As 2021 progresses, I want to share the top 20 lessons learned from last year. Reflection helps us build self-awareness, which helps us become better versions of ourselves. Hope you find a few of these lessons valuable (and amusing). Enjoy!
(NOTE: The underlined lessons are clickable links to previous Noy Sauce posts.)
- Continue Questioning Things
- By getting a clearer picture as to why things in life are the way they are, we can find ways to improve and find better ways of doing things
- Remind Yourself Why You Do the Things You Do
- Doing so will keep you focused and help you persevere on those moments you want to raise your hands and give up
- Women can lead and be independent, but really appreciate it when her man takes initiative
- My girlfriend and I went to a Christmas-themed park to take pictures. Her digital camera’s battery went low so she only had her phone to take pictures. The problem is that her phone doesn’t fit on the selfie stick, making taking selfies on the phone awkward. Seeing her feeling down, I asked people walking by around the park to take our pictures. 100+ pictures taken later, she had a treasure trove of pictures to sort and edit. When we left the place and got in the car, she smiled brightly.
- Games Are Often Won Before the Fourth Quarter
- The tough conversations. The adventures shared together. The quality of time spent with family. These building blocks are what allow our relationships to shine, more than just an Instagrammable picture.
- It’s Only When At Least One Person Speaks Up, Others Start Speaking Up
- My girlfriend and I were standing in line outside of Jollibee for more than 20 minutes, because they wouldn’t allow us inside. I opened the door and asked the worker why we are waiting in line for this long and if they can let us inside. After the worker allowed us to get inside, a Filipina then complained in Tagalog, “Yeah, let us inside! It’s ridiculous we all are waiting outside in the cold.”
- It comes to show that many people prefer complaining than speaking up. When one person speaks up, however, they now have the courage to speak up themselves.
- If You Don’t Stand for Something, You Do Not Stand for Anything
- If you don’t set a clear expectation on what you want in life (the ideal partner you want to be with, career you want to work in, and the purpose you want to fulfill) and work towards it, someone will decide that for you 🙁
- Seeing how happy my girlfriend is, knowing that I helped play a big role in it, is a source of pride as a man.
- A man’s main responsibility to his wife is making sure she gets to heaven. Likewise, a woman’s main responsibility to her husband is making sure he gets to heaven.
- Pray together and for each other. Attend mass together. Encourage one another when one is feeling down or being too hard on his/herself.
- Many Celebrities Are the Dumbest People to Be Seeking Advice From
- How can people who are privileged really understand what it’s like to be “oppressed”? If America is such a terrible place as they claim it is, why don’t they leave?
- The best people to seek advice from are mentors and independent influencers who have the results we desire, simply by being “one to two steps” ahead of us. Not only are they relatable, but they carry a sense of humility knowing what it’s like starting from the ground up
- AirPods are one of the best products out there
- Listen to podcasts without disturbing anyone while working out in the gym, running outside, doing laundry, washing dishes, ironing clothes. Doing so boosts our growth and learning manyfold.
- The case doubles as a dynamic battery charger?! Genius.
- Only You Can Take Care of Yourself Better Than Your Doctor or Anyone Else
- Doctors prescribe medications and offer a potential solution based on the symptoms.
- You know yourself better than anyone else. Get second and third opinions, then take action in improving your health!
- Trust Your Instincts
- We often think too much and underestimate ourselves (I’ve done this as far as I can remember) that it paralyzes us from taking action.
- We are enough, and better than we give ourselves credit for. Our first impressions are usually correct 😊
- By taking more action in my career, relationships, and purpose, I found myself thinking negatively less often and just being.
- Get Out of Our Own Ways
- When feeling overwhelmed with daunting tasks and goals, take small steps. Those small steps inspire confidence and build momentum to take bigger steps.
- Need to Experience Pain to Fully Learn The Lesson
- By growing up in a lower-middle class family, it taught me to be prudent in money and appreciate people’s generosity.
- By experiencing a series of rejections in dating, it taught me to be more confident and have higher standards on what I will and won’t tolerate.
- By experiencing all of this craziness in the news these days, we can witness for ourselves the extent of corruption going on in the government all these years and how it’s been enabled through a lack of accountability.
- Communists Are Really Sneaky People
- One of their signature actions is projection, which is accusing the enemy of what it is they are doing to shift away the blame.
- Communists (infiltrated in popular culture and in education) tell us that it’s someone else’s fault for where we are at in life and why things are the way they are. Blaming others doesn’t serve any of us. Personal responsibility does.
- Learn to be self-sufficient and responsible. Communists hate it when we can think and do things for ourselves.
- Fight for What Matters Most to You
- One of America’s greatest strengths is our convictions to fight for what we believe in.
- 2020 was a reminder for all of us to fight for what we believe in and desire, not to leave things up to chance.
- Take Many Journeys At Once, Not Just One
- Life is too short to wait to finish a goal before starting another one.
- These days, I spend weekends looking at houses, eating bougie hot dogs, biking on the beach, and working on side projects, while writing content.
- Small Businesses in Small Towns are Awesome
- There’s a sense of authenticity and personality that comes with visiting small businesses in small towns, especially restaurants.
- Without small businesses, I wouldn’t have known how awesome ollalieberries are in pies and fruit preserves.
- Besides, small businesses are antidotes to communists.
- If it Weren’t for the Coronavirus Keeping Us Locked In for Months, I Wouldn’t Have Realized That I’ve Got Good Hair
- There’s No Point In Doing Things If the Work Is Not Fun. So have fun!
As always, keep the faith and enjoy the ride. God is always with us and for us.