Well, that passed by in a blink. Let's go over some highlights during the past year and set some goals for this year.
Let's start off with some numbers!
In April, I was given a new opportunity to advance in my career. I am constantly amazed that I have the opportunity to work with such passionate teams to help improve the lives of others.
My new company also helped me attend my first conference. Being surrounded by others who are passionate about their work reenergized me and learning about new techniques made me excited to just go out and build things.
I hope to attend more conferences in the future where I can hopefully muster up the courage to talk to more attendees and vendors.
I also participated in my first Hacktoberfest and have a t-shirt to prove it! This was also my first time contributing to open source projects. My first dive into the open source community was met with positivity and encouragement.
I would like to continue helping others as many of my own projects have been built on open source software. Furthermore, I believe that I can become a better developer by understanding and working with various different systems.
In the last quarter of 2018, I started to really focus on my health. I started tracking what I ate and that helped me adjust my meals to help me achieve my goals. I also began meditating and started exercising again.
I have not written a blog post in the past few months. Once I decide to not write for a week, it becomes exponentially easier to not write the next week. And the following week...
This year, I hope to write more consistently to keep the momentum going. Let's say at least biweekly!
Also within the same time frame, I began watching more television and using social media. I hope to replace some of that time with another activity that is more beneficial.
While I am still mostly free from the grips of social media, I have noticed that I am opening them unnecessarily various times during the day. Hopefully I can reduce or even eliminate this bad habit.
I plan on developing more mental toughness through meditation and thought-provoking podcasts. On the physical side, I plan to continue weight lifting to increase my stamina, improve flexibility, and strengthen my muscles.
I understand that improving my mental and physical health will aid in every aspect of my life. Ultimately, I cannot become a better person if I do not take care of my mind and body.
A part of me feels that I am not doing this year in review justice. I am certain that I have forgotten about other important events. This is why I am starting to keep track of special moments in 2019.
Not only will this make this year's review easier, it will help me reflect on the crucial moments of life.