2021, a year of growth

Here we are, new year, new beginning. You might be used to it already: every January 1st, I like to set the tone for the next 365 days. I believe in resolutions and opportunities; but moreover, I believe that, in a way, we are born "new" every year and that we have the power to influence it and to write our own luck.

I started stating my goals and vision for each upcoming year publicly on this blog since 2018 :

• 2018 was a year of change. By then, my priority was to simplify my life and decision-making process.
• 2019 was a year of challenge. I was bracing for upcoming opportunities to learn, whether through beautiful or difficult experiences.
• Lastly, 2020 was a year of creativity. I wanted to focus on creating as much as I could, whether on the blog, in my newsletter, for clients, or other areas.

And, without much surprise, these years followed the tone I had anticipated, almost to the letter. Why? Because, unconsciously in all of my day-to-day decisions, I was reminded of this statement and could choose accordingly: will this help me learn and grow (2019)? will this help me create better (2020)?

2021 will be a year of Growth 🚀

In 2021, I want to explore the world. I want to learn and to make things with my fingers, I want to explore what I'm able to do when I'm not constantly blocked by my apprehensions, perfectionism, and overthinking.

Yet, "growing" can mean so many things. We tend to think that growing is necessarily getting bigger, faster, stronger, and doing more flashy things, but that's not my definition. In 2021, I would rather focus on exploring my inner world and seeing how it can influence the outer world. That means, instead of chasing a thousand goals like I'm used to, I would rather figure out those who will influence my life the most and focus all on my energy on them.

In sum, it will all be about finding balance: figuring out the right amount of learning, researching, and thinking which will allow me to deliver the most consistently and confidently.

In 2021, I want to be a leader.

Growing by learning 🎓

"Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed" — Antoine Lavoisier

Just like in chemistry and physics, I believe that there is no way to grow or to transform ourselves if we are not ready to learn from others, and sometimes, even to steal ideas from them. As Isaac Newton (yes, the father of physics and modern mathematics) said himself: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

In this way, in 2021, I want to stand on the shoulders of giants, of the many many minds who came before me. I want to read books to widen my mind, I want to consume content similar to what I want to create: articles, code, videos, podcasts, everything of value I can put my teeth in.

Reading and consuming content 📘

I already look forward to reading (or re-reading) these books in the next few months.

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday Ikigai How We Learn by Benedict Carey Getting Things Done, by David Allen Grit by Angela Duckworth Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The 80/20 Principle Stillness is the key

I also look forward to applying the many lessons I learned in books I read this year and the year before to my life, my content creation, and my personal leadership.

Other learning goals 🚀

**Learn Spanish 🇲🇽
**Learn the language effectively to be able to have conversations with natives without searching for my words. I also want to be able to write content in confident Spanish by the end of the year.

Start learning Japanese 🇯🇵
At a minimum, figure out the basics of Japanese. What are the different alphabets? What are the most effective ways to learn? How can I introduce myself in the language? It doesn't matter if at the end of the year I can speak Japanese just yet, all I want is to get started, without any apprehensions.

Learn effectively React, NodeJS and MongoDB 👨🏾‍💻
This year, I want to widen my portfolio of technical skills and be able to create full-stack projects with React, NodeJS, MongoDB as well as a few other technologies I'm really excited to play with.

Growing by creating constantly ✍🏾

The second keystone area I want to focus on this year is creating.

Launch a monthly, then weekly podcast 🎙

On January 10th, 2020, I promised that "In 2021 I will launch a podcast" and, you know what? I like to keep my promises. So, I'll work on that project first thing this year and let you know in the process. As you might expect, the podcast will focus on my favorite subjects: "Creating and learning", and explore both the processes/methods and the tools which facilitate and power this.

Launch my portfolio 🌟

After months of procrastinating, this year, I will design, code, and launch my portfolio, most likely using Gatsby and GraphQL and a headless CMS. If you are interested, I will try to be as transparent as possible about the process of creating it on the blog.

Create every day, deliver every week 🔥

No matter the weather or the craziness of life, I want to focus on creating (write, design, code) every single day. More than motivation, to do that, it will ask for a lot of discipline. I plan on actively using the 10 minutes rule: if I can't dedicate 10 minutes of my day to something I value, then what am I living for?

Whether for the blog, clients, or personal projects, this year, I especially want to create through fast iterations: bet on quantity to figure out my voice and the appropriate processes, and refine them quickly to always be one step ahead.

Lastly, when it comes to creating as well as learning or dealing with personal relationships, I believe in processes more than in numbers. That's why I'm not setting a number of books to read, what's the point? I would rather make sure that I have the right environment and choose books fascinating enough to enjoy every single word I get to read.

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Let's chat 💬

What about you, do you believe in New Years Resolutions?
What tone would you like your year to take? What are your goals?