Reflective musings!: A whole year's worth of change is possible!

In 2022, I experienced a lot of personal and professional growth. While looking back, I realize that I have accomplished and learned a lot, and I owe a lot of thanks to many people. I've been lucky to work with great people, some of whom have become close friends and great resources. Thanks a lot, Rajashekar, Rishi Basu, Srividhya, Megha, Shruti, Selva Kumar David, Mohamed Riaz, Sabari, Meenatchi Sundaram, Vijayakumar, Dhinessh, Anto, Saravanan, Manu, Anshul, Malavika, Siddharth Singh, Salman, Chirag, the RS Ratnagiri team, and my partners in crime, Vikram, Arun, Hari, and Arun.

At the beginning of 2022, I had to make not one but two hard decisions about my professional future. The first was to leave Infosys, where I had spent six years of my decade-long career. In addition to the rest of my teammates, my managers, Sanjay, Manish, and Raj, helped me learn and develop professionally the most. During my six years at Infosys, I never dreaded Mondays or wished for a break. I always thought of the kind people who gave me time and space to pursue my interests when I needed motivation. My best education occurred during this time.

The second decision was to let go of an opportunity to work for Apple at the last stage of the process. As a first-generation college graduate, it was a dream opportunity for me, but I made the hard choice to turn it down to broaden my horizons and learn new skills instead of sticking with the brand. And now, a year later, I don't regret it because I've diversified my skills into new areas with the help of the folks at Accenture. Thanks for continuing to have faith in me, Rukma Biswas, and for your guidance, which has helped me grow in every way and made me better!

In terms of my personal life, I experienced a lot of emotional and physical ups and downs. I've had GAD and panic attacks, and I was put on Escitalopram and Anxiprol for a few weeks to help me get better. I worried too much and got too defensive about the health of my parents, niece, and daughter, which led to GAD. But I messed up my health even further by not paying enough attention to what I was putting into my body: I regularly skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner; I got too little sleep; and I never made an effort to exercise (hardly, I would have walked 1K steps per month this year). For the better part of the year, I started and ended my days in the same spot: in front of my laptop. I knew it was a bad routine, but I didn't realize how quickly I was slipping into it as a way to escape everything else going on around me.

Although I put a record amount on my credit card this year, I also got my finances in order, saved a good amount, and made smart investments for the future. My loved ones at home have often asked why I buy books but never seem to get around to reading any of them. My standard response was that I would visit Pratish's homestay in Kerala solely to read books, but that trip never happened till today. ??. The good thing was pursuing my certification in advanced marketing analytics from the IIM Kozhikode, and it was like going back to college all over again. I spent quality time every weekend participating in the sessions. The late-night calls about projects and assignments, plus studying for the quiz, made for an exciting stretch.

My intent for this year is to take better care of my health in 2023 and make the necessary changes to my lifestyle. I have decided to maintain a healthy diet, limit my screen time, start reading again at a rate of at least ten pages per day, and spend quality time with my family. Physical and mental health should be your priority too!