What do I want from 2019?

As we begin the last month of 2018, I want to spend some time reflecting and thinking about what I want to do next year.

Personal

I thrive in friendships. I thrive in laughter. Somehow, this year there has been less of both. I had a turbulent year at work. This took down my spirit massively. I spent a long time finding my way through it. It also meant that my anxiety came back. Summer wasn’t easy with lots of personal commitments along with this drama.

But here I am, 3 months later. Feeling quite sure of what I want to do next.

Work

2019 WILL be the year of change for my work life. The joy you get in enabling individuals and teams is worthy of all the hard work. I want to do more of mentoring. I will also work with one of the leading organisations in the world for enabling diversity in my field. Not only enable it, but also sustain the people who join it. I hope to start helping with one of my most favourite conferences as well. I want to find an opportunity to talk about emotional health in the field of technology especially quality assurance. I want to enable teams to do slick high quality deliveries to customers. I want to work with products I believe in and which can enrich people’s lives. I want to be more mindful and observant in the work place. I want to be in a role where a job description does not define me. How I streamline delivery and quality is what I want to do. There are no titles for this type of work. I would like to find one :)

We are great at helping people start new careers, jobs and roles. However, not many managers look at ensuring they continue to be happy in their roles. Most smart people start hitting points of frustration within 6 months to a year. Those who find new challenges move on. Others just become complacent. I want to help avoid complacency. Working with a group which has immense drive is great food for the soul. You feel continuously challenged and are never short of learning opportunities.

Travel

I want to find a way to do frequent travelling. Yes, more frequent than I do already. This year I went to 4 new countries and did 9 international trips. Travelling makes me more empathetic.I will never go too far away from travelling. Travelling relaxes me. It opens my mind to other cultures. It helps me become a more empathetic as a person. It grounds me when I start floating in the skies. It helps me see the colors in the world and understand how fortunate I am to continue to absorb them in my mind and my life.

Public Speaking

2018 was also the year when I exposed my vulnerability. To a select few people. I became more focused on call for papers for various conferences and have already been accepted to two more conferences.

Speaking about my experiences at work is immensely important to me. Some people think that it exposes them but for me it’s an opportunity to help protect my peers in the industry from making the same mistakes. Together we can work stronger and also enable us to avoid repeatable mistakes.

Mentoring

2018 was also the year where I found some amazing mentors. Mentoring has enriched my life in so many ways which I probably am unable to formulate in words. I hope to continue learning from them and leaning on them to be successful both personally and professionally.

Here’s to an even more amazing and fruitful 2019!