Goodbye 2019
On my mind
Today is the last Friday of the year. I’m writing my last newsletter of 2019 from Marana, Arizona, where I can see the sky, clouds and cacti-covered mountains from the window of my parent’s new house. I can hear the sound of my little cousins talking and aggressively pushing random keys on the piano. My mom and my aunt are having another round of coffee. I’m on vacation, so I got to wake up slowly and gently and then eat a homemade breakfast surrounded by people I love.
I write all these things to ground myself in the moment. Thinking about 2020 can create a lot of anxiety. I’m sure you’ve come across plenty of messages and social media posts reminding you the end of the decade is near so you need to make the most of it. I’m all for valuing the time you have, but I’m really over shaming people into thinking that 2019 needs to end a particular way for it to be worthwhile.
I had several goals for 2019, some of which I accomplished, others I did not.
I transitioned into a new job and gained new skills in design and visual storytelling.
I got into a weekly writing routine with the help of an accountability buddy and this newsletter.
I finished decorating my apartment and made myself feel more at home.
I read more books and joined a book club.
I attended a professional conference and deepened professional connections through networking.
I started sharing my ideas and work online more.
Sleeping on time and getting in shape had mixed results, although I did try out new exercise classes and videos and set up bedtime alarms and do not disturb on my phone. I may get an actual alarm clock for my room and put my phone in my closet when I sleep.
I sadly didn’t reach my publication goal but I’ve worked on several ideas I’m excited about and am in a better place to organize and move forward on them next year. I struggle with perfectionism and waiting for permission to do things so I need to work on that if I want to actually turn my dreams into a reality.
Volunteering and community engagement was also very rare. I maybe overthink my role when it comes to volunteering but I want to find something sustainable, realistic and meaningful so it feels like a mutually beneficial experience. I’ve recently been feeling like my life is too self-centered and I miss when I used to contribute to something bigger than myself.
All in all, this was a year of frustrating but meaningful growth on a personal and professional level. I’m not in a rush to change anything in these last few days. In 2020, I look forward to a year of building on what I’ve learned, letting go of past mistakes, investing further in my creativity, and being of service to others.
If you’re looking for some tools to reflect on 2019, I recommend checking out:
What I’m noting
Neiman Lab Predictions for Journalism 2020 // Harvard’s Neiman Lab curates an annual list of smart thought leaders in the journalism industry to talk about upcoming trends and challenges they anticipate. Some of the ones that stood out to me include: We take breaks, engaged journalism: it’s finally happening, Climate change storytelling gets multidimensional, News deserts will proliferate — but so will new solutions and A call for context
Historians Critique the 1619 Project // Four leading historians submitted a letter to the editor last week criticizing the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 project which discusses how slavery shaped American society from its politics to economy. The NYT responded to their criticism and stood by project. The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer offered his analysis of the controversy as well.
Human Experience, Ranked // An argument against all those best of the year/best of the decade lists
Netflix Comedy Specials // Comedy specials are the best when you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for and you’re afraid to commit to watching something really long and intense. Two great specials I enjoyed this week were Michelle Wolf’s Joke Show and Ronny Chieng’s Asian Comedian Destroys America!
That’s it for me. Hope you all have a Happy New Year and I’ll see ya in 2020!
— Nesima