Looking back at last year’s review, it has been a really long and jam-packed year for me. This will be mostly the same format, but instead of doing just the great stuff, I’m going to do a general summary of how the year went and felt. I also want to go over how I did on last year’s goals before I go into this year’s. Let’s just get right to it.
Summary
If I had to describe this year in one phrase, it would be that this year is just setup for next year. This is not to put down any of the great things that happened or that I accomplished, but most of it is really just contributing to even greater things that are going to happen next year. Last year I ran several races from 5-10K in length, but those are really just getting me ready for the half-marathon coming up this year in June. I got engaged on a fantastic trip to Europe, but that is just the first step towards getting married in 2015. I read a ton of books and practiced many things, learning a bunch, all in the hopes of doing something spectacular in the coming year.
I feel this is all good though. I am a little surprised that I don’t have much to show for this year, but I know in my gut that I’m on the right track, much more so than last year. There were a lot of shifts in my life in 2013, so I spent a good chunk of 2014 getting settled and building up a new foundation for where I want my life to go in the next few years. I understand that marriage is coming this year, and children are not going to be far behind. I would like to be prepared for those shifts so that I don’t have to try to recover as much as I did this last year.
I am definitely happy with all the experimenting I did. Some things have turned out to be huge successes, like using JIRA for tracking my personal projects and signing up for a class-based fitness program instead of a typical gym. Some things didn’t work out so well, but they provided valuable information, and a few of them I’ve been able to modify or come at from a different approach to be more effective. I plan on doing a lot of things in the coming year, so these methods will definitely help me get them done.
Favorite Games
The Last of Us - I only finished four games this whole year, which is probably a record low for me, but I’m definitely glad that this was among them. It’s really the only game I played this year that I enjoyed, and it is easily in my top 5 games of all time. I already loved all of the Uncharted games, and this game is just as good in the gameplay department, but with a story and characters that truly got to my heart. A video game has never made me cry, but this one damn near did. It is truly a unique experience, one that I will be glad to have again and again.
Favorite Movies/Shows
The Lost Room - This is a sci-fi mini-series that only takes a few hours to get through, so there really is no reason for others to see this because it is fantastic. The story isn’t totally original, but the main concept and the way it is executed is amazing. I went into it on blind faith and I’m glad that I didn’t know anything about it as that just made it that much more magical. It’s an incredibly clever show and I highly recommend it.
Kill la Kill - One of the things I wanted to do this year was get back into anime a bit, and this was a good one to bring me back into the fold. I’m not going to say that it’s a great show, it very likely won’t be a classic. But it was lots of fun to watch and I would gladly do so again.
The Grand Budapest Hotel - I really feel like I should include at least one movie in this list, and this was the best movie I saw this year, so that’s why it’s here. Maybe in another year I would have something more up my alley, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this movie. It is good enough that I am much more inclined to try other Wes Anderson films (this was my first one).
Legend of Korra Season 2 - Yeah, I know the entire show is over now, but I tend to be late to the party with most things. I will also admit to the fact that I didn’t actually like this season as much as the first one, but it’s still leaps and bounds above most other shows. I can’t wait to watch the rest.
Favorite Books
Steve Jobs/Total Recall - I read almost 50 books this year, so I’m going to group a few of them. I’m not much of a history buff, but listening to these biographies about Steve Jobs and Arnold Schwarzenegger, respectively, was a lot more enjoyable than I thought they would be. What amazing lives those two had (and are still having). I respect them both more in some ways because of these books.
Daemon/Freedom - I had heard on good authority that Daniel Suarez was a good writer, but in reading them I found that I absolutely love his style. His books are fun, fast, and smart. After reading his books, most other authors seem way too slow now. I also read Influx, but I feel like it wasn’t quite a good as these two were.
The Better Angels of Our Nature - This is another book that I wouldn’t have expected to like, but it was utterly fascinating. Not only was it interesting to get the scope of how violence has changed over our history, but it left me in high spirits knowing that we as a species are going in the right direction, regardless of what the news media or others try to tell us. As long as information continues to spread, the world gets less violent. It is a great message to read about and have proven by statistics.
The Satanic Verses - This was another pleasant surprise to me. I had no idea what the book would be about, and that made it all the more enjoyable. I’m not going to say that I loved everything about it, but it was well written, had quirky characters and language, and showed incredible imagination. Definitely one I would recommend to others.
Ready to Run/Bulletproof Diet/Eat That Frog and others - As I said above, I was doing a lot of experimenting this year, and that involved reading a lot of self-help books. Some of them didn’t provide much, but the three I mention here stood out more than the others. Not so much because the information was new or life changing, but because they made me step back and actually analyze myself. Like with Ready to Run, I never really thought about how I stand, but after reading that I realized that even though I stand up straight, the way my legs were aligned was causing issues. Once I started being conscious of it, I can feel the difference in my back and legs when I stand properly. The same goes with the Bulletproof Diet. It is much more about being aware of what I’m eating and how it’s effecting me, rather than being a traditional diet book. That being said, the Bulletproof Coffee in that book as well as the tips on sleeping have created a noticeable difference, so I do plan to incorporate more of that into my life.
Goals
First, let’s go over what I put down last year:
- Keep on the healthy path - SUCCESS - I definitely stuck with it. My eating habits are slow to change, but adding regular exercise and cutting back on drinking have been huge factors in my weight loss and feeling better in the latter part of the year. Fully intend to keep this going.
- Prioritize better - SUCCESS - This is mostly thanks to using JIRA. I have definitely had better focus on what’s important since using it.
- Be frugal - NO CHANGE - I don’t really spend any more or less than I did a year ago, though I have some good savings built up now. That’s mostly just because I’ve had a whole year of higher wages over 2013. And my going out habits also haven’t really changed. Might work on that some more.
- Cultivate positivity - SUCCESS - I like to think I did pretty well at this, though I’m sure there is still room to grow. Mostly I just notice that I don’t get in bad moods as much as I did in previous years.
- Write more - SUCCESS - One of the experiments for this year was to try writing a blog post every week. I was doing pretty well at it, but eventually it got to the point of being a hassle and I reprioritized. It’s hard to say if I will be writing a lot in the coming year, but I would like to think so.
- Compartmentalize work - NO CHANGE - I wouldn’t say that I’ve gotten any better at this since I still waste a lot of time at work (though much lower than the average person) just browsing when I should be working. I also still have trouble relaxing at night when work is being tough. So I still need to work on this.
- Continue focusing efforts - SUCCESS - Again thanks to JIRA, it is much easier to keep myself focused on a smaller number of things than it was before. It didn’t necessarily translate into getting more things done, but the stress is lower.
So I am going to continue working on the above and add a couple more for this year based on what has changed since last year:
- Spend time working on personal projects every day - Now that I have gotten better at prioritizing and focusing my efforts, this year I’m going to work on applying these skills to producing more. Last year I did well with the blog posts, but this year I want to have something more significant to show for it. Right now I’m in the beginning stages of making a cover song entirely by myself and making a game. I might also be able to knock out some short stories while taking breaks from those projects. I’ve had these ambitions plenty of times before, but I really do think I can get somewhere this year with my current habits.
- Get better at cooking - I’ve had this as a goal in previous years, and I think it’s time to bring it up again. Now that I have more knowledge of good foods, it is time to put it to good use.
Whew, that’s a ton of stuff to read over! I’m so long winded sometimes. But anyway, looking forward to what is definitely going to be the best year yet!