2024
expand my knowledge of the world through meaningful experiences
Why?
Following up on 2023's theme of growing my knowledge in personal finance, I came to realize that my wealth, as well as the value I can add to others, is heavily dependent on how much I know about the world - how precious resources are allocated, what drives demand and supply, how culture shapes a nation, a population, or an organization's identity, just to name a few. I also had the interest to find a new opportunity to serve. It becomes so fitting that I should spend the whole year embracing meaningful experience, going to interesting events, meeting new/familiar people, and say yes to exciting opportunities.
Highlights
Chinese New Year Trip
US Trip - Texas
Marathon
2024 BMO Vancouver Marathon
2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Surprise
Look back to look forward
2024 was another transformative year for me - the degree of its impact is comparable to 2015 when I turned 20. It's hard to briefly summarize the journey, but the closest one I can think of is this quote from Randy Pausch: "It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you." All the experiences and outcome this year made me belive in this quote stronger.
I finally come to realize why Randy says "lead your life", not just "live your life" - we are all playing a leadership role in something, and it all begins with the leadership of ourselves, which can be thought of as a product or an enterprise. We should not wait till we take a managerial role, if we are ever offered one, to exercise leadership. Instead, like many great leaders, we should have a vision for ourselves; we should include and positively influence all stakeholders (such as our family, friends, coworkers, mentors, mentees, or even some random people we come across) to work together on something meaningful and beneficial to each other; we should align our values with our behaviors; we should have fun!
When looking back, my life experiences seemed to have pattern that's similar to Intel's tick-tock model - spending a year or two building up new knowledge foundations and looking for new opportunities, then spend another year or two performing on the platform that I found or created. It's clear that 2024 is a year of exploration for new opportunities, and I am excited to do my best to enjoy what's ahead in 2025.
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