As the year draws to a close with gloomy December days compensated with lots of artificial lighting, it's not surprising that many people take the time to reflect on their recent past — what we've managed to achieve, what we learned, what we failed in, where we went, and what we experienced. Did you take steps forward this year — or even strides? Did you regress? What did you get up to? I'm genuinely curious, so feel free to email me.
For me, it was a positive, albeit unspectacular, year — one I'm very grateful for. I'd like to share some highs and a few lows with you before I begin to focus on the year ahead.
- I visited Iceland for the first time, explored incredible landscapes, and soaked in the hot springs.
- I travelled to Trentino in northern Italy with a small group of friends where we climbed, dined, and yapped under the sun.
- I visited Mallorca with my partner for a very relaxing trip on a beautiful island.
- I saw the aurora borealis for the first time, which happened to be in my home city (and not Iceland).
- I made a small breakthrough with my climbing by sending my first 7A+/V7 boulder.
- 099 SPLY had its best year to date in terms of sales and product releases.
- I received an 11% pay rise.
- I made a decent profit when I sold my Bitcoin.
- I saw friends thrive.
- My grandmother turned 95.
- I archived Minimalissimo® (not sure if this is a good or bad thing — but it's an end of an era).
- I missed out on several career opportunities.
- I caught myself comparing my progress to others too often — something I'm working on.
- I started a new creative lab named FormFeelingFunction®.
- I became an uncle for the second time (hello, Kobi).
- I started learning to swim properly (and I'm still trying!).
Looking back, I've realised it's often the small successes and simple joys that stick: friends thriving, family milestones, or breakthroughs in climbing and swimming. Next year, I'm hoping to focus more on those types of moments, evolve my design career, and worry less about the comparisons.