December is a special month to me and us as a family. We are a hard-working family and December is our month to rest, relax, celebrate and reflect. Our celebratory mode starts end of September with a birthday celebration followed by festivals in October. Another month of rigorous work later we start another round of birthday celebrations and holidays in December.
December is the month we spend reflecting on the past year and plan for the year ahead. This blog is some of these personal reflections – a report card of past resolutions and resolutions for the next year.
2020
The year started with a lot of gratitude. I have written about gratitude in my post here.
Health: In my twenties and most of my thirties, it was mostly about losing my growing waistline, losing weight or getting a certain ‘look’ related health goal. It changed to real health goal as I neared by forties and even a year into my fortieth decade, this is the one resolution I always fail on. Right at the beginning of 2020, my health goal shifted from physical to mental health. While I terribly failed at my physical health goal, I have done alright on my mental health. I amputated the tip of my little finger and had to undergo two surgeries which I have labelled ‘unnecessary’ as much as they were risky given the coronavirus scare. My fingertip still doesn’t work and will probably never return to normal. What I did achieve despite physical set backs was a strong mental health for most part.
Family: The good aspect of this pandemic for everyone was to come together as a family. We have struggled with optimizing space and technology to create productive work area for three of us. We even moved our furniture around, invested in work chair and other technology to enable us to stay productive. We also had to reorganize our home in how we managed groceries and chores and were able to find our sweet spot. It was a bit complicated because one set of parents could not travel back because of lock-down and were with us through the months. They had their own requirements and we all accommodated to make things work without big conflicts. We approached any arising conflict with a solution mindset and nipped it in the bud. We also realized our strength in working through our disagreements and arguments without allowing our ego to push it beyond a point. It was a learning experience to say the least. The time together has been a major growth phase for us as a family.
Work: Work-wise, this was a big year for me. I had just started a new job and the lock-down this long impacted the early connects I could have built at work. I did not have enough time to train my team or to build those informal networks. I had to build upon what I had already established while I was at work. In fact, now as I complete a year with this company, I have spent more time working from home than I did at work. This was unusual for someone like me who likes to invest time and effort in developing strong work relationships. There were several occasions where I felt the need to spend more time with my team in person. I must however admit that given the circumstances, we did achieve a lot. We implemented a new HR Management System. We launched several learning initiatives, fixed processes, even recorded a video training on Coronavirus precautions. I still feel I could have done more but overall, very happy with the results and learning.
Wealth: Increasing materialistic value of self is always an important resolution. With the pandemic, this may get effected in 2021 and needs continued effort from us.
Art: One of my resolutions last year was to do something related to art every week. I stuck to it for nearly two months and had some incredible experiences attending Hindustani classical music concerts, painting and reading about art. In fact, I made two beautiful paintings during lock-down. I did not stick to this goal but I knew that it was a bit unrealistic to be able to something every week. This was one of those aspirational resolutions. Even if you are able to achieve a fifth of what you set out to do, its an achievement.
Reading: I resolved to read fifteen books in 2020. I finished about nine. In all fairness I started around seven more books which I left mid-way because I lost interest in them. On reading, I am also happy to have got back to reading academic research. It is very fulfilling and thought provoking. Resolution or not, reading is a constant in my life.
Writing: I had resolved to write more without setting a target. I am happy to be now working on a book, something I have wanted to do for nearly a decade now. I also cleaned up my blog. It is a struggle to find time to write but I am constantly working on this.
Travel: This is always a resolution and was majorly affected this year. We were happy to do our customary year-end holiday.
2021
2020 was the year of pandemic where the entire world collapsed. Several resolves cancelled and new priorities took over. I am entering the new year with two resolutions –
1. Continue doing things that matter. This will cover all I do for my family, work and personal fulfillment.
2. Health. I ignore my health and de-prioritize it. This year, I want to primarily focus on my health. Eating healthy, keeping my macros in check, feeling strong and being without any aches is the ideal.
Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! Hope this year changes for better for you all!
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