End-of-the-Year Reflection: A Journey Within And Ahead
How many books did you read this year? How many miles have you run? How many hours meditated? Calories burnt? Marathons done? C’mon what numbers you got?
Fuck all the numbers! Measuring progress by numbers is pathetic!
Has anyone asked – how has quality of your sleep improved? Do feel better than last year waking up to a new day? Do you feel great about yourself? Do you experience a sense of progression in your life?
I bet no one has asked you that. Society loves numbers and bragging that makes you feel good. That, is what, is – “Pathetic”!
It’s not about the number of books you have read or the kilos you have lifted at the gym or the number of places you have visited – I’ve learnt that a year is more meaningful than all this mere numbers. How many of those books have you applied? How many of those kilometres of marathons or gym you have done has translated into how much of endurance or muscle? How fit mentally and physically have you become and how better? And so on. I’ve realised a year is a journey within. None of the numbers make any sense.
So, FUCK numbers! They are not achievement! THEY ARE NOT!
Numbers are not primary, they are secondary, or even tertiary. Think about this for a moment – If you have to lose weight, a process is what gets you there, the micro changes in your routine, eating habits, your consistency of showing up at the gym and so on but not the miles you run on the treadmill or the calories you burn off!
This is no revelation but it’s the way we give importance to wrong metrics while forgetting the right ones.
As the final days of the year slip away like grains of sand through our fingers, I find myself reflecting on the abstractness of experiences this year has woven. The highs, the lows, the victories, and the lessons – each moment has added a unique thread, creating a story that is uniquely mine, and yet, universally relatable.
I wrote 3 books, published them, I read over 30 books, I wrote 100+ blogs, I ran, I lifted weights, I meditated, I helped, I contributed, I did charity, I motorcycled a total of 14,000 kms and I can go on. I did all that shit that social media gurus keep talking about and making you feel guilty. None of this is useful in the way life works.
For me, this year wasn’t just about achieving goals or ticking boxes. It was about growth – the quiet, steady kind that happens when you least expect it. It was in the moments when I pushed myself just a little further, even when giving up seemed easier. It was in the conversations, in the experiences of the places I visited, in the feelings that some books have touched me and changed me, that reminded me of the beauty of human connection. And it was in the failures that taught me humility and resilience.
One story stands out vividly as I look back. A few months ago, I decided to take up rucking. A way to carry 20 kilos on your upper body and walk to stay in Zone 2 of your heart rate (130–140 bpm heart rate) – not for fitness, but to sometimes to gain a lost confidence and sometimes to clear my head. I had been feeling stuck, like life was moving forward while I was just standing still. One crisp morning, I laced up my shoes and set out, determined to “walk it out.”
The first few minutes of a planned 10km walk felt impossible. 20 kilos and still 9km left when Nike run announced I completed my first kilometre and 9 more to go, I felt like I had already walked a 100 miles. My legs were heavy, my lungs were burning, and the voice in my head kept saying, “Just quit. No one will know.” But something inside me pushed back, whispering, “Just one more step.”
As I kept going, I reached a small hill. It wasn’t steep, but in that moment, it felt like a mountain. I stopped at the base, staring up, unsure if I had the strength to climb it. That’s when I got a call from an old friend, whose call I normally kept ignoring but this time, for reasons I shall never know, I answered his call.
He heard my huffing and puffing, I told him I have a climb and I have to call him back, he smiled at me and said “ Knowing you, you will do this. Call me back when you have done it”. 1 hour later, I did the 10k walk and went on to do a 21k later on and so on.
For me, it was the time I thought I couldn’t move forward – when every step felt heavy, and every decision felt impossible. But then, something shifted. It was a small act of kindness from someone whom I haven’t spoken in years, a spark of inspiration from a book, or maybe just the quiet realization that the journey is worth it, no matter how hard the climb.
That day taught me that the hardest part of any journey isn’t the climb itself; it’s convincing yourself to take that first step and keep going.
As the year ends, I realize how many “hills” I’ve faced, both big and small. Some I climbed, some I avoided, and some I’m still standing at the base of. But I also learned that it’s okay to pause, to gather strength, and to keep moving forward – because, step by step, we get there.
To anyone reading this: Whatever hill you’re facing, you’ve fucking got this. Keep going. One step at a time.
A Year to Look Forward To
As we turn the page to a new year, I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Don’t fucking track numbers and be all data scientist on anything and everything but have a purpose built approach to the day, hour and minute.
Here are three promises I’m making to myself for the year ahead:
To embrace change with open arms. Growth often lies on the other side of discomfort. Let the purpose be the force that drives you.
To savor the little moments. The laughter of loved ones, the quiet of early mornings, and the beauty of nature – all these are life’s greatest gifts.
To dream bigger, but also act with intention. Dreams without action remain fantasies, but even small steps can move mountains.
A bonus promise that remains as a promise every year is to forgive and let go. There are many toxic people out there, don’t let them pour some poison over into the purpose that is so much significant to your own growth and success.
Despite all this, like Forrest Gump says – Shit happens! It does and no matter what!
I invite you to reflect on your own journey this year. What are you proud of? What are you ready to let go of? And most importantly, what are you willing to embrace as we step into the new year?
Cheers to a year that was, and a year that will be. To the challenges we overcame, and the opportunities yet to come. To us – all of us – continuing to grow, to hope, and to become the best versions of ourselves.
Let’s walk into the new year with hearts full of gratitude, desire full of purpose, eyes wide with wonder, and souls brimming with courage!
May you be your best self and may this year be your best fucking year!
2025, I welcome you with open arms!
