Following on from last year’s review, I’m taking this opportunity to review 2011 – what I’ve achieved, what I’ve learnt and where to in 2012!
What happened in 2011
- I got simple and minimal – I reached my minimalism goals of about 100 items!
- Started freelancing again – I quit my fulltime job yay!
- Co-founded a startup! – I joined forces with Rob to go on the most exciting adventure building amazing products!
- Improved my front end skills – I became more and more proficient at front-end coding, mostly due to the goal above!
- Travel! - I went to Paris, Amsterdam, and the West Coast of the USA (where this post is being written from!)
- Did more life list items -My aim was to cross one life list item off a month – I am pleased to say that I achieved 13 life list goals this year. Yay!
What I learnt in 2011
2011 was an incredible year of growth and self-discovery for me. There was so much change in the past year, that I really feel like I have learned a huge amount. Here are a few lessons that stuck out:
- I need much less than I think I do. - My minimalism journey this year has really taught me about the beautiful experience of having less things that are more precious. Another area of my life where this lesson has been reinforced is through my startup adventures, and learning about Eric Ries’ ‘Lean Startup’ movement. I’ve taught myself to question the place and value of everything, both in my personal life and in business. Its made my life so much richer.
- Think less, do more, push for even more - This was a year where I really left my comfort zone and made a huge leap in a different direction in my career. It was vital for me to stop worrying about what if I jumped off the proverbial cliff. Instead, I started worrying about what would happen if I didn’t do it – absolutely nothing would change. I worried about how boring that would be. And made the change.
- Build something and SHIP IT! – Creating stuff has always been extremely important to me. What was highlighted this year was the importance of getting out into the big wide world what I build! If you don’t ship, if you don’t let people see what it is you are creating, if you don’t let people experience your creation, what the hell is the point.
- Partner with people who challenge you - One of the most important lessons I’ve learnt this year is the huge value in finding people who push your boundaries. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a stellar group of people surrounding me this past year. The most honourable mention, particularly this year, goes to Rob - Rob makes me a better designer, and most importantly, a better person. He tells me straight when I’m wrong, he questions me constantly, he stretches my mind and my imagination, and always has my back. This year would’ve been immeasurably different without Rob and I thank him from the bottom of my heart.
- Stop chasing the ordinary - This year more than ever, I have really felt myself find a comfortable place in my mind in terms of my goals and aspirations. I’ve tried to break the mould this year more than ever before, pushing myself to try new things and new ways of thinking. I’ve started think differently about my life and what I want from it, and for the first time, I find myself on the brink of being able to commit to the extraordinary, rather than the ordinary.
Where to in 2012
Of course, I want 2012 to be a year packed full of ridiculous awesomeness. But I need to get more specific. Here are some things I will be committing to this year:
- Go Paleo for 3 months – I need to start taking better care of myself, and start caring about the quality of things I’m putting in my body.
- Go on 5 trips - In 2011 I did 3 trips. In 2012, I wanna up the ante. Locations tbc.
- Live in another country for 1 month plus - I want to experience living and working somewhere completely different to London.
- Cross off another 12 items on my life list (one for every month)
- Save £500 every month
- Dedicate 5 hours a week for learning. I wanna level up, and to do that, I need to keep pushing myself. 5 hours per week will be solely for my own personal learning and are non-negotiable.
- Make products that thousands of people use and enjoy. This year will be a year of exciting growth and opportunity for our startup. It’ll be tough, but we are ready and willing.
This year is going to be super awesome, I can feel it in my bones. I want to be more audacious, more daring, more playful, and more committed to living the best life I can. Bring on 2012. Bring. It. On!
