Hi everyone, how are you all celebrating the new year? As we say hello to the new year of 2023, I wrote my year-end review for 2022.
2022 Goals
Similar to 2021, I did not put any specific thing on my list, rather I went for a theme and for better focus on three areas.
Theme
The year 2022 was my year of saying No to self-deprecating thoughts, diminishing my caliber and my achievements, and doubting if I could do new things.
I did try to live by this, and I had to push myself at times to think positively and own my work.
There was a time when I felt too uncomfortable when I was appreciated, but now I have started to acknowledge my wins, and that's a big mental shift for me.
I still feel I hold myself back often, and I will continue working on this in 2023 as well.
Areas of focus
I focused mainly on three areas in my life:
- Better Health
- Live Life
- Growth
Health
In 2022, working on improving my health was my number one priority. But I had a few low moments due to my health this year. It was a struggle for most of Jan and Feb and later during Oct and Nov. But two worst instances were when I got covid for the first time, it hit me hard, physically as well as mentally. I am so glad that I recovered from it. Another low was resurfacing of a health condition I thought I got rid of, and currently I am under treatment.
So the biggest focus in 2023 remains on my health, to be consistent in eating healthy and maintaining healthy habits.
Life and Growth
2022 was the year I felt what living life to the fullest could feel like. I pushed myself to explore new places, travel to different countries, learn new things, try new activities, and I feel amazed as I look back on my 2022 journey. I have grown personally, mentally as well as professionally. I have so much to share, I will go month-wise:
January
- Got awarded as Microsoft MVP for developer technologies and it was a perfect new year gift
- Gave a talk at UK & Ireland DevFest - I love speaking and sharing my experiences, and in 2022 I wanted to continue speaking at multiple conferences, so a great start to the year
- Emceed at the GraphQL galaxy conference, this was also one of the goals to emcee at a few conferences, and I am on the right path
February
- Explored Amsterdam for the first time, with my friend Gift (I came to the Netherlands at the end of September 2021, but due to covid and lockdown, I never went out to explore till now)
- Also explored Haarlem, and went to Teyler's museum and it was a great experience. Walking alongside the canals was so beautiful, I can never get tired of the canals, they are magical
- Spoke at 2 events - CityJS Conference, India, and GDSC (World Of Wonders)
- Emceed 2 conferences - JSWorld conference and Node Congress. I realized that I really enjoy emceeing and it's super fun to chat with speakers while learning about a wide range of topics at the conference
- Mentored as part of Women Developer Academy Europe mentorship program
March
- Was mentor in RoadToGDE Class 3
- Emceed at the DevOps JS conference
- Visited 2 museums - Naturalis and Hortus Botanical in Leiden, it was lots of fun
- Tried go-karting for the first time, but since I do not know a bit about driving, I injured myself, so I quit after one lap. I would never try this again until I have learned real car driving. I love to try new things, but with caution, and I do not feel ashamed to quit if needed.
April
So many firsts happened this month, and it has been one of the most happening months of 2022:
- I witnessed snowfall for the first time ever, it was a beautiful amazing experience
- and I felt as if it snowed to wish me luck for my first in-person international conference as a speaker, in front of more than 700 people later that day - at React Live conference
- I traveled to London to give another talk - at the iJS London conference - and this was my first travel for speaking, such a feeling of accomplishment I must say
- Also met my brother in London after around 2 years, and my uncle, aunt, and cousins, it was a nice visit
- Explored London along with my brother, and we saw so many tourist places and ate some nice biryani.
- Explored 5 cities in the Netherlands
- Went up to a windmill museum in Leiden
- Visited Zaanse Schans, it's such a beautiful place to visit, must go on my recommendation list
- Explored Cobra museum and the beautiful Cherry Blossom park, it was an exhausting yet cool trip
- Got sick at the end of April, it was pretty bad and ruined almost all of May
- Still managed to deliver an online talk for the Jamstack Port Harcourt event
May
- Most of the month went into recovery, it was a very difficult time for me, but I recovered.
