It's that time of the year that we all sit back and reflect about what went well, and not so well in the year. I summarize my learning's as following:
- Travelling solo is an incredibly fun, albeit expensive, way to make friends around the world. I've traveled more than ever this year, and the most important things I remember from my trips are the people I met along the way - friends I might never see again for the next decade, but with whom I shared some incredible memories and jokes
- Expanding your vocabulary is surprisingly easy and fun- I spent all year studying for the GRE, and I was forced to improve my vocabulary in the process, but now that I have spent endless hours understanding words like ersatz, moribund and hubris - I feel that these words are everywhere, and it feels really good to know what they mean
- How well you embrace solitude is going to be the gauge with which you can measure how well you will do in relationships
- Being a voracious reader is good - keeping up with journalism from around the world is important, but many times, the main idea being communicated is lost; read more books instead and improve your understanding
- Stop being insufferable on facebook - it's really easy to get carried away, but now is the time to STOP
- Expand your horizon on what you read, watch and do - you're going to surprised with your decision
- Exercise more - join a group fitness activity. It's much easier to spend money on health now than when you're 80 year's old. Trust me - it'll be worth it
- Even when you're friend's don't reciprocate by hosting - be magnanimous. It's way too hard to remember who you hold a grudge against. Remember facts, but don't hold grudges.
- Volunteer in your community - you'll be surprised by what you'll learn by helping a charity out - be it once a month
- Write more - it's extremely hard to write concisely and lucidly - hammering out Powerpoint presentations is easy, thinking clearly isn't
- Get more sleep - just do it (The science of sleep)
- Silence is the best way to say - 'f**k off'. The agony of not hearing back will kill them
Goals for 2014:
- Read more books - scale back on blogs
- Spend more time volunteering
- Continue learning French
- Be more rational when making investment decisions
- Cook more meals at home
- Join a group fitness activity
- Create more original content
- Give more(time and money)
