25: a year in review

It’s that time of the year again. In fact, today marks a special milestone for me: I’m finally turning 25, that is, two and half decades!

It’s become a tradition here on the blog for me to write a “reflection” post on the year that’s passed by. I always start wondering how fast the year has passed by, and this one is no different. Well, except that 2007, the year I turned 25, has ended on a high note. It was such a dramatic year. However, if I were to make a theme for 2007, it would be this:

2007 is the year I stopped looking at the world in black and white, and starting seeing the different shades of gray within.

More on this later. For now, here’s a brief outline for the rest of this post:

1. Good things happen at last
2. The different shades of gray
3. Major accomplishments
4. 2008: the crystallizing year

Good things happen at last

I mentioned earlier that this year ended on a high note. If you’re wondering what that is, I got some great news: I got an offer for a position that’s a major step up for me!

It just happened last week. For the past few months, I’ve been on the road again hunting for a job that will offer me more challenges than I’m already used to in my current company. The plan was to find one by the end of the year by the time my contract ends. When hope was almost lost and I was prepping myself emotionally for another year here, along came an IT startup that has a solid vision and a plan to revolutionize how IT solution services are delivered in this country. The CEO did a pretty good job at pitching his vision and plan for me and I was drawn by his enthusiastic attitude and the promise for a tremendous experience working with the latest Microsoft technologies.

The best part of it is, it’s a managerial position that’d give me a chance to practice all of what I’ve been preaching on about proper management tactics and ethics. And since it’s a startup, there’s also an overlap of responsibilities that will expose me to numerous challenges in development and analysis along the way. Finally, it pays much better than my current salary. What more could I ask for?

Getting this job has taught me few lessons:

• Network still rules when it comes to job hunting. Even though I kept track of at least 4 sites on a daily basis and submitted countless applications, the job I got simply came from a close friend of mine who just happened to know one of the cofounders. Job networking can never be overrated!
• Enjoy what you’ve got (but always look up). There came a time when I really wanted to quit my current job, even if it meant unemployment. I learned later by talking to my close friend Basheer that given my current circumstances, it’d much wiser to stick with what I have, try to make the best of it and see the positive in it. Meanwhile, I could be looking for next best thing and hope that I land a decent job in the near future, which I did (yay!).
• Believe in yourself. The position I was offered requires much more responsibility and dedication. For the average Joe, this can be overwhelming. But thanks to a recent training course I took in building self-confidence, I wasn’t so much reluctant to take on the new challenge as I was excited to be trusted enough to play this role. I firmly believe I will do a decent job at it because I’ve got what it takes.

Anyways, I’m starting this new job on the first day of next year. A fresh start for a new life.

The different shades of gray

Stepping away from my career life for a second, I’d like to share with you an important “discovery” I made in my personal life front. I don’t know when it happened or what caused it, but I’ve started seeing the shades of gray that lie between the things that I love the most and things that I utterly hate.

What does this mean?

Well for starters by “things” I mean everything in life including people that surround me and experiences that happen to me.

In terms of people, I used to judge them on a binary scale: I either love this person, or I can’t stand to be near that person. Of course, since not everybody’s like me, this has driven more and more people away from me. Out of my firm belief that when you’re gone you’re not as much remembered by the work you’ve done than by the lives you’ve affected, I made a conscious decision to a make an effort to be around the people which I sometimes despise.

I decided to see the good in everyone, to focus on the positives and as much as possible put up with the things that piss me off. I also made a list of things I need to improve in order to build better and lasting relationships with people around me. This list so far includes:

1. Greet everyone I know with an eye contact and a smile
2. Call friends and relatives on regular basis (I’m so bad at this!)
3. Don’t interrupt someone or put down their ideas

Now as far as seeing the shades of gray in the experiences I go through in life, I’ve learned that nothing can be perfect. I’m going to change my perfectionism lifestyle. If I’m looking for that perfect job at that perfect company, for instance, that’s just not going to happen. There’s always a compromise, and when you choose to compromise you’re making a decision to see the positive in what you’ve got and make the best of it while it lasts.

A good example of this type of thinking comes from the CEO of my new company. During my first interview which happened last week, we got sidetracked into talking about meetings and their horror stories. He said to me:

If I go to attend any meeting, I need to know there’s a need for me, an agenda that we’re going through, and a list of actionable tasks that result from the meeting. If some or none of those things are there, I’m usually pretty pissed. However, I still try to convince myself that the meeting is worthwhile. If for nothing, it’s at least good for strengthening my relationship with my fellow colleagues.

This kind of thinking focuses on seeing the positive in every experience. Essentially, that’s like seeing the shades of gray, or the positive things, between a “black” or “white” life experience.

Major accomplishments

From a career perspective, probably the most notable achievement this year is pursuing my newfound passion for the science of usability (more broadly known as Human-Computer Interaction) which culminated in traveling to India for a two weeks training in this field. It was such a wonderful experience. When I came back, I had the chance to prep myself for the certification exam which I successfully passed in September 13th. It was a mission well planned and executed from start to end. But it doesn’t end here, I’m just getting started on this road.

From a personal perspective, I’d say that keeping a healthy relationship with my family and friends all throughout the year is definitely an unprecedented achievement for me. I’ve learned to treat every relationship like a plant which needs watering every now and then to keep it healthy and alive. Do you remember my post about using Facebook for the purpose of strengthening our relationships with the people who we care about? This is where that came from.

2008: the crystallizing year

In my rearview mirror
My life is getting clearer

I finally found my way
Said goodbye to yesterday

I love these lines from Bon Jovi’s song, Lost Highway. They accurately represent the transition I’m going through in life as I move along and learn to be a better person each step along the way.

2008 will be the year I make the full transition to adulthood. For the past several years since I graduated from college, I’ve been learning that some of my characteristics I carried over from college are not appreciated by society. Take for example my ignorance of responsibility and deferring it to someone else or some other time. I must start to take on more responsibility if I’m ever going to start a family someday.

Speaking of family, my goal for 2008 is to meet and get to know my future wife. I know she’s out there somewhere writing a similar post. If you ever get to read this, my future wife, please use my contact form to send me your “resume”. (Damn, all that job hunting has gotten to me!)

Conclusion

Every year I dedicate a song I love to summarize the year to come. Last year it was Better Days by Goo Goo Dolls. I was looking for better days and a better life. And now that I found what will get me there, Switchfoot’s inspirational song This Is Your Life comes to mind. Enjoy!

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yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
yesterday is a promise that you’ve broken
don’t close your eyes, don’t close your eyes
this is your life and today is all you’ve got now
yeah, and today is all you’ll ever have
don’t close your eyes
don’t close your eyes

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

yesterday is a kid in the corner
yesterday is dead and over

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

don’t close your eyes
don’t close your eyes
don’t close your eyes
don’t close your eyes

this is your life are you who you want to be
this is your life are you who you want to be

this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, are you who you want to be
this is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be
when the world was younger and you had everything to lose

and you had everything to lose

Download: Switchfoot - This Is Your Life.mp3