ice cream to cheer me up. We had a good talk and I was able to focus on the ice cream and the good vibes that I felt in this moment. I've definitely learned that God is truly looking out for all of His children for every single second of their lives. I was also blessed with a solid summer job and many other blessings, all because of the generosity of others, many people that I'd met previously. God is blessing me for sure TONS in my life.
I feel bad about only getting two episodes of the podcast up in January. I'm planning to upload at least four episodes here in February. I really do want to learn everything that I can from doing this, and help all the people that I can wit