Life is a journey as one of my former managers said. In this festive season, I thought it would be best to highlight some lessons I have learnt and the wisdom passed on by others in both my professional and private life. I see the following as wake up calls, harsh experiences, reality checks and even motivational thoughts. So in no particular order, here they are:

1. Things get worse before they get better
2. Bad news tends to come together at the same time
3. Opportunities can jump at you when you least expect them to
4. Your gut instinct is always almost right
5. You may not ever get what you ask for
6. You may have to settle for your second choice: you probably won’t get your first choice
7. Bear in mind that you may have to take small, baby steps to make significant advances
8. Don’t look for quick fixes: be prepared to be excruciatingly patient
9. Stay the course before making a final decision
10. Don’t be afraid to ask advice from others
11. If something isn’t working out, don’t be scared and shy of admitting defeat: bail before you get washed out
12. Don’t be afraid of experimenting, taking risks
13. Don’t always look to be in your comfort zone: accept that you need to push yourself to get better at doing what you do
14. Accept that some things will never be perfect
15. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo
16. Punch above your weight
17. See tedious, uninspiring tasks as challenges as you never know where they might lead you
18. When it comes to jobs and companies, it invariably comes down to cultural fit so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t manage to secure an offer
19. Try avoiding people who have a detrimental impact on your life
20. All things being equal, the simplest explanation usually tend to be the right one
21. A degree doesn’t make you intelligent, but it gives you an edge
22. Not everybody is capable of maintaining a professional approach to work
23. It is easy to be a micromanager but far harder to be an inspirational, likeable manager
24. You don’t need to sweat to prove a point and nor does it make you more authoritative
25. Don’t take things seriously and more importantly, don’t take yourself seriously
26. Accept that you won’t always get things right the first time
27. It may take people a while to understand what you are all about
28. Extract happiness from the smallest things in life
29. There will inevitably come a time in life when you will run into the wrong people who will have a detrimental impact on your life

Most importantly, though, ‘be certain to learn life’s lessons and move on’.