Things I Learned (Again) In 2019:
At the end of every year, I like to reflect deeply on the year and write down some of my key lessons on life. For 2019, most of these learnings are recurring ones, and some of them are new.
1) People are inherently good.
I experienced so much kindness, love, and support from family, friends, acquaintances, fans, athletes, and even strangers in 2019. Do not let the bad apples in this world taint your belief in humanity. Of course, there are bad apples everywhere, but they are the rare minority. Humans are good. There really is goodness in everyone. I think it is important to remember that everyone was once a baby. Babies are born with purity, innocence, and goodness in their hearts. This essence is innate in all of us. I truly believe it.
2) Grit is everything.
The person who is willing to endure the most suffering for his/her dreams is the one who is most likely to achieve them. It does not matter what career it is, or what the goals are. The difference between success and failure in life is a very, very, very thin line. No matter who you are, life will eventually kick you in the ass at some point and make you question everything. What you do in those moments will dictate the trajectory of your life. It is always good to remember that winners never quit, and quitters never win. Never give up on the people and things that you love, especially your dreams. If you are unwilling to fight through the worst days of your life, then you do not deserve the best days of your life.
3) Adversity is the mother of greatness.
Never in a million years would I have believed that my life would be what it is today. I went through so many dark days over the course of my life. I have had many failures, heartbreaks, disapointments, setbacks, and tears. I have also had opportunities to quit on myself when I was down and out, but I somehow always got back up (often through the help of family and friends). Today, I look back on all of the toughest days of my life with so much gratitude and appreciation. Without those days, I would not have achieved the success I have today. You see, adversity teaches us what no university degree can. It teaches us the critical ingredients to success: humility, strength, hunger, grit, compassion, intellectual honesty, tenacity, work ethic, courage, learning, growth, and so much more.
4)When i’m in deep shit…
For those who have choose to badmouth me from the back or abandoned me be it is by silent or personal excuses. Thank you for letting me seeing true colours of your back.
And for those who have choose to stayed by my side given me your full support, strong advise, and stay by my side unconditionally. You know who you are. And i will always remenber your kindness in my heart.
5) No one is perfect.
We all make mistakes. We all fail. We all fall down. Nevertheless, we should always strive to do the right thing. Integrity is the foundation of greatness. Live your life in a way that would make your mom proud – even if she knew your worst moments. I am far from perfect (and I continue to make many mistakes in life, especially due to my nasty temper), but I always think about honoring my good friends in everything I do. Without them, I would never have made it in life. Do the right thing even if no one is watching. I love you,friends ! Thank you for everything.
6) Karma takes care of everything.
Good luck blesses good people. Bad luck curses bad people. I have seen it over and over throughout my life. Over the course of my career, I have had people lie to me, steal from me, cheat me, badmouth me, backstab me, deceive me, betray me, and more. It is easy to become jaded, but I refuse to let these bad apples taint my belief in doing good for the world. No matter what happens, always try to do good in the world.
Good always conquers evil in the long run. Karma always finds a way to bless those who do good and curse those who do bad.
7) Live your passion.
Thank someone in shc inspiring me to be the best version of myself. I am so blessed to train martial arts every day
Without a doubt, the best part of my day is when I am smashing pads and/or rolling on the mats. Martial arts is what I love. Martial arts is who I am.
8) Forgiveness is good for the soul.
Forgive others. Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes. To err is to be human. I wish that I had learned this lesson early in life. Let go of negative energy. Negative energy has a way of corroding your soul if you are not careful. Always seek to see the goodness in others (as much as you seek to see it in yourself).
9) The law of attraction is real.
Surround yourself with happy people who live with gratitude and you will see that your life will be happier too. When you are happy, you attract other happy people. Happiness begets happiness. Positivity begets positivity. And success becomes inevitable. The reverse is also true. Negativity begets negativity. And it is a downward spiral. This is why I do my best to surround myself with dreamers and achievers who live with gratitude and appreciation. We are all simply the average of the 5 people with whom we spend the most time. Choose your inner circle carefully.
10) Love is all we need.
Do what you love with people you love. Fill as many hours of each day with love. For me, success has nothing to do with the size of your house, or how many cars you have, or how big your bank account is. Success is doing what you love every day, and making a positive impact on the world. If you do what you love with people you love, you will be happy. Ultimately, happiness is the greatest barometer of success in life. At the end of the day, we all die. If you have not lived a happy life, you have missed the whole point of life. Nothing remains, except for the impact we make on our loved ones and on the world. Love fearlessly, do good in the world, and everything else will take care of itself.
Let’s make 2020 the greatest year of our lives yet!!! #We Are ONE
Cola Tan
