2022. The year no one expected much from. We’re still reeling from the pandemic and just trying to survive out there, amidst the new waves of viruses, war, supreme court injustice, economic downturns, inflation, job insecurity, and unpredictable consequences of climate change… Oh, and an egg shortage?

But I like to look on the bright side. It’s easy to hate on just about everything, but I choose to ignore what I can and focus on what I can control. At the moment, I’m pleased with how things have been going in life. I struggled constantly in my early 20s, but over that period, slowly built a solid foundation of self-love, resilience, and life “credentials” I could never lose. All these years later, I’m lucky to have the freedom to continue building the life I want, and I’ll never take that for granted. Simon and I always joke that we act like we’re in our late 30s: paying mortgage, taking care of ourselves, and honestly just working towards things we truly enjoy. I’m fortunate to have found this self-acceptance early in life, and just live in tune with my true self everyday. 2017 me would be very proud.

This year, I…

1. Made my home my favorite place to be

One thing I’ve learned about myself this year is how much I love staying home. Having a home of my own is a safe haven and comfort I’ve never fully experienced until now. I love dilly-dallying around the kitchen and the piano with Simon, tending to my house plants, and going shopping for the most mundane things. Turning my house into my home requires an emotional connection and a love put into the smallest of details.

2. Said no to sh*t other people like to do

I’m tired and have no time to care about the new Netflix show, Tik Tok trend, or next music festival. Not giving a crap what other people are doing is an underrated skill I’m proud to embrace. I fiercely protect my time and energy, and deliberately choose things to do that align with my life values. I choose playing Bananagrams over a night out. I choose to give up on finishing books I’m no longer interested in. I choose to commute 2 hours to work on a Friday just to do yoga. The choice to decide every single thing for myself without being influenced by what someone else decides to be cool or trendy is freeing.

3. Actually learned to understand my body

Earlier this year I took a body composition assessment and, for the first time, got to see the metrics of this body I’ve lived in for 28 years. I knew weight is made up of fat and muscle, but seeing the breakdown was mind-blowing. I realized lifting weight has been making me gain weight, but in a good way. (Thank you Les Mills for saving my health.) I found a new tribe at my new gym and have been practicing yoga like a religion. I also tried climbing and found out that I’m not bad at it? My body is capable of so much more that I could’ve ever imagined.

4. Expanded my career

This year was a big one for my career. I started taking on ongoing mentorship opportunities outside my day job for the first time, and achieved my long-term dream of working at Facebook/Meta. Leaving a familiar job where I knew the ins and outs was scary, but I’m never the type to let myself to get too comfortable. I need constant growth, and working in a new environment and taking on new challenges allows me to learn from those much better than me to improve myself as a designer and leader. And if you’re wondering, it’s been going really well and I am very happy. (Although adjusting back to a 5-day work week was quite the transition.)

5. Invested in mental health

This year I met with mental health professionals for the first time. I worked with a coach to make goals that weren’t centered around achievement, but rather regulating emotions. I educated myself about mental illnesses to be able to support loved ones. I practiced mindfulness (not entirely successful but we’re working on it.) I made a life purpose statement. I fell prey to impostor syndrome but started to dissect and understand the motivation behind my procrastination. I had long conversations with friends about enneagrams. This journey will always be a work in progress, but breaking the stigma and taking active steps to improve our mental health is a good thing people in our generation should take pride in doing.

6. Unlearned:

• A traditional MBA is the only way to a business education

• A therapist has all the answers

• A wedding needs to be big

• You need to follow the system (no — instead you can design the system)

• I’m new at work and therefore don’t have the knowledge to contribute to conversations intelligently

• There’s a right way of doing personal finance (there’s no right or wrong, that’s why it’s “personal”)

• I need to always been working and making money

• When you get older you should naturally be able to anticipate people’s needs without it being explicitly communicated (no — everybody needs to get better at actively communicating)

Notable moments

Even though I embrace my homebody-ness, I’ve had plenty of chances to go out and do stuff this year. I’m always up for new adventures that give me new perspectives on the world and newfound curiosity for the most random of things. This year took me to New York, Utah, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Chicago, Paris, Lisbon, Montreal, and Vancouver. Oh, and does the Metaverse count?

Some things I got to experience for the first time this year: be a bridesmaid, dress cute for real winter weather, get Covid, spend July 4th with Simon, watch anime, eat aged prime rib, harvest potatoes, visit the High School Musical location, attend a city hall wedding, learn mixology, go clubbing in Vegas, stress out over taxes, drink high tea, buy a designer handbag, have our first pet and baby house guests, see Book of Mormon and Dear Evan Hansen and Wicked, eat raw crab, see snowfall (and cry), sell my car, ride horses at the beach, watch a tsunami, hike in Malibu, make risograph art, watch a k-drama, go to a baseball game, run a race on vacation, take Simon to Europe, see Lauv in concert, teach yoga during a company-wide all-hands meeting, decorate and dress up for Halloween, visit Alcatraz, go on a safari, have dinner at the top of a skyscraper, pet an alligator, make toffee, get my work published in Time Magazine, make a Tik Tok Reel, mentor junior designers, get a Costco card, and learn to climb.

