Let me first give thanks to 2018 for it was a year full of new experiences and opportunities. I might have started the previous year in a hospital but now everything is back to being awesome. Thanks for my mom who took care of me during those dreaded days and also thanks for all the people who were part of my 2018.

The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is now.

Career

I'm currently working as a web developer for a small company. Don't get me wrong, this is actually what I want--to work for an organization that is actually trying to disrupt the status quo. The rewards may not be as good compared to big tech companies. What I actually love about working with startups is that I'm exposed to the brains behind a crazy idea. I get to interact and watch how great people--build great organizations.

I will devote this year to learning everything about building quality and scalable software. I believe this is one step needed to help me achieve a milestone. Whatever that milestone is--you will know soon. Right now I just have to focus on the tasks at hand and make the best of it. By the end of this year, I hope I can call myself a successful web developer.

I wrote an article which tells the story on how I became a web developer. You can check it out here.

Family

Of course, family comes first. I choose to put career at the beginning of this article just because I'm excited to write about it. This 2019 I will try to be a better son and a kickass person to all my friends--I hope.

During times of self-reflection, I often ask myself why am I striving to better my career. The answer is obviously because of the people who actually believe in me--my family--friends and most importantly all of those secret admirers out there (funny).

It would actually be a huge waste if we are giving it all out into our careers and not spending some time working on our relationships. In the end, we are only humans--unable to sustain our lives without the affection of other beings.

Finance

I've been googling for quite some time--looking for answers how much do I need to save for retirement. If you're also curious for answers you should be ready for some pain in the butt--financial jargons. Inflation, compound interests, 401k, IRA things that are hard for me to understand. But that is the point why I want this as one of my resolutions--to actually have a little more knowledge with regards to how money works.

I've been following the simple 50/30/20 rule for 2 years now.

50%--Needs(housing, food, transpo)

30%--Wants(clothes, shoes, investments)

20%--Savings(emergency & retirement fund)

This works for, it doesn't mean it will work for others as well. Everyone has their own way of handling their financial tasks. The point is you have to figure it out what works for you.

But honestly, the 50/30/20 method feels slow for me. With my current situation, it would take me forever to actually have financial freedom. I'm hoping that by the end of this year I will come up with a better plan on how to achieve my financial goals faster.

Also, you may want to check out this app. I've been using it for the last 2 years and it helped me a lot in managing my financial assets.

Appreciate

I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in life. Some small enough and able to be cleared out within a day. Some are wild & crazy and frankly, I am balls out terrified thinking--if I'm gonna win at the end of the road. That's why I'm so focused on doing and I often forget to appreciate what I already have.

I have allocated time each day--before bedtime--to write down all the things that made me happy during the day. In this way, I will be aware of the things I often take for granted and actually train myself to appreciate the things that bring me joy.

I actually write everything down on a notebook. I use this simple framework called bullet-journal. It's a nice way of organizing your to-do lists, events, and ideas in a not digital way. I know this is of the old ways but I want to spend my time--at least an hour before bedtime--to stay away from screens. Not only this saves my eyes but also helps improve my sleep.

Books--Podcasts

This is also considered part of my screen-off time. If I'm not reading— I listen to podcasts. I love podcasts. The amount of information you could absorb is bananas. Plus it is free. I often choose podcasts over books during my screen-off time because I unable to finish a crappy book. Once I've lost interest it's hard to get back on track. I also have this thing in my mind that I have to finish the crappy book before I buy a new one--so that makes it hard for me to actually read more.

Also, I'd rather read the books that really resonates with me than actually trying to finish every book that comes up. Maybe that will change this year--we'll see.

I will try to bring down at least 6 books by the end of the year. That's an average of a book in two months. If you know any good books please let me know in the comments section.

Also trying to squeeze some time in learning a language. I've been studying Japanese for quite a while now. Why? Just so I could watch anime without the subtitles--lol. Check out the Duolingo app if you want to learn in your spare time.

Body

As a person who already suffered from three major surgeries, it should be in my priorities to strive for a healthy body. The goal is to eat properly and try to keep an active lifestyle.

I would not call myself a foodie but I am considered picky when it comes to food. I have limited selections for the food I take, and I often prefer to repeat the meals I find delicious.

Since I have some digestive irregularities, choosing the same meals every day would be an advantage for me this year to avoid any complications that would upset my tummy. I'm also taking a look at those food-dieting delivery services. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find a service that would actually suit my needs. Guess I just have to stick around the eating habits that already worked for me last year.

My main exercise regimen is working out--lifting weights at the gym. Since 2018 was a year that sliced a hole in my body —one of the surgeries--I played it safe and did not try to do any strenuous activities. This brand new 2019, I'm thinking of sweating out all the pain 2018 had brought into my life.

Finally, I'm trying to practice some meditation habits for a couple of months now. It definitely helps out with all the clutter constantly running around my head--maybe it's just placebo--but it works so it's worth spending some time for it.

Check out this meditation app if you're also wanting to try something new this year.

As a recap, this 2019 I will strive to have a healthy mind & body while facing all the uncertainties this year may bring.

If you're upset right now because it's Sunday night and you dread Monday… Let's please reevaluate 2019 and focus on changing your work reality. --Gary Vaynerchuk

Love-life

Well… With or without this I would survive anyway. It will come in God's perfect time.

Always remember the reason--the why--for all our hustle.

Rather than just stating goals, define the person we want to be.

Instead of saying that this year I will have $2000 in my bank account, choose to define ourselves as--this year I will be a responsible person when it comes to dealing with my finances.

Focus on figuring out our desired self--our IDENTITY.

As Simon Sinek notes, it is worth starting with “why” before defining “what” and “how.”

Let's make our 2019 a year full of new opportunities!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!