Previous themes
Review
The Theme for 2023 was Stability and looking back, I think that I’ve probably made great strides towards that. Not all the time, but most of the times I opted for the choice that gave me more peace in my mind, and generally I feel that I am in calmer waters now.
I think I got pretty close to what I aimed for 12 months ago.
Some nice things that happened in 2023 for me.
- Became a husband
- Settled in my new house and held countless house warmings
- Started to take Youtube more seriously @kaitypes
- Travelled to Japan, Taiwan and Bali
- Changed team at work and started working on a new project
- Got 5 new keyboards 🙈
While talking to my wife on new year’s eve, I figured what my theme for 2024 will be.
Create more than I consume
I’ve noticed this dangerous trend I’m on where I’ve been spending countless hours consuming… stuff. Mindlessly scrolling Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube instead of creating my own content. Ordering take outs for almost every meal instead of cooking at home. Working on others’ priorities at work rather than creating my own to be more clear about what needs to be done. Buying more and more camera gear instead of just posting/sharing what I’ve already shot. I’ve shot thousands of photos that I just need to make some effort of sharing.
I feel I have to explain this a little because it’s not the usual “be healthier”, “get richer”, “be nicer”. Why create instead of consume?
Put simply, creation brings value to the world, while consumption at best does nothing, and at worst takes value away from the world. I feel a innate desire to be a man that brings value, not be a mindless zombie.
Feel free to google “Create more than you consume” and you’ll see lots of articles telling you about the benefits of creating. Benefits like being able to learn better, to practice mindfulness, to create luck for yourself.
When I imagine a movie about me, I wouldn’t want the movie to be 2 hours of me just… eat sleep work repeat. If there’s an autobiography about me, I would like at least 300 pages of something interesting.
Current status
Technically, I’ve been creating journal entries pretty much everyday so hopefully I’ll be able to channel this energy into other endeavours.
- 2021: Migrated from another platform
- 2022: Missed 29 days
- 2023: Missed 4 days (I’m actually shocked and proud of this)
Because of this journal, I considered not hosting a blog anymore because, I haven’t been writing much, have no idea who even reads this. But since the theme is creation, let’s give it another try.
Even though December 2023 has been pretty terrible as I’ve been sick for almost the entire month, plus closing the last week with Covid has been less than ideal. That said, I am hopeful for 2024 and if this theme works, I’m poised for an exciting year.
Finally to recap, a theme differs from a resolution because it’s not a goal. I would not have failed if I’ve created less than I’ve consumed in 2024. The purpose of a theme is to act as a guide during decision points. When given a choice, this guide will point me towards creation instead of consumption.
Happy new year!