Its that time of the year again, when I review key moments of the year gone by and look at what I want to focus on in the coming year. This year however, Facebook seems to have upstaged my tradition with their own ‘year gone by’ story that pops up every time I log into Facebook. I posted this image online the other day and it seems to have gone viral online.
2014 has been a really great year. At the beginning of it, I had promised myself to do the following:
The Recap
Here are some highlights from this year that made it the best year of my life so far!
Moved to London: When the opportunity to move to London presented itself, I weighed all the pros and cons and decided to take the plunge. Moving countries is no easy task. I thought I did well to plan and execute this. It was high stress, but the payoff has been very rewarding. I described the first few months of living in London here.
Living with PJ: I had read online that it is initially difficult to move in with the person you love even if you have been in a relationship with them for many years. PJ and I discovered that first hand when I moved to London. There are so many things that you discover only after you have stayed with the person and its all a unique experience. While surprising, I found this phase quite fascinating as I discovered a whole new side of PJ that I didn’t know before. For that, I love her all the more 🙂
The Tattoo: I have wanted a tattoo for the last few years now, but I never knew what it would be or where I wanted it. Over time, I decided on the design and the place it would be, but always chickened out at the last minute — a tattoo is a permanent and irreversible decision. You have to be all in and that part scared me for the longest. Then, one day in Prague, it was all too clear to me. If I still wanted a tattoo after 3 years, I was now confident that I would not mind having it for life. I liked the design and I knew where I wanted it done. So I looked up the best tattoo artist in Prague and called him. Turns out, the stars were aligned that day and he told me he was free that day in the evening and the next available appointment was after 3 months. I grabbed the chance and got it done!
It means ‘Be Fearless’ in the Tibetan Datsu script. I love it!
Travel and Exploring: I discovered something unique in 2013. Something I had never experienced before. It was the first time I had travelled outside India and it totally blew me away. No amount of television or movies can prepare you for the different people you meet and the different cultures. In 2014, I travelled to Prague and Paris. Both really amazing places, with wonderful people and amazing food. It was a brilliant experience and I want to continue to do this more often going forward.
Got Fatter: The unintended consequence of all this exploring and travelling meant that I had terrible self-control on what I was eating. That resulted in me getting fatter. I know its only a few kilos and not too much to stress about, but it still annoys me.
Coming to 2015…
This year, I have set myself some steep goals. I want to put my head down and focus on them. Better planning, better execution, better evaluation.
I have decided not to reveal them this year, because I have come to realise that there is more joy in telling you ‘what I did‘, than ‘what I will do‘:
You can read my previous new year resolution posts here: 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009.