About ten years ago, I used to create the so-called “New Year Resolution” at the end of the year. However, I did fail several times to meet my expectations. So, I’ve learned the hard way to avoid failures. Part of it is to exclude the “New Year Resolution” from my to-do list =)) Instead, reviewing the ups and downs I’ve undergone throughout the year seems more sensible.
Since the second half of 2023, new challenges and opportunities have come to me too fast. I hardly find time to carefully reflect on what has happened over these recent months. It could be because of my laziness. I have no idea. Anyway, I gave myself time to try new things, such as returning to my hometown to have lunch and drink coffee before working from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on a Friday. It took me about 2 hours to go from Hanoi to my hometown, so I spent about 4 hours traveling back and forth.
Right from the beginning of 2023, I rushed to prepare for my French language proficiency test. Yeah, once again, I must admit my fault, and it’s my idleness. I focused and stressed out for a while, pushing myself to my limit. Then, thank God, my ancestors, spiritual guide, teachers, everything… I got a B1 level certificate (VSTEP) from ULIS – VNU. Though this was a nationwide recognized document, it is still a testimony of my effort and luck.
And fortunately, I also submitted my Master’s thesis. It was just a few days ago. Now, I’m ready for the next steps. I hope the bitter lessons I’ve learned this year will be helpful to scaffold my future journey.
I want to mention the new contracts to name another significant change in my life this year. Due to the policy, the details can’t be disclosed. But I’m really grateful for the new chances and obstacles I’ve encountered, as they have equipped me with many correspondingly new hands-on experiences, knowledge, and skills. Everything was like a whole new world to me, and my eyes were wide open. These include both my professional and personal aspects.
Of course, when new opportunities and environments are offered to me, I also get to know more people. Touch wood My sincere gratitude is for the meaningful conversations this year with the people coming into my life at the right time. I hadn’t expected to meet any specific person. Still, maybe they were actually “sent” to me as my teachers (for the most part), and for some people, I hope they will be my companions as well. For the senior ones, I think I’m not that good to anticipate having them as my friends, companions, or that sort of thing. They are my mentors/teachers. To deserve their insightful advice, I need to grow more robust and reasonable, and this is always a challenging task for a clumsy youngster like me.
My students’ achievements are also a part of my considerable accomplishments this year. As always, their success fuels my motivation to work harder and forces me to develop more innovative ideas to better their workflow.
Moreover, I’ve taken a step closer to “calmness”. My anger can hardly control me. And that’s good for me and the ones surrounding me.
Last but not least, my mental and physical well-being has improved compared to the previous years. Maybe it’s thanks to the blessings I’ve been granted. I also signed a printed register form to donate my organs after my death, yet the card hasn’t arrived. This is like my promise to live in a more responsible and caring way because I used to lead a messy life.
The lines above are for the good things I’ve got this year. How about the bad ones? If I were younger, I would consider the “bad things” real “bad things.” But now, as a less inexperienced individual, I deem the undesirable things just the destined incidents that teach me valuable lessons. That’s it. Or for the rejection I got after sending my proposals, it’s just because I wasn’t good enough. That’s what I think.
Let it be.
Stay healthy.
Work fiercely.
Live happily.
Die peacefully.
Perhaps those lines are my mantra for the upcoming 2024.
Happy new year.
brillbro 