Two questions for the new year
At the beginning of 2020, I wrote a list of goals for the year. Number one on the list was to travel more. We all know how that turned out.
If 2020 and 2021 have taught us anything, it is that several things in this universe are beyond our control. This notion - the recognition and acceptance of things beyond our control - is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of mental health.
Acceptance of things we cannot control doesn't mean resignation. It means resilience and a curiosity for what it is come. I am not sure what 2022 is going to bring. I am optimistic that, with the power of science and technology, we will overcome the challenges in front of us. But I am not sure exactly when we will be able to travel without restrictions, when we will be able to see our family, friends, and co-workers again regularly.
This uncertainty, though, is ok. It is by being comfortable with uncertainty that we can build upon the possibilities we see and create. But uncertainty calls for simplicity: being minimal in our assumptions and expectations. So, as I do my annual review and priorities-setting exercise today, I am keeping it simple. I am reflecting on the year past and writing my answers to just these two questions:
- What and who brought me energy last year?
- What and who drained my energy last year?
What energized me in 2021? Getting back into photography did. I was able to photograph some spellbinding volcanic landscapes in Iceland and gorgeous skies in the deserts of Southern California. I learned some new skills, which was another source of energy. Some of my family and friends inspired and kept me going during tough times. I volunteered for some important causes like empowering trafficking survivors to become entrepreneurs, and I mentored aspiring leaders in tech. Reading, writing, meditating, and creating ideas and new opportunities with my team also go on this list of things that energized me.
On the other side, worrying about the future was my #1 drainer of energy. Which is why I am extremely grateful for the resources that my company provides in taking care of mental health. A lot of our teams and family members have struggled with stress, anxiety, or depression, especially in the last couple of years. I am no exception. The last year brought its share of joys (my team shipped a great Windows 11 and Test Base GA, my nephew graduated and found a job), but also a number of stressors at work and home. Mindfulness, meditation, taking planned breaks during my days and the year all helped. Another source of fatigue was the endless meetings that peppered my days. I intend to try some of the ideas in this article to improve how we do distributed work in the new year. Being part of the Windows team at Microsoft means that there are several new exciting ways in which my team can contribute to the re-envisioning of work.
The point of writing the answers to these two questions is first to reflect on what is past. As John Dewey, a 19th century philosopher, put it, we do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on it. This reflection can help us understand what we want to do more of, what we want to do less of, and what we want to stop or keep doing in the new year. In addition to continuing to prioritize my mental health, my plan is to keep reading, writing, and investing time into photography. I plan to spend more time with the people that energized me and less time with the ones that exhausted me.
Now it is your turn to reflect. What activities and people gave you energy and you want to have more of in 2022? What activities and people exhausted you and want to have less of? I hope you find the answers to these insightful. Happy New Year!