My 2023 Unveiled

Here are my last year’s reflections.

Perhaps you need to read this message.

For sure, I needed to write it…

What to say about 2023?

Harsh year.

Several personal happenings.

An emotional roller coaster ride.

Tasting extremes of life.

Anxiety.

Cuts.

Pain.

Wounds.

Scars.

Patience.

Recovery.

Discipline.

Gratitude.

Glee.

If I can summarize my entire 2023 journey in one sentence, it would be this one:

A switch from hectic schedules to a stoic lifestyle.

For me, it was a year of reflection, deconstruction, and rebirth.

It invited me to dissect life cycles and reveal the truth behind my behaviors.

It allowed me to disconnect, filter out the noise and reduce distractions.

It allowed me to rediscover myself and revive forgotten dreams.

It was a year to embrace uncertainties and welcome change.

You may ask, where lays the beauty on deconstructing our own certainties?

It is a vital, profound and necessary process in life.

Yet, it seems madness for many.

Maybe it is. And if so, I'd rather be called crazy.

I choose to live on my own terms.

I choose to follow my path with courage.

I choose to speak up my truth and be accountable.

I rather be perceived as ‘crazy’ to surrender to unease, fear and mediocrity.

The delusion that life only exists if there is a clear vision of the future fell before my eyes.

2023 was a year to:

Value what really matters in life and be grateful to what we already have.

Harvest the fruits of a well-done work and be at service.

Invest in self-discovery and understand my nature.

Let go of things that don’t align with my core values and pursued lifestyle.

Give up on certainties of a known life and walk towards a more fulfilling life.

Awake, answer my soul call and do what makes me happy and moving.

Understand that being a good person is one thing, being a muggle is another.

Accept that not everyone who says they are good people are, in fact, good.

Lose naivety and grow from it.

Observe and silence more.

Recognize that money is a powerful tool. It can either enslave you or leverage your growth.

If you understand these lessons, you’re ahead of 95% of people.

Let me tell you a story.

The Oracle of Delphi, before raising any inquiries to the Gods, would force travelers to investigate themselves.

This mere act of reflection, and nothing else, was considered, and I believe still is, the starting point for understanding the world around us.

Life is a game.

Life is strange.

Life is a quest.

Sometimes it feels like we’re part of Super Mario World video game.

How to play it? Flow with it.

Like in the real world, you will let go of things, fail many times, collect experiences, master some skills to succeed and level up in the game.

It’s a constant ​battle between our external and internal universe.

Everyone: players, coaches and fans sees the external.

The internal battle is just you with yourself: These are your thoughts about yourself, the opponent, the fans or lack thereof and your environment.

These are judgments that our minds make every second of our lives.

While many focus on the technical aspects of the game, which is fundamental, there is a second game that is often forgotten, the game of the mind.

And when you achieve that calm, extreme focus and enter the flow zone, you may not be the best player, but you’ll drastically increase your odds of winning.

Be bold, be strong, be brave, be genuine, be kind, be free.

2023 was a year of choices, self-knowledge, getting rid of masks, removing blindfolds, self-actualization.

We often underestimate our own achievements in life.

Do me a favor, stop sabotaging yourself and your dreams!

Get real, get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Be truthful to yourself, find purpose, and build discipline.

Success and failure are both equal, treat them the same.

Savor the minor victories with the same intensity as the big ones.

They’re all valuable. And you’re here because of them.

Be grateful for having food on your table as much as having money to buy a car.

Acknowledge yourself, your efforts, your mistakes, your strengths, your flaws, your power, your shadows.

Gratitude is the key.

I am grateful for each challenge I encounter on the path.

I thank those who had the courage to know me more, to strengthen bonds even in turbulent times.

I also thank those who offered me shelter in a hug, caring words, kind eyes or out of pure empathy.

I leave 2023 behind with many lessons learned and one conviction:

I’ve rebuilt the vision of myself and how I see people.

I start the new year with one firm belief.

Through my last year’s experiences, I found out that service is joy.

Service is purpose and fulfillment.

Not using your talents and skills is a disservice to humanity.

By being at service, you find contentment and enjoyment.

By doing what you love, you carve out a path of infinite potential.

By serving others, you find happiness.

Dare to experience the unknown.

Be bold to share your truth.

So, what was the best part of 2023?

Well, the year is over, and we all survived it.

Because we’re alive and we can make a difference.

Welcome to the era of uncertainty, my friends!

Talk to you next week.

Light and peace,
Dum Spiro Spero! ⭐

—FMV

🧠 My Mental Download:

📕 (1) What I'm reading:

-Greenlights: badass and life-changing memoir written by Matthew McConaughey. Book is full of unflinching honesty and unconventional wisdom.

🎧 (2) What I'm listening to:

-Reflections: my go-to album to let creativity flow while I’m writing or reviewing a text. I liked it due to its therapeutic touch and melodic complexity.

🤓 (3) What I'm studying:

-Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep-Wake Timing (Huberman Lab Podcast #84). Monitoring my sleep habits is my number #1 task for 2024.

📩 About the Intellego Newsletter:

💡 Intellego is the process of gaining insights to better understand the world around us.

✍️ Letter is written by Fabíola Maia-Veres every Tuesday at 7pm.

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