An annual year-end self reflection

”It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me.”

I couldn’t have summed up my 2022 better than Taylor Swift did. The TLDR was that I was turning 30 this year and I experienced a quarter-life crisis during the first half of the year. I won’t get into too much details here but here’s the gist of it:

• I wasn’t feeling fulfilled personally or professionally

• I wasn’t happy with what I have accomplished so far

• I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I wanted more

I believe a lot of it stems from myself being my own worst critic and how at times, it feels inevitable to compare myself to others. As we’re counting down the last few days of the year, I felt like I had to acknowledge my quarter-life crisis here so I can move forward.

2022 was a year of shortcomings…

I fell short of almost every personal goal I set for myself for the year.

1. I wasn’t able to rebuild any healthy/active habits.

It pretty much went downhill after I tore my TFCC while bouldering, which was a double whammy - breaking consistency and I don’t think I can ever enjoy bouldering as a hobby because of the strain and risk of another wrist injury.

2. 7/20 books read in 2022.

Not only was I no where near my goal, it was also one less book read than the previous two years. It also brings my reading challenge score to 3-4.

3. Gravitating towards my guilty pleasure over creative outlets like writing.

I have long accepted that gaming is something that I can never give up and it’s a great stress reliever. It’s my lack of discipline and addictive personality which causes me to spend too much time gaming vs being productive.

4. I didn’t travel as much as I wanted or thought I would - mainly upset that I didn’t go anywhere new this year.

Despite all the L’s, there were some wins…

If there was one I’m proud of this year, it was taking a step out of my comfort zone.

1. Attending networking and social events alone.

I have to thank my curiosity for web3 as my interest outweighed the social anxiety of meeting strangers by myself. I’m not just grateful for the friendships made through all the events I attended this year, but I’m also proud of my introverted self.

2. Finally taking tennis lessons & learning pickleball!

I always wanted to learn and play tennis but I kept making excuses. It was too expensive and I just need to do more research. I’m glad I took the leap in November and never looked back.

3. Taking the leap into web3 full-time at a start-up.

Instead of “what-ifs”, I took the leap. Prior to the decision, it wasn’t an easy one to make - there were pros and cons. If you’re wondering - I’m glad I made the pivot and I’m still as excited as I was back in August, when I joined Mona.

4. Rekindling past friendships.

I’m happy and grateful for all of the friendships and relationships that I have - ones from high school, college and even ones that go even further back. I understand that some friendships/relationships cease to exist because of life and to be able to revive some of those this year, I couldn’t be happier.

Looking forward to 2023

I’m hoping to kick-off my early 30s strong and there’s not point of doing an end of year self reflection without having goals for the new year.

1. Be more active/re-building healthy habits.

   a. Level up from intermediate tennis to advanced tennis.
   b. Learn & pick up squash.
   c. At a minimum, get back to where I was in 2015.
   d. Read more and attempt to complete a 2023 reading challenge.

2. Focus more on creative hobbies.

a. Try to write at least 1x/quarter.
b. Either pick back up photography or learn something knew like pottery!
c. Attempt to learn a new language (conversational level).

3. Focus on relationships vs guilty pleasures.

As we approach the end of the year and wrap up 2022…

I’m grateful for everyone in my life and I’m ready for the new year.