Woah, what a crazy rollercoaster of the year 2023 was!

I’m not going to lie—I started the year still nursing the wounds from 2022.

It was easily one of my darkest years ever.

I fought and lost some brutal battles that left me questioning everything. Later, I found out I was going through what some call the "Dark Night of the Soul."

Rough stuff.

So heading into 2023, I was trying to pick up the pieces and figure out how to bounce back wiser.

I didn't even make any real New Year's goals or resolutions. My only thought was "Lemme just get through this year in one piece!"

Dramatic, I know!

But then—plot twist!

Things turned around in March. Slowly but surely, the wins started pouring in.

Now that 2023 has ended, I'm sitting here with a big, cheeky grin thinking about all the lessons, growth, and unexpected blessings.

Let me break it down for you...

Finding My Tribe

A huge blessing was linking up with a tribe of hungry masterminds this year.

You see, after taking all those L's last year, I realized I couldn't keep trying to figure this life thing out solo.

As an introvert, putting myself out there didn't come naturally. But I knew I needed to get strategic about finding my people if I wanted to grow.

Here are some moves that helped me tap into the power of tribe-building this past year:

Build Publicly: I started consistently sharing my work, experiments, and hot takes on AI on LinkedIn and Instagram. I also built a community around the things that interested me. Being open about my interests helped me attract aligned people.

Join Communities: Both free and paid mastermind communities took my game to the next level. Bouncing ideas off of people going through similar struggles was priceless.

So I took a chance and joined the Cave community this year.

Best decision ever!

It exposed me to dope people who shifted my mindset and inspired me with their vision. I honestly wonder if I would've made it through 2023 without these connections.

Shoutout to my Cave fam especially! Y'all kept me going with the inspiration, collaborations, and shared dreams.

Attend Events - I tapped into FOMO and hit a few live conferences and meetups too. Bonding IRL or in workshops led to long-term connections.

To anyone out there feeling isolated, find those online tribes in 2024! It’s a game-changer!

I Fell Deeper in Love With AI

In 2022, I fell in love with AI. Part of bouncing back for me in 2023 involved diving hard into AI and getting obsessive about how to apply it in my business and help clients.

I got massive results from applying AI to my business (I got more clients! And greatly improved my earning power)

By March, after months of experimenting, I finally felt I had enough sauce to start serving value to others who might be stuck or struggling to optimize AI in their business.

And man did I go all in on that!

We talking:

• Training over 1000+ people on how to use AI to boost productivity & profits

• Speaking at 15+ webinars on leveraging AI and Building a Personal Brand

• AI Tutor and Trainer for 3 Educational Organizations.

• I spoke at 1 physical event

• Launched AI Business Accelerator

I remember when I launched the first cohort of AI Business Accelerator and someone who attended my Free Webinar popped into the group to bash it and tell other attendees not to pay and that they could get the "same value from YouTube for free"

I look back now and wonder what would have happened if I'd listened to that nonsense.

I would've missed out on empowering all those dope students who got jobs, raises, and life-changing skills from my guidance.

One of my students, V, said she was able to 10x her content production. Then there’s Mimi, who got a raise because she got better results using my ChatGPT frameworks!

The old me would've crumbled from that random criticism.

But new me?

I was unphased! Because I KNEW without a doubt the immense value my real-world experience and framework would bring.

And the success stories and reviews that followed proved it.

That experience taught me an invaluable lesson: you need to have unshakeable conviction in the worth of what you're offering if you want to make a real impact out here.

Let the results speak for themselves. Focus on serving people relentlessly over worrying about the opinions of critics that don't matter.

At the end of the day, my students getting hired or 10Xing their productivity showed me that leaning into my zone of genius was the move.

Forget imposter syndrome or watering down your magic to please the crowd. The people you're meant to help will vibe with your authentic self every time.

Fail Fast. No Fear

2023 taught me something huge when it comes to failure. I attempted to start quite a few projects this year that just didn't pan out or align with my mission.

Old me would've beat myself up or taken it as a sign to throw in the towel. But the new me sees each setback as data to learn from quickly and keep moving fearlessly onto the next.

I finished writing my book "Leveraging AI for Building a Personal Brand" thanks to this mentality shift!

Through rapid experimenting, I dropped multiple ebooks, jumped on dozens of stages, and made connections that led to big collaborations.

