December 25, 2013

2013 : A Review

This year is as good as over. This also brings a lot of 'regrets' like past many years. Things that could have been better, stuffs that I could have done, habits that I could have created, skills that I could have learned and all. I am also aware that I am not alone sulking with this kind of thinking at this time of year.

So instead, I thought to concentrate on the positives that came of this year (and even though it's a little difficult to digest, but for every person, every year brings with it some positives). I enumerate them not to gloat how awesome I am (I already know that!), but in the hope that it will inspire me to achieve more next year (I am betting 2014 to be the best  year of my life yet), and also inspire anyone reading this to think what good this year brought to their lives.

1. Realized the dream of running a half marathon: No goal that is achieved, is achieved the way it was conceived to be achieved. But nevertheless, I bit the bullet, put in the hard work and achieved it. The number of 2:54 hours might not be impressive enough but it does give me a lot of confidence that I can set my sight on numerous other goals and convert them from dream to reality.

Believe me this is not photoshopped ;)

2. Started composing poems in English:  When I started writing poems 2 years ago I wrote mostly in Hindi. But, this year especially in the second half, I wrote almost exclusively in English (along with one in Punjabi!) and that gives me a lot of confidence. This year took me past 100 poems and hence the dream of writing 1000 compositions continues to live. I understand that whatever I write is nowhere near professional, but I can testify that there has always been at least one person (not always the same) who has genuinely appreciated every single thing that I wrote this year. A few people also didn't hesitate to tell the same compositions as 'not up to the mark' or 'bad'. You guys are my creative fuel, thanks again.

3. Became a better professional: When I started the year, I was in a sad position of being just a rookie - a 'fresher' as a lot of people like to call. Not being confident of my own abilities (due to lack of opportunities to prove myself - to myself). There came even a point where I seriously considered quitting and trying something else. Now as I end this year, I am amply more confident. I have started to feel that whatever problems come, I have the ability to solve it, sooner or later. And this is extremely important not just in my line of work, but the life in general.

4. Made new friends: This one should probably have been at the top. I feel that finding people whom you won't mind talking even after 2-3 decades from now, is extremely important and I think I found at least 2 such people this year. I also strengthened the bond with the existing ones although a few left the vicinity. It was quite a fruitful year in that respect.

5. Reached the 60 Kg mark: This might sound funny, except it's not. Some people are hard loser, I have been a real hard gainer. I didn't gain (or lose) a pound for almost 5 years. So, the fact that I reached 60 Kg for the first time in my life is a big deal. Currently at 61, sights firmly set on the 70 mark now.

6. Bought an ebook reader (tablet) and became a 'Reader': Ever since I had heard about the concept of ebook readers, I was hooked! You could literally carry a whole library with you. Now, that after years of dreaming when I finally got the reader, I have actually become a better reader. Believe it or not but I have finished at least 7-8 books in the last 4-5 months alone. And I plan to do a much better job in the coming year. Way to go RavS!

7. Didn't visit doctor whole year: In fact, I don't remember going to doctor last year also. Not a single sick leave since last 2.5 years (although there have been some difficult days of cold, cough and fever). All this might not seem like a very big deal. But you need to ask those who have to see doctors, for various reasons, throughout the year. I might not seem the strongest in the pack, but I certainly have a robust immune system and I am fiercely proud of it.

8. Did quite a few experiments with varied successes : Whether it was killing multiple online identities, quitting FB altogether, being generous for a week, doing the moustache experiment, or starting another blog, publishing 7 posts on a single day (it was a disaster, nobody read any), learning to skip ropes (so wanted to learn this) , it's been quite fun doing all this. Even the 3 wishes at the start of this year, were a mild success I would argue.

So, there you go. All these are just top of the mind stuffs. 2013 even after being a pretty standard year did quite a few good things for me. What good did it bring to you?