we’ll get it back in blood

making up for the Ls of 2022

Welcome to 2023!

I know I usually start these posts with some sort of witty, comedic, or even sarcastic comment or joke but let me start this with a bit of grace and decorum. Congratulations on making it to the New Year. Whether you entered with the stench of anointing oil and aunties giving semi-questionable testimonies or by exchanging saliva with strangers in a room choked with BO and 180bmp techno music. Congratulations. I’m sure some of us kept our eyes on the clock to see if this year was a simulation. I’m sure that the final one minute to midnight felt like a year away.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, last year wasn’t the easiest for Abs (speaking in the 3rd person - I’m definitely losing it). But I’ve heard similar sentiments from friends, family, and a plethora of social media folk.

For those of us who were mistakenly on God’s strongest soldiers list or just haven’t accomplished what we wanted to this year, I’m sure we’re thinking “how can I do better this year?” or “How can I not have a repeat of what happened in 2022?”

I’m sure the main thinking and motivation behind a lot of the decisions this year will be to make up for mistakes or make up for the lost time. “Get it back in blood” if you will. The notion of avenging the losses of the previous year is nothing new.

But what attitude(s) should we embrace when looking into this New Year? Vengeance? Humility? Hunger?

Remember when we were younger and a video was buffering, we acted like we didn’t care about it in the hopes that it would load faster? Is that the mentality we should have this year? “If I act like I don’t care about anything, everything will fall into place.”

It’s a lot to decipher. I’m sure we all understand that it’s not just sheer willpower that will get us through this year but a change in mindset.

With that in mind, here are three things I would consider.

Make your goals constantly visible.

This is something I took from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, which is the book I’m currently reading. In 2021, I had my goals on a PowerPoint deck that I never looked at. In 2022, it was a Notes page on my phone. In March/April, I pinned it at the top of the Notes App in hopes that I will see it constantly and stick to it. I only remembered it when I signed out and set my Out of Office status for Christmas break on the 22nd of December so that was pointless. Maybe this year I will write it on a whiteboard and stick it somewhere on my bedroom wall.

I say all of this to iterate that your goals need to be visible, they need to be obvious. In your face. If even your goals seem out of reach, make sure they’re always in your sight. It’s hard to aim for something that you can’t see.

So, whether that’s posters on your wall, a vision board on your laptop screensaver, or sticky notes on the fridge, just make sure you are constantly surrounded by them. And make a habit of going back to them to track progress made and adjust current behaviour to incur the outcomes you want.

Direction and Intention over Speed and Intensity

This quote is partially taken from the “mission statement” of the Tedeku brothers, which reads Direction > Speed.

Before I touch on this aspect I want to first speak on the Intention/Intensity portion. I deem intensity to be the power, strength, and force you exert to accomplish something. Intensity is good. You practised the piano for two hours. A mindset fully focused on intensity says well done because your sheer willpower created a positive change. A mindset focused on intention looks at why you did that and the purpose for learning the piano?

If you’re learning for approval and applause, when it all goes or is currently non-existent, will you keep playing? Why are you learning certain songs/chord progressions over others? This mindset questions everything, not in scepticism, but to ensure your heart and motivations for doing something are in the right place.

Direction > Speed is quite self-explanatory. Why run the wrong way at 100mph to give the illusion that you’re doing something/going somewhere?

Build in love, not hate

I get it! Trust me I do. Last year was crap for so many of us, for so many reasons. But build in love.

Think about it. Now you know better. You have all the wisdom, knowledge, and experience you didn’t have last year. It’s like blaming an intern for not submitting your quarterly financial report in time when he doesn’t even know how to create a new line of text in Excel (it’s Alt + enter in case you’re wondering). Forgive yourself for what you didn’t know.

When grace is extended you will be able to build positively. But this isn’t an easy way to think. You’re losing weight because you don’t like the way you currently look. Understood. But must you hide and literally despise yourself until you’re your desired weight?

This also goes for trying to achieve certain goals because of comparison or because you feel like you should have already been at a certain point at your age. Your mates have thousands of pounds invested because they grew up in a household/environment where that information was easily accessible. You just opened your first ISA last week. Be gentle with yourself.

As I Grow Older, I realise that I can’t make up for the mistakes of my past, but I don’t have to run myself to the ground trying to rectify them.

Well, that’s it from me… for now. I know I’ve been missing but I might go missing again and, like a mid-sized YouTuber, I can’t be bothered to apologise every time it happens.

And finally if God is reading this… I’m begging… if my name is on Your list of strongest soldiers for 2023, please remove it!

Peace, Love, & Blessings,

Abs