Year in Review
Just had my 28th birthday camping trip, wanted to share some of the learnings from last year and plans for the next
I was 26 pre-pandemic and now my 28th birthday is coming up… what happened?
A lot of women (including me) are fretting about their age. Anxiety is our all-too-familiar friend, who we wish wouldn’t visit so often.
What happened in the last year? I’m not one who likes to count the wins but I also read somewhere that if you list out your accomplishments, you might feel less inadequate. So let’s see… I moved twice in the last year: first from San Francisco to Mountain View, and then to Palo Alto. I designed and bought all the indoor and outdoor furniture for the new home. I arranged our engagement photoshoot, planned our wedding, invited our guests, edited videos from my family, organized all the vendors, sent thank-you gifts, and made three photo albums. Oh this is a fun one - right before our wedding, I finally hit my personal fitness goals that I set for the last 3 years. Also in the year, I switched from a finance & biz ops role to an implementation manager role at a new segment within Gusto. I’m still trying to break into a product manager role but this may have to wait until next year. Because I set a goal to volunteer more this year, I joined Minds Matter SF as a verbal instructor and also co-leads volunteering training and development. Last year was a big year of adulting, I went from not cooking more than 3 times a week pre-pandemic to now cooking almost every single day. Let’s not forget the new hobby - a year ago I didn’t know how to play tennis, now I have weekly coaching lessons and have participated in not one, but TWO tournaments so far (insert claps 👏). Last but not the least, we just started an angel investing fund called Fig Tree Capital, and will be spending a portion of our time and money on helping early-stage startups.
Okay, well my therapist didn’t lie. I do feel pretty good right now after writing this long list. I might do this more often =)
Some of these are so easy to write out now. But boy, did I cry a lot last year... In March, I cried because the diet was too stringent and I didn’t know how to cook for my life. In July, I broke down because my wedding photographer ignored me for weeks making coordination impossible. A few times because I felt like a fake in this new job that I don’t know shit about, and many times because I was too homesick not having seen my family for over two years…
What I learned in the last year was that I can do anything I want to - and it’s important to believe in myself, unconditionally. In those times where I felt frustrated at myself for not knowing stuff, or angry about things outside of my control, or getting stuck in the worries and forgetting about the big picture, I will try to empty the mind, then sit with the uncertainty and unknowns, and start with the most basic truth - I can do it.
For next year, I want to build better communities - starting with more dinner parties & hiking & traveling with family and friends and coworkers, continuing with volunteering at MMSF and also in the local communities, sharing more of what I’m reading, learning, thinking about through newsletters & podcasts (Kevin agreed to read my script and he has an amazing voice), and trying to help more startup founders. I want to break into PM, unlocking the fundamentals of PMing with on-the-job training and other resources. As for hobbies, I want to pick up a music instrument to learn, do more calligraphy, dancing, and tennis!
Every year I ponder at Mary Oliver’s question - “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” I try to think about the big rocks (a few important projects that take time) that I want to fill in the jar before filling it with small pebbles and sand (housekeeping items that never ends).
Whoever is reading this - may you fill your one precious life with fulfillment and joy, unforgettable experiences, and great company.