Goodbye 2023
2023 had been a pretty normal year for me. Looking back, I don’t think I had achieved anything significant in my personal life, nor at the workplace. Not to say that it had been a year wasted, I just don’t feel as accomplished as I hoped to be, sitting in front of the desk, writing this on 31st Dec. Again, I don’t expect every year to be filled with great achievements. Some times we just get a slow year, and that is perfectly okay.
However, I see the people around me grow, achieve great things and make great progress in their respective fields and lives. I am grateful to be a part of these events and a part of their lives. It brings much joy to see them succeed.
Nevertheless, 2023 was also the start of my journey into the world of photography. Well, not really. It is however the first time I am taking it quite seriously. I see beautiful photos on social media that inspire me to create and be a part of this wonderful world. I, too, want to be able to travel the world and have the opportunity to capture the same beauty and call it my own.
2024 will be the year of great unknowns. It will be the year with great changes in my life. It will be filled with uncertainty, but it can also be a year of opportunities. I will be leaving my job in search of better opportunities and a better balance in my life. It will be a huge leap of faith to dive into the unknown. It will be the first time that I have to deal with unpredictability and take a step out of my comfort zone.
There are just a couple of things that I need to and want to remind myself in the year 2024 to keep myself on track:
1. Be Disciplined. Upon reflection, I have a very short attention span to my tasks at hand. That includes my hobbies as well. This is the year, if any, to practice discipline and to be really focused on the things that I have to do to prepare myself for the future.
2. Be Creative. I took on photography in the hopes of exploring the creative side of my brain. I was never a very creative nor artistically inclined person, but I always found some joy in taking pictures with a camera. I want to use photography to help me step out of my comfort zone, to put myself and my work out there, to force me to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
3. Be Mindful. Another reason why I took on photography was to remind myself to practice mindfulness. During my travels, I find myself rushing from place to place and not paying much attention to my surroundings. In my recent trip to Taiwan (which I will write about in another post), having a camera in my hand helped me slow down and really take in the sights and sounds around me, allowing me to appreciate the city just a little bit more. It also forced me to explore places that I would have never did if I didn’t have a camera in my hand.
Whilst I write this to remind myself of the three main things I want to strive for in the upcoming year, I believe most of it can be relevant to many of you out there, especially in our very fast paced world. We get lost in the dopamine hits from scrolling the endless social media, or the need to chase content for the next viral video, we sometimes forget to stop and just take in the beauty of the world around us.
Thank you for reading.
