I think besides improving my knowledge on certain taxa, I think there is one key takeaway that I can apply to my life in general: stopping to appreciate the world around me more.
I’ve observed almost 800 species since I started using inat about a year ago, most of which I had never even seen or heard of before. Its not that most of them are rare or anything, its that I had never stopped to appreciate or care about them until I started using inat. Before inat, I would just go “oh, thats a seagull” or “oh, thats a ladybug” and carry on. There is so, so much diversity that goes unnoticed by the average person. What I once thought of as “seagull” is actually 3-4 different species.
Its definitely opened my eyes to all the incredible organisms we share our planet with, even in areas that may seem devoid of life at first. You don’t need to visit some far flung corner of the world to make a cool discovery, it could just be in your backyard if you take the time to look.