The United Nations recognises 2022 as the International Year Of Glass.
Trust me, it’s not a Whatsapp forward 🫣 (check here). But it is kind of ironic, 2022 for many was a fragile year. Come to think of it - so many people in the world were able to restart a normal life, and yet so many people’s life changed.
We started forgetting about Covid-19, a war broke out in Ukraine, we lost a familiar face of royalty in Britain, Sri Lanka booted it’s president out, Elon Musk took over Twitter, and last but not least, so many people had to be laid out of huge organisations.
For me, it was a change in pace. Taking the decision to move countries, and getting back to looking at my life from a different perspective. Last couple of months, have been a ‘chill-out’ phase for me, slowing my life down yet learning new life skills.
So, here’s just a short listicle on what I learnt in 2022, and maybe it gives you hope for 2023:
1. I found out what’s ‘authentically me’. My work doesn’t define me, but my behaviour and actions do. In 2023 I’m working to find what makes me truly happy, not just in the work I do, but the life I live. Something that is not driven by the world's definition of what I should be doing, instead what I want to do.
2. I realised this year that I don’t need to run a race. I’m not competing with anyone, my life is not faster or slower than anyone. It’s my journey to pace.
3. I don’t need to set goals, rather I need to build habits. Habits I know will take me closer to what I wish to become. My goal isn’t to lose weight, but I want to build a habit to keep myself fit. My goal isn’t to read 30 books next year, but I want to build a habit of reading at least one book every fortnight.
4. Make ‘design thinking’ a way of life. According to Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, “Designers don't think their way forward. Designers build their way forward.” The idea is to imagine a life for me that doesn’t exist yet, and instead of just wishing for it, I will be embracing it. Keep myself busy building it.
5. Since I was younger, I’ve always let life happen, and it’s one learning I keep with me forever - Trust the process. Trust myself.
Life is a process, not an outcome. We never stop growing, we just think we do.
Also here’s wishing 2023 is a year of exploration for you too. Enjoy this process of designing a life that works for you.