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40 Questions to Ask Myself at the End of 2023

· 5 min read
Pitt Wu
Pitt Wu
Software / Product Engineer

A year-end summary for 2023 -- reflecting on my growth by asking myself questions.

1. What did you do this year that you've never done before?​

  • Worked fully remote.
  • Had a child. From being there for the labor to the birth itself, and then postpartum childcare -- incredibly tough.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?​

  • Although I didn't get to do backend work at my job, I did participate as a backend developer in a side project with teammates, and had actual output. So I'd say I met that goal.
  • Building a personal brand -- didn't happen. Partly because I'm lazy, and partly because the second half of the year was consumed by childcare.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?​

  • Yes, we did -- our family had a baby.

4. Did anyone close to you die?​

  • No.

5. What cities/states/countries did you visit this year?​

At the end of the year, my wife and I traveled to Tokyo, Japan.

6. What do you wish you had next year that you didn't have this year?​

  • A personal brand. No matter what, I have to start building one this year.
  • Weight loss. Even though childcare eats up a lot of time, for my own health, this can't be avoided.

7. What date will remain etched in your memory forever? Why?​

  • June 27th. The grueling experience of being there for my wife's labor, and the birth of my son.

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?​

  • Presenting our team's side project on stage.
  • Becoming a father (even though the hardship far exceeded my imagination).

9. What was your biggest failure?​

  • I was hoping to have a stable remote job, but the company started layoffs within a year. I found a new job quickly, but it wasn't remote, so I had to face moving back to Taipei.

10. What difficulties did you face?​

  • Lost my remote job and had to go back to working in an office.
  • The mental energy and focus drained by childcare, the time it takes up, and the inconvenience of going anywhere with a baby.

11. Did you get sick or injured?​

  • Our whole family of three got COVID, one after another.

12. What was the best thing you bought this year?​

  • Souvenirs I gave to friends.

13. Whose behavior deserves celebrating?​

  • My wife's courage -- she managed to get through the delivery despite immense pain.

14. Whose behavior shocked you?​

  • When I found out I was being laid off.

15. Where did most of your money go?​

  • My son.

16. What were you really, really, really excited about?​

  • The trip to Japan with my wife.

17. What song will always remind you of this year?​

  • I didn't particularly follow any songs.

18. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?​

  • A bit more down, to be honest. Raising a child turned out to be far harder than my wife and I expected.
  • No change in weight, but I still need to figure out how to lose some.
  • Despite spending way more this year, surprisingly, when I tallied things up at year-end, my total assets had still grown by a decent percentage.

19. What do you wish you'd done more of?​

  • Steadily improving my professional skills to stay competitive in the market.
  • Continuing to invest in the stock market and stay engaged.
  • Foreign language skills.
  • Getting back into a regular exercise routine.

20. What do you wish you'd done less of?​

  • I want to protect my focus better.
  • Drink fewer sugary beverages.

21. How did you spend the holidays?​

  • Domestically: Xinbei Satan City (amusement park).
  • Internationally: Tokyo, Japan.

22. Did you fall in love this year?​

  • I'm married, so naturally I'm in love with my wife.

23. Is there anyone you disliked this year that you didn't last year?​

  • Not really.

24. What was your favorite show?​

  • freeCodeCamp.
  • 渤海小吏 (a Chinese history channel).

25. What was the best book you read this year?​

  • Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual.

26. What was your biggest musical discovery this year?​

  • I realized that some of Wu Bai's song lyrics are surprisingly meaningful.

27. What was your favorite movie?​

  • The Boy and the Heron.

28. What was your favorite meal?​

  • Kunika Miso Grilled Beef Rice Bowl.

29. What did you want and get?​

  • After COVID restrictions ended, my wife and I were able to travel abroad, and we did.

30. What did you want and not get?​

  • I was hoping to keep finding remote work, but there weren't any suitable opportunities at the time.

31. What did you do on your birthday?​

  • Went out for a simple hot pot meal with my wife and son.

32. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?​

  • If there had been more remote work opportunities to choose from, that would have been great.

33. What was your personal fashion style this year?​

  • Comfort and simplicity. Tank tops, athletic shorts, white sneakers.

34. What kept you sane?​

  • Discussions and reflections with my wife.

35. Which celebrity/public figure do you admire most?​

  • Sam Altman.

36. What political issue stirred you up the most?​

  • Taiwan has a chance to move beyond two-party politics, though the road is probably still long.

37. Who did you miss the most?​

  • My wife and son.

38. Who was the best new person you met this year?​

  • Sherry.

39. What was the most valuable life lesson you learned this year?​

  • When estimating the difficulty of something outside your comfort zone, even multiplying it by 5 to 10 times wouldn't be an overestimate. Otherwise, once you're deep in it, you'll realize you're stuck with no easy way forward or back.

40. What quote sums up your year?​

  • I kept telling myself to "be brave and step out of my comfort zone," but every step was painful. I guess that's just life.