23 Lessons From 2023

“What did you learn this year?”

The other day, a friend shared his Yearly Review framework for reflecting on the past year.

As I reviewed my story bank, I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for how much I’ve changed and improved.

(It was also pretty funny to see how naive my grand plans for the future were).

That’s lesson number one: A lot can change in one year.

Here are my top 23 lessons from 2023:

#1: Embrace mimetic desires

Mimetic Desire: We adopt the desires of those around us.

If all your friends want a Ferrari, subconsciously you’ll want one too.

Instead of battling against your 2000-year-old conditioning, lean into it.

Surround yourself with people who are climbing a similar mountain as you. People who have big goals and push you to strive for yours.

It’s much easier to change your environment than to change your psychology.

#2: Fix hardware before software

“Trying to think your way out of overthinking is like trying to eat your way out of food poisoning.” - George Mack

When you feel off, turn your body on.

Lift. Train. Walk. Run. Sleep.

Your mind is like a computer. Your body is the on/off switch.

Change your physiology to change your psychology.

#3: The work needs doing

I used to show up on exam day, try my best, and think, “Whatever grade I get is the grade I get. At least I tried my best.”

But the truth is the exam doesn’t care if you did your best, it only cares if you did the work that was needed.

For me, that means:

• Studying and reviewing the material
• Getting ample rest and recovery
• Eating energizing foods

If I didn’t do those things before the test, then I didn’t put myself in a good position to do my best.

You don’t get an A+ for “doing your best”, you get an A+ for accuracy. This applies to school, business, and life.

It’s not about doing your best. It’s about doing what’s required.

#4: Consistency is a trap

There’s a common misconception that if you show up every day then you’re bound to win eventually.

But the truth is anybody can show up. Consistency is table stakes for those who want to do big things.

If you want to get stronger, you have to increase the sets, reps, and weights. If you want to become a better writer, you have to iterate on each piece of content over time. If you want to grow your business, you have to continually improve your product.

It’s not about showing up, it’s about improving every time you show up.

Mastery is an iteration game disguised as a consistency game.

#5: Track what you want to improve

One of the best ways to ensure you’re improving is to track what you want to improve.

Keep track of your sets, reps, and weights in the gym.

Keep track of the positive feedback you get on each piece of content.

Keep track of your revenue and expenses for your business.

What gets measured, gets improved.

#6: Dedicate time to improving systems

Every Sunday, I review my past week and ask this one question:

“Where can I reduce the friction?”

Maybe I took too long to write a cold email. Maybe I struggled with saying no to a business proposition. Maybe I didn’t know what to say on an intro call.

Whatever the thing is, I’ll create a simple system to make it easier for next time.

• Cold Email Template
• How to Say “No” SOP
• ‘Intro Questions to Ask’ List

The person who carefully crafts their systems and routines will go further than the person “winging it”.

#7: Reading is a life and business cheat code

Reading is not a chore.

Reading is theft. It’s a robbery.

Someone smarter than you has spent decades beating their head against the wall trying to solve the problem you're dealing with.

You can steal that hard-earned knowledge and make it yours.

That is power. Read more.

#8: There’s no substitute for face-to-face

About a month ago, I met two internet friends in person for the first time.

It was an incredible experience.

I’ve had hundreds of Zoom calls over the past year, but nothing compares to physically being in the same room with somebody.

Note to self: Create more opportunities for in-person meetups.

#9: Every industry has a backdoor

Anyone can submit a resume and apply through a company’s website.

Few will take the time to:

• Do proper research
• Find a connection
• Do the work upfront

It’s incredible how much you can stand out by simply putting in a little more effort than everyone else.

High performers find ways to stand out.

#10: You don’t need to have an opinion

Legendary investor Charlie Munger once said, “I’m not entitled to have an opinion on a subject unless I can state the arguments against my position better than the people who are supporting it.”

You don’t need to have an opinion on everything.

Normalize saying “I don’t know” to things you don’t fully understand.

#11: Everything has a price

The price of being fit is eating healthy and moving daily. The price of being a clear thinker is reading broadly and writing daily. The price of building a business is risk and responsibility.

