2018 is about to end & I figured that it would be great to look back at my past year & just review/record some of the highlights, so that I can look back one day and see how 2018 was. This is something different from what I generally do. Usually I am eager to jump into the next year, with 100 resolutions & 100 different goals. But this time, I wanted to take a moment & appreciate everything I did in 2018 & everything it taught me.
Highlights of 2018
In 2017, I had failed the group 2 exams of CA IPCC. I reappeared in the November 2017 exams and in January 2018 the result was declared & thankfully I cleared the exams. This was a great start to 2018 & it taught me a lesson. You can fail & still come back hard and win.
Graphic Design Course
I had always created websites & other graphical content but I never took design seriously. Until I worked closely with a couple of designer friends & realised I really liked it. Then I decided to join a Graphic Design Course (Essentially focused on Visual Communication). It was a 4 month course and it taught me a lot. I really enjoyed each and every bit of it & it made me do certain things which I never really thought I could do. I was always reluctant to sketch my ideas or do any kind of doodling as I thought I was completely horrible at it and It would be of no good. But as I learned later – You have to start somewhere. So I did & I guess I surprised myself.
(This was the final project that I did there. A book on Gestalt Psychology & a brochure on Qutub Minar. You can check out the full project on Behance)
General Health & Fitness
Well, I started this year on 1st January 2018 at a bakery. Where I ate 2 large pastries. Ofcourse, I felt horrible later 😛 . I decided then & there that this year would be different. I have a sweet tooth & I basically gobble down anything which is remotely sweet. Anyhow, I controlled myself & did pretty well. I always found gymming/weight lifting to be immensely boring. I had to always force myself to go to the gym, and if you have to force yourself to do something – it’s never a good long term solution. Around March, I had started watching a lot of Boxing on YouTube & I really enjoyed it. I Googled to find a good boxing gym near me and found one called BoxFit. I have been going there regularly for the past 9 months & not only has it helped me in keeping myself fit – but along the way I have also learned a bit of Boxing.
What I learned : While attending these boxing classes, I realised that you need to be patient and you need to slow down. Consistency is always the key when it comes to improving your fitness or learning anything.
Photography / Videos & Travel
I always loved clicking pictures. But there was only one problem, I sucked at it. Until this year! I worked with a friend on a few freelance video/photography projects & watched him closely & eventually learned a lot by just watching him do his thing. One of my goals this year was to pick up the camera more – click more photos & create more videos. I did create a few videos, but I wish to create many more in 2019. Also, I travelled to 3 places this year. Uttarakhand, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan & Kashmir.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
(You can checkout more videos here – also I post photos on my Instagram & Unsplash)
What I learned : You just need to start. The only thing stopping me from creating more was the fact that I wasn’t taking any action. Rather than trying to create a masterpiece, just enjoy the process and pickup your camera more. You will be surprised at the output.
Freelance Projects & iOS Development
I also worked on some freelance projects this year. I really enjoyed a couple of them which were done right after I had taken up that design course. It helped me look at things in a much different way. I also learned a bit of iOS Development on and off throughout the year. This is kind of like a hobby for me, as I just enjoy learning more about development and how stuff works under the hood.
(You can checkout more about this project on Behance)
(I followed this course)
Favorite Quotes
All in all it was a good year & I am grateful for everything. Here are a few quotes that I loved reading this year -:
- The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.
- The best things in life are free. The second best things are very, very expensive” — Coco Chanel”
- The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”
- All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
- A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.
- Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.
- There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented. I am obsessed. – Conor Mcgregor
- “What do you do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it. – Dean Smith
2018 Playlist – Music
Spotify was kind enough to generate a Playlist for 2018 based on my listening activity! So here is a list of songs I enjoyed in 2018.