- Got accepted into the Women Techmakers Ambassador program
- Got invited to and spoke at the Women of JAMStack podcast
- Had a nice time with friends, explored another city and good Asian food places in Utrecht
- Tried mini golf and arcade games for the first time, and enjoyed both
June
- Spoke at the World Congress conference in Berlin, what an amazing experience, it remains the largest conference I spoke at in 2022, and I made so many friends and valuable connections
- I explored a lot of Berlin, it is one of my favorite cities, quite a historical and emotional experience and I would always want to visit again. What moved me most - The memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the East gallery in Berlin
- While attending the VueJs Amsterdam conference, I also interviewed some of the speakers for the JSWorld podcast, enjoyed it a lot
- Attended React Summit conference, and met so many online friends for real
- Overall, June was a wonderful month, it was all about people
- Also played board games for the first time, it was fun
July
- Spoke at Google I/O extended event by GDG Glasgow
- Emceed at VueJS Forge conference first edition
- Traveled to Bruges, Belgium - such a beautiful city
- Traveled to Groningen, a city quite far and different from Amsterdam, I went to 3 museums there and learned a lot about slavery and the general history of the city and more
- I was part of program committee for react India conference, an insightful experience
August
- Explored 3 new cities of the Netherlands
- Visited the Zuiderzee museum in Enkhuizen and it was such a fun trip - with a ferry ride to the museum, learning about that village's history and culture while playing the games
- Gave a session at the LogRocket meetup event
- Traveled to Scotland, had so much fun with my brother, and ate quite yummy Indian food
- Was humbled to be invited again to emcee at the VueJS Forge conference's second edition
- Had a memorable birthday celebration with Gift
September
- Explored Netherlands along with my brother, lovely time spent
- Spoke at 3 conferences and traveled to 2 new countries
- Spoke at the Web Summer Camp conference in Croatia - another amazing conference, loved the food as well as the after-conference boat trip to the island of Krapanj while having lunch on the boat, a first-time experience, enjoyed it. Also got a cool plaque for being a speaker, damn one of the best gifts I got as a speaker
- Spoke at JSConf Korea - the most accessible conference I ever attended, the organizing team is just amazing
- Explored the beautiful city of Seoul, it's just wow, I was in awe the entire time
- Gave my first conference workshop at React India
October
- Got covid again, and had to cancel speaking at an amazing conference, it was a tough time, but thankfully, I recovered
- Traveled to Milan to speak at the Codemotion conference, and also explored the beautiful city - my talk was rated the highest by the audience, and it is one of the biggest achievements of 2022 - it acknowledges my expertise and that what I talk about is important and the audience learns from it, and this acknowledgment makes me feel more confident in myself and challenges my imposter syndrome
- Traveled to Munich to speak at the iJS Munich conference, it was special to me also because I spoke earlier in their London edition, and now in Munich - I felt nice about returning to the conference as a speaker
- Mentored 3 women as part of the Women Developer Academy India mentorship program
- Despite everything, mentally it was a pretty tough month for me
November
The month when I started regaining my confidence after feeling low for almost 2 months now
- Traveled to Denmark to speak at the Boye conference Aarhus, it was a very different kind of conference and I got to meet many industry leaders in higher education
- The Denmark visit was quite lovely personally too, I met a friend from India, and it was such a wonderful time with her
- I also met Lars and his family, I felt like I was a kid again with his twin daughters, and tried some of the games which I definitely couldn't do even 10% as well as they were doing, we went to an aquarium and wildlife park and I saw so many aquatic animals for the first time
- Emceed for TestJS Summit conference
- As I traveled a lot this year, I wrote a blog post on Planning travels for conferences around the world
- Went to the Eindhoven Glow festival, and felt dreamy walking under the butterflies
- Played a VR zombie shooting game with colleagues and it was super fun
- Probably one of the defining moments of this year - indoor sky diving in Utrecht with my colleagues - I have dreaded sky diving like anything, so it took a lot of courage to even decide to try it, but the moment I fell into that tunnel - I felt a different energy in me, and after those 3 minutes of sky diving experience in that tunnel, I felt like I got this new confidence and like I was a new person, and now I feel much less scared to try new things.
December
December ended the year on a high note for me
- Got renewed as a Google Developers Expert for another year, so grateful and humbled
- Traveled to Malaga to speak at the Wey Wey Web conference, the last conference for 2022, and it was such a wonderful, well-organized, and thoughtful conference.