But there’s also a flipside:

The price of NOT being fit is not being able to physically do the things you may want to do. The price of NOT being a clear thinker is always being in a state of distress. The price of NOT building a business is not having the autonomy of an entrepreneur.

The questions to ask yourself are:

1. What is the price of doing this? What is the price of NOT doing this?

2. Which price am I more willing to pay?

#12: Adopt an abundant mindset

Connect people with no expectations. Help people with no expectations. Celebrate other people’s wins. Express appreciation more.

The world is big enough for us all to win.

Someone else winning doesn’t mean you are losing.

#13: If you can’t write it, you don’t understand it

Writing is hard. Writing exposes the gaps in your understanding. But writing is also the process by which you plug those gaps.

In a world where people outsource their thoughts to AI, be the person who sits with the discomfort of thinking something through by yourself.

Not only will you be rewarded with the pleasure of solving a hard problem, but you’ll also become a clearer thinker.

#14: Write down your sound bites

Whether you’re interviewing for a job, hiring employees, or trying to explain what you do to family — having a few go-to answers and stories helps tremendously.

Three questions to prepare sound bites for:

• What do you do?
• How did you get started?
• What’s your vision for the future?

Write down your answers, memorize your sound bites, then focus on improving your delivery.

#15: Make time for your top goal

I recently came across the ‘Top Goal Framework’ by Matt Mochary a CEO coach.

Put simply, block off two hours of your day to work on your most important thing. Do this every day. Wake up early if you need to. Don’t compromise.

It’s incredible how much progress you can make by doing this every single day.

#16: You’ll never know what you want to do with the rest of your life

Instead of trying to predict the future, focus on improving your current position.

Work hard. Acquire skills. Stay humble. Avoid stupid mistakes and don’t interrupt compounding unnecessarily.

Stack the odds in your favor so no matter what happens you’re prepared to take advantage.

#17: Don’t focus on being well-known, focus on being known well

In school, business, and life, it’s not about how many people know you—it’s about how well those who do know you perceive you.

The person who over-delivers for their clients will get more referrals. The person who is kind to everyone will be noticed.

“The most valuable thing you can earn is a community of highly regarded people who will speak highly of you.” - Anu Atluru

Think quality, not quantity.

#18: Never hesitate to invest in yourself

”A lot of poor people stay poor because they’re too cheap to get rich.” - Alex Hormozi

If you have the means to “skip the line” by buying knowledge, do it.

Not only will you save yourself the time and mistakes of learning by yourself, but you’ll also be more inclined to stick with your commitments.

We pay attention to where we put our money.

#19: Default to optimism

Cynics get to be right. Optimists get to be rich.

It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and hate on those in the arena.

It’s hard to be in the arena trying things and putting yourself out there.

Yet history remembers those in the arena. History remembers the creators. The doers. The optimistic few building the future.

Choose the belief that serves you.

#20: Work with people you admire

One of the best career decisions I’ve made was to work for people I admire.

While that may have taken more time away from my personal projects—like this newsletter, I’ve learned so much from those I look up to. (Shoutout Tyler Denk, Cory Levy, Mike McGuiness, Noah Kagan, & Sahil Bloom)

If you get a chance to work with someone you look up to, pursue it relentlessly.

#21: Bring solutions, not problems

Career hack: Never share a problem without also sharing a possible solution

• Here’s the problem
• Here’s what we’ve already done to address this problem
• Here’s what we plan to do next
• Here are the options and what we recommend

Be easy to work with and hard to compete against.

#22: Focus on knowledge and skills

When we’re young, we think that if we attain enough money, we’ll be set for life.

But money is not the safety blanket that we think it is.

Money, fame, and success can all be taken away from us.

What can’t be taken? Knowledge and skills.

There’s no better freedom than knowing you have the knowledge and skills to build wealth from zero again and again.

You don’t want financial security, you want financial confidence.

#23: Tune out the world

Stop following the advice that everyone else is following. Mute big accounts. Leave your phone in your drawer. Stop watching the news. Don’t let the current thing distract you from your thing.

Tune out the world. Then build your own.

Jay “2024 Is Going To Be A Blast” Yang