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Where to begin ….

This is not the hardest thing I've had to write this year, but it has taken quite a bit of effort just to start. Not because of any great sorrow or impediment, but because it's a lot to process, and I mean a lot. It’s not something where I can just go back through my calendar and find everything that I did. This year has felt like the sum of many years.

I don’t think there is some great insight that ties the whole of this year together for me, nor is there some sort of great goal in the future that I can look at and think “This is what I want, its what I will work towards.”, one thing I’ve come to realize in this year is that maybe I’ve never had that. And that maybe I’m better off for it, because while it does convey a distinct lack of focus (something I’ve always struggled with), the opportunities it provides and has already provided have made me look at my life in a different perspective.

I could go on and on about how my perspective, my life and many other things have changed over the course of the year, I could write many texts on the subject, but I’m going to limit myself to a few career highlights and a couple of personal insights.

Book

This was a big thing for me from the middle of 2023 to early 2024. My first book! I was so excited. Still am, still jazzed, but the months and perspective have set in and in my mind, the writing of the book wasn’t just a great career highlight, it was also a great journey of self-discovery, it was a journey that permanently reinforced and set my skills and my confidence in them, and I will always be grateful to it for that.

GDE, DevFests and travel

I became a Google Developer Expert (and a Champion Innovator, but that came with the GDE) in Cloud. This, honestly, has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I have gotten opportunities to travel, to network and most importantly to share my knowledge on public forums and grow my platform and learn from others as well.

This year, according to my rough estimates, I have traveled 53398.29 kilometers by planes and rail (not counting other vehicles, and counting 19000 km of travel between Uppsala and Stockholm over the year since its a 128km round trip) and I can honestly say: I’m tired. It is quite exhausting to travel that much. However, it was incredibly rewarding, so I can’t complain. Here a link to my travels on the map app.

Many other career highs

Its a lot to take in, this last year, like I said, its felt like many years in one. But there are a few things that I am really proud of that I can only express in bullet points without turning this blog into a memoir or something:

• I did a mentorship program in AWS for a cohort of students in Nepal, it was great, met some great people with a bright future in the Nepal IT industry.

• A book that I was the technical reviewer for (on data governance) was also published.

• Online Partner as a company became a Great Place To Work certified company. It was my first full year there, so I’m really happy we accomplished that!

And of course, there were projects that I am proud of, teams that I was happy to be in and friends made along the way, but that is a list that could take a life of its own.

My takeaway

This year has been a ride. Its been the best, most successful year of my life and the year that I finally “made it” in a way. A feeling disappeared over the course of the year, the feeling of inadequacy, the feeling that I hadn’t done anything with my life. Its completely gone. I have truly become successful at most things you are supposed to be successful at in life.

At the same time, I feel excited for newer challenges, challenges that provide the energy and drive to live life. This combined with a better understanding of myself as a person has brought me close to peace, not quiet, but a loud peace, a peace that rings and echoes and keeps you engaged and present. Doesn’t mean there are no difficulties, just that there is always the strength to face them.

My 2025

Oof, thinking about it, I have about 30 days worth of stuff set aside already for the year. And that has sort of been the challenge, having all my activities sorted and scheduled. But what I have learned is that one year is a very long time, with a lot of time to do the things that you want. So, I wont bother worrying about this.

What I will commit to is becoming more well-rounded. I have become successful, well-traveled, settled and educated, but now I need to grow into my own skin in a way. So that is going to be the goal of 2025, becoming more well-rounded, just better at living life. I’ve had a few exciting years the past few, I think a quiet reflective year this year is going to suit me.