2023 Year of Reflection

(And kicking off my newsletter for 2024)

Welcome to edition 1 of my newsletter. I'm kicking this off with reflections for 2023 because it's important to share things that go well and not so well- because not everything is perfect for everyone. But we can all grow together ??.

With a new year on our doorstep, it's a good time to reflect on the last year and set our intentions for the upcoming year.?

Like most of you, I had many things that I'm proud of, but also things I wish could have gone better. We must reflect on both things to help us grow and learn what we can do better.

Things I'm proud of:

?? Career Realignment and Reflection

If you had asked me eight years ago what I wanted in my career, I would have said: "up." I never once stopped to consider that there was any other way. I measured my career satisfaction by promotions, raises, and more responsibility.??

As a result-driven driver-type personality, I was always on overdrive. And I was burnt out. But I was so far in that I didn't realize it.?

After working in a super toxic environment earlier this year, I self-selected out.??

I decided it was time to reassess what I viewed as career growth and success. There needs to be more than just money or titles to endure working in an environment that doesn't value your design skill set or the experience you bring.

This year, I allowed myself the space to think about what was next for me rather than just stepping into another role at another company, and it was the space I needed to clarify my values and how I see myself growing over the next five years. (More to come on this adventure)

?? Shipped UX courses

I started teaching UX courses because, at the time, I saw a void in the marketplace and an opportunity to fill some of the gaps I felt were missing regarding user experience content.

I love teaching design in all its forms and helping people grow their design skills and careers. As part of that passion and self-reflection I did this year, I'm investing more of my time in doing it.?

This year, I took on the production aspects of course creation, and while I'm still early in learning about this process, I'm proud of myself for pushing myself out of my comfort zone to do it. I learned about lighting, sound, and video editing. I'm still learning about camera presence - it's tough y'all!

?? Realigned my life to match my goals

Realizing that I'm embarking on a new career adventure during my year of reflection, I realigned my life to do more of what I want to do and prioritize what's important to me.

These decisions meant dramatically changing my life to support my new ambitions. These decisions were a much more complex change than I thought they would. I always anchored my identity around my career as it was and was too nervous to take a different path.

Through reflection, I realized that growth only happens from challenging yourself to do more, learning more, and putting yourself out there in sometimes uncomfortable ways.?

You also have to filter out those negative thoughts and push aside "what will people think" thoughts.

Growth is hard, but we may continue on the same treadmill without it.?

Things that could have gone better:

?? Giving more focus on what's important

I'm a multi-tasker and like having multiple projects going simultaneously. This was a terrible strategy for me. I accomplished less because I had a lot more loose ends.

?? Investing in health and fitness?

I was so "busy" that I didn't consider my health or fitness, which was not a good decision. I've learned that not prioritizing health and wellness contributes to burnout and doesn't help me stay as focused as I need to be.

?? Spending too much time thinking and not doing

I wish I had taken much more action on specific tasks and projects, but I spent too much time thinking about it. I'm sometimes prone to overthinking things, and this year, I did a lot of that.?

My goals for next year:?

These goals will be much more actionable than this, but these are my goals for 2024, and I'm very excited to embark on the new adventures coming my way.

1. I'm building the foundation for my new career adventure, aligning my passions with my skills.
2. Learning French.
3. Daily exercise and diet changes.

I'm so grateful for the learnings and growth opportunities that 2023 afforded, even if they were a little uncomfortable, and I look forward to the exciting opportunities for 2024.

What about you, what are you up to next year??