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7 Lessons I Relearned This Year
As I reflect upon the past year, I see how valuable and grounding these seven practices can be (when I actually do them).
Do you ever feel like you have to learn the same lessons over and over?
Yeah, me too. That’s life. Head knowledge isn’t expertise. Understanding isn’t skill. Information doesn’t automatically translate to experience, wisdom, or a life well lived. You have to actually Do The Things. You practice, make mistakes, forget, start again, and each time the knowledge becomes less in your head and more in your heart, your gut, your very bones. It takes living to learn.
As I reflect upon the past year, I can clearly see the healthy habits that, when I actually practice them, help me manage difficult situations, relationships, and entire seasons. None are surprising. I’ve written about all of them before. I’m listing them here because all practices require, well, practice. You may, like me, need to be reminded from time to time of these seven “make or break” habits that keep you mentally and emotionally strong and healthy:
1. Connect.
Human beings thrive in tribes. We need community. And that’s been extra hard this year. What I’ve found is that I have to make my connections count. I don’t have the emotional resources for much small talk or one-way relationships.