Reflections On A Decade: 3 Takeaways That Changed My Life
can you believe the roaring 20s are already upon us?! it’s overwhelming to say the least thinking about the start of a new decade, but it’s also incredibly refreshing and exciting to be on the cusp of that clean slate feeling again.
the 2010s were full of some amazing and crazy adventures for me - I traveled the world, played shows in 11 countries, got engaged and married, lived in California, Tennessee, and France, learned to speak French, wrote thousands of songs and met some of my favorite people in the world. It’s been an amazing decade full of a rollercoaster of ups and downs, and I’m grateful for all of them.
As we bid 2019 and the 2010s goodbye today, I wanted to share 3 takeaways from the past decade that have really changed my life over the past ten years.
1. Trust Yourself And Your Instincts
When this decade started, I was so concerned with other people’s opinions about everything - what song I should release next, who I should tour with, where I should live - all of it. I was scared to trust my own instincts about these things because ultimately I didn’t wanna be on the hook if I made the wrong decision. I was also surrounded by a lot of people who thought they knew what was best for me ten years ago, and if you let people like that influence your decisions you can quickly end up heading in a direction that’s all wrong for you.
At the end of the day, it’s scary to be the one making the calls because sometimes all of us make the wrong ones - but trusting yourself is ultimately so much more empowering than leaning on other people’s ideas of what your life should look like. Learning how to own my choices and and understand that my instincts should count more than other people’s opinions was huge for me.
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Try Things That Might Not Work
There’s a quote I love from author and speaker Seth Godin that says “If you are willing to do something that might not work, you're closer to being an artist.” This one is still a big work in progress for me, because if you’ve heard me talk about my journey to overcoming perfectionism you know this is a tough lesson to really implement. But this decade has taught me about the power of prototyping things and workshopping ideas that might not work in so many big ways.
We tend to start thinking about the ways in which something could not work out/be a huge disaster/blow up in our face before we even start trying it, and doing that takes all of the joy of possibility out of the equation. I’ve learned so much these past ten years from trying stuff out that I was curious about - some of it worked out, and some of it definitely failed. But pushing myself to try new things without immediately obsessing over whether or not they’ll ‘work out’ has taught me so much about what I want out of my life.
3. Be OK With Yourself Right Where You Are
This one sounds like it might be simple, but it’s actually been a very complex lesson for me. As someone who has definitely been called an ‘overachiever’ too many times to count, I tend to look to my achievements and my performance for validation. Over the last decade I’ve learned how toxic this is to my well-being, because if you’re wired that way no achievement will ever be enough to validate you.
I wrote a lot about my intention to celebrate the little victories in life not too long ago, and this practice has really helped me slow down and acknowledge that I’m OK right where I’m at. It’s a process, but I’m learning to find my value and worth in who I am as a person and not the things I’ve accomplished or the success I’ve had. It sounds kind of cliché, but learning to love yourself right where you are (even if that place is somewhat of a hot mess or a work in progress) is an incredibly powerful and healthy thing.
Reflecting on the 2010s, I’m so grateful for the milestones big and small along the way that helped me grow and learn what’s truly important to me.
Can’t wait to see what the 2020s bring! Do you have any major takeaways from the past ten years?