For example, I compiled a free ebook called "100 AI Tools & 50 ChatGPT Prompts" that featured my favorite automation tools I'd discovered. It ended up helping SO many people based on the reviews!

Putting myself out there felt easier when I knew each "failure" was just part of the process. When you embrace failures and missteps as feedback needed to course correct closer to your goals, they lose their power over you.

Don't become paralyzed by fear of wasted time or things not being perfect.

Ship often.

View every setback as data to learn from, not a reflection of your self-worth!

Consistency in executing and failing forward moved me infinitely more than playing it safe waiting for the perfect plan.

Manifesting Magic

Another massive lesson from 2023 was the power of intentional manifesting by first getting my mindset right.

I permitted myself to process the full spectrum of my emotions. Keeping a consistent journal practice became my sanctuary every morning.

I also dove deeply into personal development reads, especially around abundance, self-concept, and conscious creation.

It fed my mind daily inspiration and knowledge that guided my decisions in a positive state.

This ritual was the foundation that allowed me to tap into manifestation through visualization, planning inspired action in alignment with others.

After losing my mom, for months I couldn't bring myself to open my laptop. I told myself never I let life's unpredictability affect my business.

So since August, I have told anyone who cared to listen that I would automate every aspect of my business. To do this effectively, I needed a website.

I woke up visualizing it and making plans to get it. And then a miracle happened...

I got the website fully funded!

Let my story be a reminder: do the self-work first before chasing outer manifestations. Heal your mind, fuel your spirit, and align your vision. From that energy, you can speak possibilities into being through unrelenting belief and action!

Some communities that specifically lit me up in 2024

Paid Communities

• The Cave: I'm so glad I leaped to join The Cave facilitated by Mezie The Sage. This community helped me level up everything from mindset to business-building skills. I felt like I had a mastermind family spurring me on as we created change.

• iGrow Community: I felt aligned with this community from day one. Every event, call, and collaboration came from a place of positive upliftment that nourished me. I grew more in a month with them than I had in years alone. If you want all-around life enhancement, iGrow is it.

• E100 By Elon Jobs: An unfiltered mentorship community that provides voice messages unpacking profound facts & truth bombs to gain clarity. Also includes group mastery calls, personalized book recommendations, plus accountability systems for progress tracking. If you seek no-BS wisdom and expansion, E100 is invaluable.

• AI Business Accelerator: AI is the future! If you

   

My 2023 Top 5 Book Recommendations

Non Fiction

• Ray Dalio– Principles

• The Mountain is You by Brianna Weist

• Psycho cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

Fiction

• Verity by Colleen Hoover

Here are my Favorite Podcasts of the Year (even Spotify Wrap agrees)

• Dan Koe

• Unprompted, AI Marketing and You

• How To Take Over The World

• Marketing Against The Grain

Ready to Level Up in 2024?

If you want to really blow up your business and impact next year, I highly recommend plugging into what these game-changers are building:

LYNN BOJOR:

Her FYD program was an absolute game-changer for my productivity and mindset. Lynn is a powerhouse - the rare combo of tactical execution mixed with big-picture manifestation. Her Whatsapp status will have you leveling UP.

JESCIL RICHARD:

A freakin' wizard when it comes to mining books for life lessons and elevating your mindset. Jescil expanded my vision more than I can explain. Do yourself a favor and soak up his recommendations.

ASHIMI:

Founder of Edukarma. His WhatsApp broadcasts alone contain more business and self-mastery gems than most courses. Ashimi is the real deal - follow him now.

MR. DESMOND:

Share insightful posts on relationships, lifestyle, and elevating spirituality. Mr. Desmond will have you evaluating how to reach higher levels of fulfillment and inner peace.

Wrapping it Up

I still can't believe all that transpired in 2023 helped me grow.

It was the wildest, most unpredictable, and soul-shaking year.

But my breakthrough came when I stopped trying to control everything and just focused on showing up with passion and discipline every day.

The consistent effort leveled me up infinitely more than I could've planned. If I can leave you with any game going into 2024, it's to stay persistent with your vision and don't be a lone wolf!

Connect, build squads, and learn to ask the right questions from the right people- no matter how awkward.

Surround yourself with people who inspire you to see beyond your current reality. Stay ready to fail often, but course correct quickly.

The only way is up and beyond!

Now let's get it.