Reflections | 2021 Edition

As we are getting ready to bid 2021 goodbye and welcome 2022, it seems appropriate to take a moment and reflect a bit on the highs and the lows of this past year.??

I finally said goodbye to my startup of 10 years (is that still a startup?) and embarked on a journey to build something new in a place far from my home of 20 years.? Curiously, in both instances, the only regret, if any, was that I didn’t pull the trigger sooner. ? We should have sunsetted Arifzefen at least two or three years ago when we started losing users by the thousands and we really had neither the bandwith nor the conviction stop the bleeding.? And I should have moved to Seattle at least a year ago when my lease was up and I was still stuck at home.? I can make excuses for weeks, but both of these delayed decisions can probably be chalked up to my sometimes irrational aversion to risk.? So going into the new year, I’m going to remind myself to be more intentional about taking leaps of faith so I can grade myself a little higher on risk tolerance a year from now.

This was also the year when I had my first close brush with burnout.? I have had a 10 year old tradition of taking a relaxing three week trip to Ethiopia around New Year, and unfortunately, my therapeutic escape was foiled in back-to-back years, courtesy of our favorite virus.? And, of course, I was far too lazy to find an alternative, and I almost found myself paying dearly for it when I started experiencing the early signs of exhaustion late this year.? I’ve since learned my lesson and taken time off before things got too uncomfortable, but the experience has been valuable in disabusing me of the notion that I am somehow immune to burnout. This was obviously a terrible idea for many reasons, least of which was the bad example I was setting for others. But thankfully, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by more sensible leaders who not only taught me but also showed me the importance of balance. So balance will be another important lesson I’ll take with me into the new year.??

To end things on a high note, 2021 was also a year where I was repeatedly inspired by how my team and my peers were able to keep delivering win after win even when the odds seemed long.? Perhaps it was the dreariness of a year that started and ended in a pandemic.? Or perhaps it was just a confluence of macroeconomic factors that raised the stakes and challenged us in unusual ways. ? But seeing the team making massive bets and pulling off one improbable feat after another was truly energizing, especially when the tank was running low.? This experience was a great reminder of how people can do remarkable things when they come together and find a reason to believe.? And if that is not the best kind of motivation to make anyone dream bigger, I don’t know what is.? So grand goals will be another theme I’ll be riding into this new year.

"When you hand good people possibility, they do great things."? Biz Mark

When it's all said and done, the year 2021 is probably not making my top 3 years list, in large part, thanks to the Pandemic.? But that is not going to stop me from appreciating it for its highs, its lows and the important takeaways. ? As the curtain falls and a new year dawns, I’m taking these learnings and hoping that they make me a better engineer, a better leader and most importantly a better person the next time I sit down to do my new year’s eve reflections. ?

Happy New Year, everyone!

To see my writings beyond "Stuff Engineers Say,"?visit my articles page?or?follow me.