As I list these I can’t help but feel like I’ve been moving too fast. I shouldn’t be chasing more things to do, but rather poignant moments that I can still feel when I think back to them. Moments where I’m truly focused, in flow, and having a visceral reaction to my surroundings, whether that’s concentration, discovery, or pure giddiness. A few of those from this year:

2022 in Pop Culture

Staying focused in solitude is important but I definitely appreciate good entertainment I can obsess over. Things that made me happy this year: Jamie Beck’s An American in Provence, Asian representation at the Winter Olympics, the NBA finals, that unimaginable World Cup final, Blake Lively’s dress at the Met Gala, The Tony Awards, Ted Lasso, Encanto, Turning Red, CODA, Lizzo’s new album, the Shania Twain documentary, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Spy X Family, SNL, Father of the Bride, Netflix standup (Hasan Minhaj, Sheng Wang, Trevor Noah, Ali Wong), even YouTubers (Joma Tech, Dude Dad). Extra shoutout to Dude Dad’s channel for being silly, wholesome, and my escapist happy place.

“hello friend! friend!”

I couldn’t be happier to have reached an age where I can see friends around the country. Doing life with friends makes everything ten times more enjoyable, and I can’t wait to spend more of my 20s taking every chance to see loved ones and make memories I’ll tell stories about when I’m old. It’s a rare time in our lives when we have the trifecta: health, money, and (enough) time. I cherish this freedom and can’t wait to initiate more adventures.

Proudest Fashion Moments

Fashion is one of my oldest hobbies. People tend to associate it with shopping and consumerism, but it’s much more meaningful. This year, I spent time discovering and defining my personal style, creating a wardrobe that works for me to get dressed with confidence. I’m inspired by YouTubers with a strong sense of personal style like Lydia Tomlinson, Dearly Bethany, and Audrey Coyne, as well as channels like Mina Le and ModernGurlz that explain fashion in film and history. I regularly use and update my illustrated closet to assess purchases, plan outfits, and pack for trips. There’s something immensely creative about expressing yourself through fashion, while balancing dynamic factors like seasons, settings, micro trends, and body changes. (If anyone else is this serious about their approach to personal fashion, hit me up and let’s chat!)

A slideshow of my favorite ensembles. Although I’m not going anywhere where I’m required to dress a certain way, dressing the part makes me more inclined to act the part, whether it’s walking into a meeting, going to the gym, or being on vacation. Also proud to say that more than 90% of these outfits are thrifted.

Parting thoughts

Things may be good now but the only constant in life is change. And recently, the fear of suddenly losing your job is more real than ever. For long-term job security, invest in yourself. For me, that is education and experience, things that nobody can ever erase or take away.

This year, I’ve also understood why I’ve always turned to writing. Writing is thinking. In my personal life, writing helps me develop self-awareness, see areas of opportunity, and set goals for myself. I look forward to writing (and editing!) more, both on this blog and at work.

Lastly, I truly believe life and fortune favor the brave. People who wake up early and simply do stuff get ahead. You might unintentionally do the wrong thing but it’s something that will take you one step further. Those who hesitate in a constant state of indecisiveness and inaction get stuck. The reality is that no decision is, in itself, a decision. I recently made a “someday I’d like to try” list and started assigning years to them. These are the years I need to be doing stuff.

Shoutout to my unofficial life coaches on Twitter: Sahil Bloom, Allison Esposito Medina, and whoever else the algorithm whips up.

Onward

Every year end, I make resolutions that are more or less temporary, because they evolve. It’s hard to assign a specific start date to goals I want to accomplish because I want to do them NOW. There’s no way to predict how the year will pan out, but it’s worth listing some of the things I’m currently excited about.

• Learn about all the things I don’t understand very well at the moment (the economy, crypto, the metaverse, data science, etc) to understand business and tech trends happening on a macro-level.

• Embrace my strength of learning languages to feed my brain and connect with the world.

• Do crazy “someday I’d like to try” shit like Tough Mudder to mentally push myself in a new way.

• Learn how my body responds to glucose to understand health and nutrition at a physiological level.

• Check things off my travel bucket list to live life to the fullest while I’m still childless.

And that is my year, wrapped! Here’s to a 2023 full of crazy adventures, new experiences, and so. much. learning! 🥂