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New Year Roadmap: Four Life Lessons To Keep In Mind For 2020 As we get ready to wrap up 2019, it's essential to look back at the year's life lessons.

By Aby Sam Thomas

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

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It's that time of year again- as we get ready to wrap up 2019, I feel it's fair to say that all of us are looking back on the year gone by, and making plans for the year ahead of us as well.

I am no different in this case- and having had a think about all of the things I experienced this year, here are four life lessons I learned in 2019 that I will be keeping on top of my mind as we step into 2020:

1. You need to have only one good plan for yourself.

I've heard this message repeated to me several times over the course of 2019 from people I respect, and I do think they're on the right track when they say this. Find that one goal that you are passionate about realizing, and then work your way toward achieving it. Don't bother with a Plan B- as The Pursuit of Happyness author Chris Gardner puts it at the 2019 Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival: "If Plan B were any good, it'd have been Plan A."

2. The road to success is rarely, if ever, linear.

It's okay if things don't go according to how you plan it- roadblocks and detours are to be expected (and perhaps even welcomed). Not only will you learn along the way, you might also find yourself evolving your goals as you go along. Sure, the hurdles you are stumbling on at the moment may not look like something to be happy about today, but I'm almost willing to bet that they are going to have a massive positive impact on you in the long run.

3. Stop looking for the quick gains.

Patience is a virtue. Take the time to do things right. Look toward the long term when it comes to making decisions in your career or your business. Make the effort to build relationships with the people that matter around you, be it on a personal or a professional level. Persistence and perseverance are really everything, and so make sure that you have these traits instilled in yourself as you go through your respective lives.

4. Kindness matters.

In a world where bad behavior by people in the business realm is almost being celebrated, I'm here to state that the opposite is what really makes an impression- the wins you get to make for yourself by being nice, being decent, and being genuine are far more important than those you make by pulling a fast one. After all, as the saying goes, what you put in is what you get out, and with that in mind, it's only in your interest to behave and act better.

Wishing you all a splendid new year. See you in 2020!

Related: Nine Lessons To Learn When You Are An Entrepreneur

Aby Sam Thomas

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East

Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.

In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.

Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.  

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