365/365

This blog took especially long to write as I didn’t want it to be a mere recap of my 2023 experience. I don’t find joy in listing out all the good and bad that has happened to me. I started doing these blogs as a spin-off from Spotify wrapped, and instead of looking through my song choices throughout the year, I look inward to reflect on my growth as a person. The changes in my music taste draw parallels to how I’ve changed throughout the year and it’s refreshing to take a trip down memory lane.

To say nothing much has happened in 2023 would be false. Yet when I try to recall all the good times I’ve had, no significant event immediately comes to mind. The goal of ‘finding what makes me happy in life’, something I was told to do upon turning 18, seems so elusive. Sure, I have explored a new country, met up with my closest friends (some even more than once), gotten promoted at work (it was a rite of passage), spent more time with family (which I am grateful for), stayed fit and healthy (due to my routine); but despite these, I was left hollow and empty on the inside.

That’s the reason why this took me a long time to start writing this. I struggled to express my thoughts without sounding unintentionally verbose or arrogant. There was one thing that stood out to me, which was discussed during a family meeting at the start of the year. I received feedback that I lacked the following qualities: empathy, self-awareness, and social responsibility.

I would like to believe that I have improved and learnt that things are not always about me. Although I have always considered what others may think, I tend to overlook how they feel, which would explain the situations I have landed myself in.

I acknowledge my privileged background, and while I'm grateful for it, I don't want it to make me desensitized to my friends' experiences. I am thankful for having friends who have a strong moral compass and voice out their personal opinions when we have discussions. It’s the little things like this that keep me grounded in the reality of living. The grass is not always greener on the other side.

It may not have been a blissful year; in fact, there were more times I was stressed out than I was calm and happy. But at the end of the day, I am glad I survived, and I owe my gratitude to the people around me for that.

Peace.