What the Biggest Year of My Life Taught Me

**Jay Shetty** (0:00)
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I don't know what your day's been like, but I was just thinking about you for a minute. And I hope you're being a little patient with yourself, because you deserve it. And yeah, I'll talk to you soon.
Hey, it's my birthday this weekend, and every year around this time, I try to step back and take an honest look at the year I've just lived. Life can feel like a bit of a whirlwind sometimes, and especially this past year, I had more going on than ever before. When there's so much happening and so much change, it's more important than ever to take a little bit of time and reflect on where I am right now in my life as I enter the next year ahead. I hope that if your birthday is around the corner, you do the same, and even if it's not for a while, I hope this inspires you to take a step back and reflect. The last 365 days have been some of the biggest of my life. On Purpose entered a new chapter with Netflix and Spotify.
We wrapped a podcast tour across North America and Canada. I traveled more than I ever knew was humanly possible. I experimented with new show formats, and I had some incredible opportunities that I couldn't have even imagined for myself just a year ago.
Researchers describe birthdays as temporal landmarks, moments that divide our lives into a before and an after. Most days blend into one another, but a birthday creates a natural pause in that momentum. It gives us an opportunity to look back at where we have been before we begin thinking about where we want to go next. I think that's why birthdays can feel both exciting and sometimes a little uncomfortable. You reflect on everything that happened, but your mind also brings up everything that didn't come to be. You compare the life you have today with the one you once pictured. You think about the people who entered your life and the relationships that no longer feel the same.
I've found that a big year may bring exciting outcomes, but it also asks more from your character. As I've been looking back, I've realized there were five key lessons that kept me grounded through everything this year brought. They influenced how I worked, what I tried, how I made decisions, where I placed my energy, and who I wanted around me while my life was changing. So as I share what I've learned today, I want you to think about the year ahead you hope to have. Your version of a big year will be personal to you. You may want to change careers, start a business, become a parent, rebuild your health, deepen a relationship, or finally act on an idea you've been thinking about for years.
The goal of today's episode is to use what I've learned to help you identify the choices that could move your own life forward. So let's get into it. And first, I want to start with a lesson that took me seven years to fully understand.
The first lesson is this.
When thinking about your career, follow the skills you're building and the work you're willing to do.
When I launched On Purpose seven years ago, there were approximately 700,000 podcasts. I remember people pointing to that number as proof that the industry was already oversaturated. There were too many shows, too much competition, and very little chance that another podcast would stand out. If the number of competitors had been the most important factor in deciding my future, the outcome for On Purpose should have been 10 times worse.