2022 Wrapped

This post will a play-by-play summary of the past year and my goals for next year. My actual thinking thoughts for the year are here.

The highlights

Here's a wrap of my year:

  • went to CES and saw great innovations like a toothbrush that brushes your entire mouth at once
  • zoomed around the Vegas convention center hyperloop tunnel and got stuck in that famous traffic jam
  • stayed at a founder house in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and had an awesome time
  • deliberated, left my startup and went back to school
  • week at a resort in Cancun with my SE24 homies
  • had great progress on my initiative to improve college culture
  • went on a Montreal/cottage trip with grade school friends
  • made a multiplayer mindful poetry experience at Hack Lodge NY
  • celebrating the kick-off of Solaris (all my friends are living together now!)
  • hiking in Tahoe with above friends
  • auditing classes and leading my first research project at Stanford Sustain Lab
  • cave singing, breathwork and learning French with new friends at Fey

12 photos of the year

Photo of Emma and I at CES
Preview
Had a crazy fun weekend @ CES. Couldn't believe I was posing in front of the iconic convention center!

How did I do

Last year, I made a point of setting resolutions that are measurable by consistency rather than outcome. I think that worked out pretty well; I didn't feel overwhelmed, and have been suprised by my progress:

  1. Meditate at least 3 times a week: I did twice a week, not bad.
  2. Do something every day to upskill on a hobby: Learned guitar and digital drawing, relearned piano. Tried some life drawing and hip hop dancing. This stuff is super fun! Feels like I'm discovering all the side quests that make life 3x more fun. I went from 0-1 to 2-3 times a week. This is a good reminder to make this a daily habit
  3. Finish a scientific or philosophical book or course on average once every 2 months: check! Good job on depth but bad job on breadth
  4. Build an intimate group of friends @ Waterloo: Found a bunch of homies in SE25, in a few different groups!

2023 goals

The theme for this year is balance and focus. My readings, reflections and my trusty therapist are confirming my realization from last year: that in my persuit of the things I care about I have blindsighted myself to the other equally important aspects of life. It's a balance of spending the right amount of energy on the right things.

He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

Some habitual goals:

  1. Do some intense physical activity every day. Even for 5 minutes!
  2. Make a daily habit of reading books
  3. Achieve 1 hour of flow state daily - doing what I like, and not feeling any stress
  4. Try to build the strongest friendships you've ever had

I'd also like to do this a bit more often: intentionally lock eyes with someone. And then say the following with genuine conviction:

  1. May you be happy.
  2. May you be free from suffering. I realize I have a bad habit of projecting my fears of social interaction on others. I worry that I am a nuisance or bothering a stranger, which changes my demeanor and thus gurantees a bad interaction or an unenjoyable and stressful one for me. I'd like to stop sabotaging myself this way.

2022 has been an amazing year of change and reflection. Let's continue this journey in 2023!