First Thoughts of the Decade
Numbers on the large digital screen behind the DJs mixers started counting down at a steady pace. 5, 4, 3, 2.. and 1 — Loud cheers echoed through Octagon, a crowded nightclub in the Gangnam, Seoul, as countless paper confetti showered from above and beams of stage lights pulsate randomly alongside the catchy EDM music. Good riddance 2019. Hello 2020.
After (enthusiastically) dancing away the first hour of the new year and having soaked up enough of party atmosphere, I left the nightclub and braved the unforgiving winter cold back to my warm, cozy hotel room.
I laid in bed and let my thoughts run amok. I grasped a big one — 2019 went by in a flash. I wasn’t satisfied with the resolutions that I’ve NOT accomplished. Sure, I checked some items off my list and there’s much to be grateful for. But I wanted to achieve more. Learn more. Grow more.
From past experience, these crazy big-ass new year resolutions never seem to work. They simply don’t. They’re either not realistic, you’ll end up not acting on it, or you try but the monotonous routine eventually consume you (and your soul!). We end up getting sucked into an endless cycle of self-loathe for not carrying out. Pity. But, it’s not too late — small consistent steps (also known as habits) seem to be the way to break out of that cycle.
I came across a timely post on HBR’s Instagram that night. The next day, I made a list from “from/to’s”. One of them is moving from a semi-awkward individual to a more confident and expressive version of myself. And I sought writing as an attempt of achieving that. It’s a dead-simple equation really:
Write better, to communicate better, to express myself better.
If I can get what I want to communicate across clearer, faster, smoother through text, I’d be able to express my thoughts/intents with spoken words too. Hence, this is a medium to establish a habit to write, write, write. No matter the form or content, the intent is to improve the ‘flow’ of my thoughts into written text. And then morph into articulated words.
Coffee With a Side of Thoughts, where I write a short essay every fortnightly, is something I’d like to commit for half a year (for a start). Some topics I have in mind to write about are product design (obviously), book/podcast reviews, or just random thoughts, observations, and reflections about life and people. Feel free to suggest other topics by leaving a comment or dropping me a DM. Sky’s the limit.
Cheers to a new decade. A fresh start. 🥂 Happy New Year!
Food for thought: How (and not What) will you do this year differently to become a better you?
