2021 - A Year in Review

Anon 1 

Sharing my 2021 learnings which precisely summarizes my year...feel free to exclude below if this doesn't fit your 'review/summary' code. #nohardfeelings :)

• 2021 for me reinstated that change is constant & needed for growth for learning for living 
• Your Mental & physical health needs to be taken care first if you want to be there for your kin's
• Move from result-oriented to intention-oriented mindset so that I can lessen self-sabotage, judgment for myself
• Avoid complacency to allow improvement for yourself, your work, and your life, in an anonymous author's words "complacency killed the cat,curiosity didn't"
• This day will never be the same as the next one or the previous one..be it good or bad so wing the good ones & bounce back after the bad ones
• Focus on doing important things apart/instead from/of doing 'a lot of things'...shifting from being effective to efficient(impactful)

Anon 2

Continuing last year’s tradition, I want to take some time to reflect what happened last year and capture some moments to remember.

New beginnings and learnings:

• Moved to Sunnyvale and started a new life here. Our community expanded drastically with Arpit’s friends and family being here. I enjoyed getting to know new people and learning how to become friends instead of making judgments.
• Started my Haas MBA journey
• Learnt Python with the online Stanford class
• Strengthened my knowledge of energy transition, and realized that I did not want to be an analyst in a different sector
• Started doing product management for the NGL team and learned some things about marketing and sales
• Interviewed with a charging startup and almost said YES. Considered a Project Manager position with ENEL X and decided to take my time in making my career move.
• Learning a lot of fun things at Haas – Loved Leading people and Macroeconomics! It was hard to keep up with the new pace of life with MBA plus job plus career change but after a lot of crying, resisting, and repeated trying, I am getting the hang of it.
• Experienced being an investment professional by participating in the Haas investment challenge with Yuguang and Wenjun.
• I led the social media marketing efforts for YPE – SF Bay Area. I knew nothing about marketing nor social media. I learnt how to make cool graphics, set up social media alerts using Hootsuite, boosted Linkedin membership for YPE, organized Earth Day Trivia, and, even did a career podcast! I loved working with and knowing the YPE folks.

Memorable moments:

• WeLaunch weekend at Haas was probably one of the most exciting events in a long time. I felt so alive and excited about the present and the future. I remembered how amazing it is to be a student, dreamy-eyed of the possibilities of the world! We participated in a competition with other cohorts and I participated in the skit.
• Mammoth lakes biking in the Californian Alps and getting stuck at the Strawberry Inn on the way back.
• Drive into Yosemite National Park and absorbing it all in at the sunroof
• Visiting family in India and basking in the love of our families: It was a pretty emotional time for me as I realized that the life I had in Chennai with my family is over and there will be very few times We 5 will be under the same roof. The realization of becoming a "bahu" and the expectations that came from it, shook me a bit and made me feel suffocated. I realized that one cannot have the best of all things and compromise is essential. I loved all the attention and love I got from his family but also realized that it came with a price tag. I don't like growing up and realizing things! Maybe, I need to accept the good and not dwell too much on the bad. After all, it is the story we wish to believe in! 

Places we traveled:

a. Austin staycation for a month

b. Mammoth Lakes with Spruce folks and had an adventure on the way back with our car getting towed

c. Portland to visit Mama

d. Yosemite National Park with Mohan Mama and family

e. Carmel by the Sea/Monterrey during my semester break

f. Maui

g. India!

Acknowledgments:

When I look at my aspirations from last year, I have certainly made strides in terms of being a better friend, reacting less/understanding more, and managing anxiety. Even though it seems sometimes, that things are not great, remember you have come a long way. 

Aspirations for 2022:

1. Meditation at least 4 times a week
2. Learning something new: Golf?
3. Building stronger relations with some ppl: Consistency is key
4. Being less hard on myself and others
5. Acting the way I want to, not the way I feel
6. Practicing self-love: What does that mean?
7. Career move: Figuring out the top 3 choices by eliminating other choices after giving it good thought