Just received my second Pfizer vaccine shot. I am now fully vaccinated. Well, technically I still need to wait a couple weeks, but still… What a surreal feeling.

I’ve learned many lessons during the COVID-19 era, to the point where I feel like I’m coming out of all this with a completely different mindset. As much as I want to go over everything that I’ve learned, I am going to condense it down to a few important lessons. Enjoy!

Don’t waste time

Every year, you should strive to become a better person. You should be reading, learning, building connections, refining your skills, working out, do whatever it takes to upgrade yourself. As technology keeps evolving and people’s needs are taken care of with a simple press of a button, it is very easy to fall into complacency. You become content with what you have. Don’t fall into that hole. Keep going. Keep improving. Make yourself better every year; life is so much more fulfilling this way.

Frustrated by Wasting Time? Here Are 7 Fixes You Can Use Today

I’ve improved so much as a man during this COVID-19 era. Looking back at how I was mentally and physically before the quarantine, the intense hard work I put in last year and this year has made me a much improved person. I feel healthier, wiser, calmer, and most importantly, happier.

Take responsibility for your failures and learn from it

It’s easy to blame others when life isn’t going your way. It takes maturity to acknowledge that you’ve made mistakes and you take ownership for these mistakes and work on them.

4 Steps to Recovering From Making a Major Mistake at Work | Inc.com

Which leads me to my next lesson…

Take family and friends’ advice with a grain of salt

Hear me out!

Your family and friends love you and want to see you happy. They will cheer you on, they will support you, they simply want to make sure you know that they will be on your side no matter what. But does that actually help you?

Sure. It’s good to feel supported and loved, but something that I’ve personally lacked in my life is some serious tough love.

It is crucial to invest in yourself and seek professional coaching help, if you feel stuck. Watching self-motivation videos on Youtube won’t help you. Reading cheesy inspirational quotes on Instagram won’t help you. You need someone who’s a neutral party, who isn’t afraid to tell you to your face that you are not accomplishing your goals. You need people in your life that will hold you accountable. Tell your most respected peers what you are doing with your life and have them kick your butt if you are not accomplishing those goals.

The Best Ways to Invest in Yourself

Look… I still think it’s okay to let your friends know what you are going through, but just keep in mind… do you need more than just the typical cliché advice like “You’ll figure it out! You are smart!”, “It’s okay, just take your time”, “Stop stressing about it!”. Sometimes you just need a good hard push. Talk to the pros who have those issues you are experiencing figured out!

Work on your weaknesses

Once again, avoid blaming others for your problems. Pay very close attention to your own weaknesses, acknowledge them, and work on them. Get professional neutral advice so you have someone to tell you exactly what you need to do to conquer your issues.

Men, you should put your head down and work as hard as you can during your 20s

If there is one thing I do not regret doing was working incredibly hard during my 20s. I became a better technician, a better manager, a better trusted advisor during my 8+ year career. Now, I’m 31 and I’m in an incredible position in my life. I’m starting to notice a lot more opportunities opening up for me. Men, if you are young and in your 20s, you have no excuse. You should be working 60-80 hour weeks. You should be going beyond the call of duty to stand out in your company and make yourself known and valuable within your team.

Work hard play hard father and kid - TenStickers

Learn option trading; specifically covered calls and covered puts

I actually learned how to option trade in February 2021. The money I’ve been earning from this alone has been incredibly life changing for me. It requires having a decent amount of cash capital so it is important to do the best you can to save cash but once you have a certain amount, option trading with covered calls/puts is literally like owning a money tree. So far, I’ve been quite conservative with my option trading and it has been incredibly successful. Now I understand how stock traders make a living with this…

Options Trading 101: Understanding the Basics of Options | Trade Brains

Conclusion

I can go on and on, but I’ll keep it short — I’m sure I’ll make more articles in the near future on the other lessons I’ve learned. These were incredible lessons I’ve learned during the COVID-19 era and I am mentally stronger and ready to take on the world with the knowledge, income, and experiences I’ve lived through in the past year. Now that I am fully vaccinated, I’m ready to work on my next challenges.

And yes, I am working on scheduling my next trip. 😉