2022 was the year of change for me. From exciting, and adventurous to anxious and uncertain. It was a time when I learned to live with a newfound sense of patience, and also gained an appreciation for the importance of keeping my goals realistic. Or at least tried to.
I’ve been journalling about my new year’s visions and values for three years now in my journal and along with that comes the customary yearly reflection. Reflecting helps me remind myself that although 2022 was an exciting time filled with adventure and anticipation, it was also a time when I made mistakes, learned from them, and grew as an individual.
This year I decided to type out those scribbles and share it in this blog with you. So let’s jump right in.
Working on My Mental Health
The past year has been an exciting and transformative one. I’ve always been interested in mental health, but this year, I really made an effort to focus on my well-being.
Mental Health Goal
I set one goal for myself: to achieve the best version of mental health possible and meditate daily. Although I didn’t stick to my streak (the highest streak was 21 days), I did feel significant improvement in my mindfulness. I felt more aware of my mind and thoughts, and that alone made me feel so much more in control and happier.
Discovering Stoicism
Another thing that’s changed is how I see life—for better or worse! I discovered stoicism as a philosophy, which changed how I see the world around me.
I read “On the Shortness of Life” by Seneca and found it incredible. I also started reading “Guide to Good Life,” a book by William B. Irvine, one of my favourite authors on this topic.
Jump on to the Fitness Train
I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the term “New Year’s resolution,” but I am here to tell you that it’s a lot like a gym membership.
This year was different. I finally decided enough was enough: it was time to make some changes in my life and start taking care of myself—and that meant joining a gym.
I took a gym membership, and I started with a reasonable goal of burning 10 kilos. I hit 8 kilos… not a success, but it was fun, and I learned a lot about fitness.
What I Learned About Fitness
For one thing, it makes me feel good—like a secret agent or something. It makes me feel like I’m doing something important for myself, something that will make me stronger in ways that matter more than just my physical appearance.
Learning a Foreign Language
I failed my language learning goal. And I’m okay with it. The real reason why I’m failing this resolution is that Berlin is so culturally diverse that I can get by with just English—and that means I’m not motivated to learn German.
This experience has taught me that even if you don’t follow through with your resolution, it doesn’t mean your life is over or that you’re a failure. It just means you’re human.
Dating and Romance
In 2022, I went on more dates than in any other year of my life.
So this year, to get over my dating woes and meet more people, I forced myself to get out of the house and my comfort zone, more often than I wanted. And guess what? It was much easier than I expected.
This year was pretty great for dating (and also learning about myself). Learning through these experiences gave me some insight into the kind of person I am—and what kind of person I want to be with.
Travelling and Exploring Cultures
Travelling to new countries has been one of my favourite parts of the past year.
Lithuania
I visited Lithuania for work, and it was such an incredible experience. The best part was meeting amazing colleagues who showed us around Vilnius and Kaunus.
Hungary
Hungary was my second country this year, where I vacationed with an old colleague turned friend. It was so great getting to explore Budapest together! We had a great time discovering beer cafes, caves, warm baths, restaurants, and ruin bars.
Consuming to Creating
I’ve always loved making videos, but I never felt like I could make anything worthwhile.
But then something changed. I realized that if only one person watches one of my videos and finds it useful, then it’s worth it for me to keep going.
I bought a cheap light off Ebay, started recording videos on my cellphone, and began learning video editing basics. After a few months now, I have 60+ subscribers and five videos on my channel. That’s a huge improvement from zero!
Here’s where I encourage you to check out my YouTube channel. If you like the blog, chances are good that you’ll enjoy watching me talk about tech and build fun things together!
Conclusion
It’s been a crazy year, but I’m ready to move on to the next. The big question is: what will this new year bring? Well, I think I know the answer.
We’ll start with some good news: it’ll be a clean slate! No more looking back at all of the amazing things we did in 2022—we’re just going to be looking ahead to what’s next.
Takeaways for 2023
I learned a lot this year, but the most important thing I took away is that you don’t need to wait for a new year to make a change. You can start planning your goals quarterly and then retrospect on your progress every quarter or month. This will help keep you accountable and motivated through the hard parts of setting, reaching, and surpassing goals.
I’m looking forward to 2023 with a smile on my face because I know what my priorities are now: family first, friends second, and me third.