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 a double digit 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: travelling, 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.