- Hiked to the top of the castle in Malaga, a mix of scaring and tiring experiences but totally worth it - loved the magnificent city view from the top of the castle
- Visited 3 cities in the Netherlands, I am in love with this beautiful country
- Experienced the Northern Lights show in Naturalis museum Leiden, watching them for real has been on my bucket list for the longest time, manifesting for it to happen soon
- It's a holiday month, visited multiple Christmas markets, and explored the cuisines of different countries
- Put up and decorated my first-ever Christmas tree, it was so much fun
- Had such a wonderful time at the Amsterdam Winter Paradise event - went on so many rides for the first time, tried ice skating for the first time, and saw a live musical event for the first time - all in all, it was a day full of life, laughter, and love - the absolute best way to conclude the year
Some stats to revisit:
- Spoke at 17 events including 9 in-person conferences
- Emceed 6 conferences
- Traveled to 9 countries
- Created 7 videos on my YouTube channel
- Wrote 2 blogs
- Read 25 books
- Mentored at 4 official programs - as part of Road To GDE, and Women Developer Academy Europe and India programs
As I reflect upon the year that 2022 has been, I feel proud of myself, my heart is filled with happiness, and I can say that yes, I tried to make the most of everything.
I am also very grateful that I got these opportunities and my workplace has always supported me.
And, I am grateful for meeting and making so many wonderful friends, you all are amazing, thank you for being there!
Hello, 2023 - what's next?
And now to welcome the new year, a blank book of 365 days that we have to fill with experiences.
- I am so glad I maintained the habit of writing a journal (using notion), and so I could revisit most of my days in 2022 as I lived them yesterday. I will continue journaling more consistently in 2023
- Focus the most on being healthy
- Speak and attend more in-person conferences this year too, sharing my experiences, meeting old and new friends, and learning from fellow speakers.
- Continue speaking at online events too.
- I enjoyed emceeing a lot, and I would continue emceeing a few conferences, and I would really like to emcee some in-person conferences too
- Continue traveling to new places, and exploring new things.
- Give more workshops this year
- I wrote only 2 blogs in 2022 and would focus on writing more this year
- Create more videos for my YouTube channel
- Continue reading more books
Three new things I would like to do this year
These terrify me currently, so I should try and get past my fear:
- Learn Driving,
- Parasailing,
- Learn Swimming
Theme of 2023
And with that, Going above and beyond would be my theme for the year 2023.
I would like to explore more of my potential, see what I am capable of, and how far I can go while living life to its fullest.
A very happy and wonderful new year to everyone, I hope this year is the best year yet.
Share in comments your 2022 review or what are you looking forward to in 2023. Cheers!
Top comments (10)
Damn didn't knew you injured yourself at karting. 😱
I will also focus on swimming this year! 🏊🏻♂️
Love how you know exactly what you did this year. I totally have no idea at all! 😂
A huge amount of achievements in 2022, congratz! 🎊 💪🏻
haha yeah. Journaling helps with remembering what I did, I use notion to write daily (not 100% consistent, but managed to journal around 80% of last year)
Thanks 🙌
I just started doing that myself, quite nice habit to have for sure!
Not sure that I will be able to have 80% myself haha.
2022 was such an eventful year for you. All the best for 2023 by the way.
P/s: After reading your post I wondered what does it take to be a speaker, and what to expect once you become one. Has it been overwhelming for you or is it just a fun way to market yourself ?
Thanks, wishing a wonderful 2023 for you too 🙌
the most important thing for me which made me a speaker is to share my knowledge and experience with the community. I did not know what to expect when i started, but it sure is very rewarding, the best one is when the audience comes to talk after the session and they say that the talk was helpful and they learned something new, this is the most rewarding part for me.
It sure is overwhelming at times, but also fun at the same time. I have made so many amazing friends at the conferences.
Do you want to start speaking? I would really encourage you to try once and explore, you might like it a lot :)
Thanks for the two cents.
I believe it's a great source of joy and also a way to expand your job network. But it seems like a catch 22 situation when all you have is a junior developer job and near zero connections with developers outside of my company.
I love the idea of sharing my knowledge and perspective, like hosting a TED talk, but do you think people will care about what I say ?
Wooww, it really looks like you had such an adventurous year full of experiences. I love how you mixed all your professional accomplishments with personal experiences and highlights. Really inspiring to try to make the most of every moment ✨
Thanks Josefine, yes that was the goal, to not focus just on work related stuff, but overall things 😇
All the best 🚀 and really proud of you 💙
Thank you so much, Happy new year 💙