2024 was comfortable... a little too comfortable. For the first time, I understand the saying, "Comfort is the killer of dreams." There was so much left unaccomplished as I settled into a rot of comfort mid-year. This rot would go on to follow me till the end of the year. I watched as my peers achieved incredible feats while I slipped quietly into the bed of comfort. Unfortunately, I didn't realise this until it was too late in the year, unable to find the zeal to break out of it.
The past year has taught me that one of the worst things you can do to your dreams is to be comfortable. It reminded me of when I interned at a large company; I had multiple conversations with top management staff, asking for career advice, and one thing they all told me was never to be comfortable. They had all explained how they let go of their dreams because they had settled for comfort, and somewhere along the way, I had forgotten about this.
Seeing the year fly by with many items on my to-do list left unchecked disappointed me. How did a year that started so strong turn out like this? Did I lose discipline? Did I burn out and never recover? That feeling of disappointment and regret is something I can never forget.
Another thing I realised was that my full-time job took up way more energy than I wanted it to. I love what I do, but it always feels like a chore, and when the day is over, I just want to rest and get "comfortable." After all, I spent the last 8 hours doing a "chore". Maybe comfort isn't the right word; perhaps I was just lazy. One thing I did know was that when the monthly cheque came in, I was good; I didn't seem to need or want more. I do my "chore" and get paid. Everybody wins.
Well, this year will be different! I will commit to discomfort, growth, and competence.
We may not notice this, but our jobs can become boring if care is not taken. In software engineering, creating APIs that all look the same... building dashboard UIs with all the same elements and components. I wasn't growing. There wasn't a challenge. I had grown accustomed to doing the same thing, the same way, over and over again. Thinking back on it, I quickly realised that I only felt alive when battling a challenge or building something I was passionate about.
That got me thinking: What if I could make my job a battlefield? 🤔 This is the first step I am taking towards growth this year. What if I could spend most of my day improving my skills and growing more competent? As David Hansson would put it: don't just make it work or make it fast; make it beautiful!
I will spend every moment of my job wondering how to make it beautiful. I spend most of my day doing this "chore", and what better way to grow my expertise and career? No more code that just works or features that just meet the criteria. It must be beautiful and reek of competence; it must be excellent.
The next step is defining S.M.A.R.T. goals for myself outside my work schedule. Everything broken down into timelines, with quarterly, monthly and weekly targets, as well as defining daily habits that can help me work towards them. Everything will be tracked and measured, and shortcomings will be recorded and reviewed at intervals.
No more going through the motions, hoping to make time to work on that side project or continue that course. I have to be meticulous and practice strict time blocking. I have to create a boundary between my full-time job and my personal time so I can change my mindset and lock in on what I need to achieve that day for myself. I have to be consistent and track my progress and growth with realistic and measurable targets.
2024 was an eye-opening year for me. I would never have thought being comfortable would be a bad thing. I guess in certain situations it isn't, but when it comes to your dreams and aspirations, it's one of the worst things you can do to yourself. I have learned from my experience and hope you can learn from it too.
I look forward to a year filled with discomfort and growth!
Happy New Year everyone 🎉🎆! I hope you have a fantastic year ahead!
Thank you so much if you made it this far; I appreciate the time you spent reading this 🥹. Please feel free to leave comments on some of the strategies you're using to achieve your goals this year, and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for me. Thank you once again!
Top comments (5)
Started the exercises again today 12k steps done and dusted. Working on the content I want to post on my new twitter page @sunset___radio (shameless plug I know) and helping my friends navigate their lives but looking for jobs and consoling them when they are sad. Starting a TikTok as well 😪💨
Tons of work to do this year. Let's get it!
Thank you for being so open about your struggles and the ways you're planning to improve, it’s really motivating for me as well. Having an accountability system or partner might also be helpful to keep you on track with your goals. Just my two cents!
😅.
I'm glad I was able to motivate you. And yes, an accountability partner wil definitely be a good way to make sure you maintain focus 😅
Thanks for sharing your struggles and your game plan—super motivating! Maybe consider an accountability buddy to keep you on track? Just tossing in my two cents! 😝