Learning lessons is a little like reaching maturity. You're not suddenly more happy, wealthy, or powerful, but you understand the world around you better, and you're at peace with yourself. Learning life's lessons is not about making your life perfect, but about seeing life as it was meant to be. - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
It's 10:28 PM, and I am listening to Yanni's "Nightingale". The music has put me in a thoughtful mood. As I try to find the words to express my thoughts, I am transported back to cherished moments of the past, and each note serves as a reminder of those memories.
If I had to sum up 2023 in one word, it would be "lessons". I learned many valuable lessons; mostly the hard way, but lessons were learned.
In 2023, I experienced a mix of victories, defeats, sadness, rejections, and genuine moments of happiness. Let's start with the positive outcomes.
Positive Highlights
At the beginning of 2023, I started a writing job (freelance) that paid in USD, which gave me the drive to keep going during the first quarter and part of the second quarter. In the third quarter, I had the opportunity to work as a freelance technical writer with a company in France.
I developed an interest in open source software and decided to take the plunge into open source contribution. I joined the OpenSauced community and contributed to their documentation. I still remember the feeling of elation when I received a notification from GitHub that my pull request had been merged. It may have seemed small, but it meant a lot to me.
Oh, I started watching anime this year. In my opinion, that counts as a win too. I mean, I was introduced to amazing characters like Kakashi, Pain, Jiraiya, Naruto, Itachi... I could go on and on, lol.
In the process of contributing to open source, I learned about Outreachy(an internship that paid $7k to interns on completion of their internship). I applied and scaled through the initial application phase (out of the thousands of applications, I was among the 886 persons who made it to the contribution phase). You need to have seen my reaction when I was reading the email about getting into the contribution phase😂.
Challenges and Lessons
Unfortunately, my college exams overlapped with the contribution period, so I had to choose between preparing for my exam and submitting an application. I chose to take my exams, which meant I couldn't contribute, which meant I wouldn't be submitting a final application.
This year, I went through a lot of hurting; from being betrayed (that cost me) and lied to by someone I trusted, to getting rejection emails, to battling with depression and anxiety, to getting fired, to losing myself. It was a whole lot of hurting.
Sometimes, you must hurt to know, fall to grow, and lose in order to gain. Life’s greatest lessons are learned through the pain. - Pain, Naruto: Shippuden.
I realized that the true strength of a person does not come from avoiding pain, but in confronting it directly. Resilience is developed by facing challenging situations and learning to navigate through them. The ability to emerge from adversity stronger and more self-aware is a sign of true strength.
It is important to remember that setbacks do not define you, instead, it is how you respond to them that shapes your character.
Memorable Moments
I would be dishonest if I said that I never felt genuinely happy. In reality, there were A LOT of moments where nothing else but the present moment mattered, and I was truly happy. This year, I made memories, met amazing people, and had a lot of moments where I laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe. It was the kind of laughter that brings tears to your eyes. It was in these moments that I realized that life wasn't meant to be lived alone. Life is precious, and every minute of it counts.
Below are a few selected memories from this year, the best ones went uncaptured😭.
Personal Growth
I began my journey in the tech industry in January 2022. As I look back, I can see that I have experienced a significant amount of growth. When I reflect on how far I have come since starting in tech, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
In the spirit of trying out new things, I decided to explore a new niche, which I came to fall deeply in love with. Exploring DevOps made me realize I am drawn to complexity, and DevOps offers that. It is safe to say that I am in a healthy relationship with DevOps.😂
My personal growth wasn't limited to just my career. I made changes to my mindset, read books, unlearned certain habits, and improved my relationships. I am very much a work-in-progress.
Gratitude Note
To my dear friends:
As this year comes to a close, I want to express my gratitude to all of you. Your presence in my life has brought me joy and transformed ordinary moments into extraordinary memories. Thank you for your unwavering support, for opening new paths, and for the experiences that have sculpted me into a stronger, wiser, and better version of myself. I look forward to continuing this journey together and creating more cherished memories. Wishing you a season filled with love, joy, and gratitude.
Looking Ahead
In 2024, I aim to be delulu (optimistic and set myself ambitious goals), I am setting my sights very high, and operating from that level. I am determined to be more proactive and seize new opportunities.
There are several things I am working hard to achieve next year, and I hope that my year-end review will be more detailed and interesting than this one.
These are my not-so-private goals for the upcoming year:
Attend more tech events and expand my network.
Getting closer to God.
Contribute to a greater number of open source projects.
Pass an AWS exam related to DevOps.
Secure a full-time remote position.
Enhance my soft and technical skills (especially creative development).
Read and write more.
I aim to get 100 rejections in 2024 (Honestly, I added this to my list of goals after reading an article posted by a friend tonight).
With that said, 2023 has come to a close. I wish you all the best in 2024. Happy New Year!💗