2022 Reflections

2022 has been a year of extreme highs and lows for me and undoubtedly many other people out there. But with every experience, good or bad, there is an opportunity for learning and reflection. Here are my top 5 learnings from 2022. I hope you may find this helpful for your own life and career journey, and I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments. Here’s to turning the page to a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous New Year!

1. As Ned Stark was quoted as saying by his “son”, Jon Snow, “We find our true friends on the battlefield.” In other words, when times are tough, you find out which colleagues, friends, and family will be there to help you and lend support beyond superficial relationships, or oaths for you Thronies out there. Those are the people to keep close in life, and I am incredibly grateful for all those who have selflessly lent a helping hand, ear, advice, or welcome distraction. I promise that I will pay it forward. Side note, this was only quoted in the show, not (yet) in the books.
2. Learn to appreciate the simple things in life. It can always be worse than it currently is, but it's important to keep the perspective that much of our experience in the world today is a privilege that humans have only very recently been able to benefit from. If you can be happy with a simpler experience, you won’t feel the need to constantly chase material happiness, and your happiness will be more sustainable.
3. Everything does not happen for a good reason, but you need to be prepared to face whatever comes your way. This one may be controversial, so let me explain. I’ve heard a lot of people tell me this recently, but I struggle to see the truth in it. I’m not trying to knock people who believe in this, as I think it is a way people try to cope with and preserve hope during challenging times, but let me share my alternative perspective. Sometimes things happen in life that are completely outside of your control, for better or for worse. It is your reaction to that event that will dictate how your life will unfold in the future, such as seizing the opportunity or persevering in the face of adversity. Taking the idea to the extreme, what possible good reason is there for the current war in Ukraine, or the many atrocities that came before it, aside from one authoritarian’s desire for conquest at the expense of millions of people? Luck comes and goes in life, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. It is your ability and determination to turn a negative into a positive that will make the difference, not cosmic fortune. We needn’t look further than the Ukrainian people to appreciate what we have in life and to see how to react in the face of adversity. #SlávaUkrayíni!
4. Don’t work with assholes. This is easier said than done, as sometimes people don’t show their true face to you until you start working with them more closely, or sometimes circumstances don’t provide you the privilege of flexibility to choose, but do what you can to steer clear of these people. Oftentimes, it is who you work for, rather than your own personal merits, that will influence your career trajectory more than anything else. Make sure your manager is competent, empathetic, open minded, accountable, a strong communicator, has an ownership mentality, and is invested in your career growth (list not exhaustive). I cannot yet confidently say that I am a great manager of people, but I can confidently tell you what traits define a poor manager. I will be sure to work hard to embody the positive aspect of these traits for my future employees and colleagues, and if I do not, please call me out on it so I can learn and improve. For companies and leaders that allow these people to persist in their organizations despite all the warning signs, shame on you. If you are true to your company values, and not just paying lip service, you should remove them immediately, as they are cancerous to company culture, productivity, and success.
5. Invest in yourself, your passions, your ideas, and the important relationships in your life. While unemployed, I have continued to pursue my MBA at the University of Washington, developed a product idea with the help of some of my incredibly talented classmates, hiked the full trail to the peak of Mount Ellinor in the Olympic Mountain range, stayed glued to activities within my industry, celebrated my one year wedding anniversary with my amazing wife, and reflected on much of the above. This approach has helped me continue to channel my energy into productive and positive activities outside of the full time job search hustle. Don’t stay idle. Always continue learning and improving yourself to stay ahead of the curve.