View 2014 summary in Chinese:  《给自己的2014年点个赞》

2014 was a wonderful year.

I’m lucky to have great friends and colleagues, who have been driving and encouraging me to do my best. My biggest gain is that I have become and will continue to be proactive in my life and work, keep learning from everyone and about interesting things, and get better at what I’m doing.

I also adopted a perspective change — a simple shift from focusing on “problems” to “solutions”. It has great positive impact on my attitude. I used to worry a lot, thoughts like “if (bad things) happen(ed)…” would hound me for hours; Now, I think “ok, if (bad things) happen(ed), how I can solve it? Here are three things that I can do to fix them”. With that, I focus on what I can do to change the situation, rather than worrying and complaining about things.

Books

I continued to be a good bookworm in 2014. Listening has become my primary way to explore books. I listened to more than 20 audio books and read a little less than that. They range from technology, business, self-development, personal finance to biography.

Toastmasters, Karate & Home Trip

Toastmasters continued to be a big part of my life. I finally completed my initial ten speeches and got my “Competent Communicator” badge. This was a big milestone for me as a non-native speaker. I recorded most of my speeches, so that I can revisit these precious moments later in my life. Moreover, I stepped out of my own club and became the head of the area, overseeing four clubs and organized great events with other enthusiastic Toastmasters.

Karate also went very well. I got two level-ups during the year from purple belt to blue, then to blue green. I’m so proud that I passed the 7.5 hr belt testing. The moment I got my new belt, I felt relieved and everything started shaking, from my face to toes — I had to sit down for twenty minutes before I could drive back home. It was worth it, it has definitely strengthened my body and soul.

I had a big trip back to China in December — it’s been two years since I’ve been home last time — and spent a good month with my family. I spent half the time traveling to places that I have never been to, and of course as a foodie, I didn’t let great foods pass me by. You can find my write-up for the trip and pictures in my blog.

In this new 2015:

I will keep doing what I’ve done well: work hard, stay positive and curious, and keep learning.

I admire people who tell stories well. Improving storytelling will be my major focus.

I love getting to know interesting people and interesting lives. If you are interested in knowing one more person like me, I’d love to connect and buy you coffee to chat :)

2015 will be an even greater year.