Hey friends,
Happy Holidays!
Earlier today, the Apple photos ‘this time last year’ feature reminded me that it was exactly this day last year that my book Feel-Good Productivity was released in the US. Within 2 weeks, it hit both the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists. It’s been a childhood dream of mine to write and publish bestselling books so it was a pretty cool moment.
But as I write this, I realise that I didn’t really take the time to celebrate it. The book came out, I did a bunch of press stuff (and got slightly burned out with the number of podcasts and interviews I did 😅), and then I just… moved on to the next thing.
This got me thinking about what I call “target moments” – those achievements that would absolutely blow the mind of your younger self, but that your current self has gotten weirdly used to.
Back in high school, getting into Cambridge to study medicine was my dream. But once I got into Cambridge, that massive achievement just became… normal. I never really paused to think “wow, teenage Ali would be over the moon right now.”
I’ve noticed this pattern keeps repeating. Younger me would be mind-blown that within a few years of starting YouTube, I had a channel that made more money than my junior doctor salary. University student Ali would also be mind-blown that he has an incredible team that helps run the business but present day Ali forgets about how amazing that is.
So, this morning I took a few moments to pause and actually acknowledge some target moments from this year:
- Getting a book on the NYT and Sunday Times bestseller lists
- Launching Productivity Lab (first-year medical student Ali who was trying to figure out how to study better would be pretty impressed)
- Getting married to Izzy 🥰 (university Ali who was pretty awkward around pretty girls would be shocked)
- Moving to Hong Kong
- Getting ready to become a dad
I guess the thing to remember is that we’re often so focused on chasing the next thing that we forget to high-five our past selves for how far we’ve come.
So here’s what I’d love you to try: take 5 minutes to think about your “target moments” from 2024. What have you achieved this year that would make your younger self proud? Maybe you got that job you always wanted, or started that side project, or improved that relationship, or finally learned that skill.
Whatever it is – take a moment to appreciate it. Your younger self would be pretty impressed with where you are now, so give yourself a high-five 😊
Have a great week!
Ali xx
