January 1, 2025
Happy New Year!
I hope you’re healthy and well today. As you may know, I love to share my year-end reflections with my friends and family.
If we haven’t connected in a while, then here I’m to personally say “Hi” to you my dear friend. If we’ve been in each other’s orbit this year (or not), my hope is that you’ll find my reflections useful as we all go through this journey called “life”.
This year was a mix of highs and lows. 365 days later I do feel like I’m a different person.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from 2024.
New Beginnings
January 2024 was probably the most exciting month for me. I became a United States (US) citizen. It only took 23 years to get here 😜. I’ve spent my entire adult life in the US. The entire experience from start to finish in and by itself has been a great lesson in patience and persistence.
Becoming a US citizen meant I was eligible to vote. I read through the voter information guide diligently, dug deep into the different California propositions, and more. Not only was it the first time I voted in the US but it was also the first time I ever casted a vote in my entire life. It was a wonderful experience to say the least.
Unfulfilled Dreams
When I was in seventh grade, I failed my French exam. Then I took French in school for a few more years in India and followed by lessons at the Alliance Française in San Francisco. When I traveled to Paris, I could barely order coffee and croissants (those Americans 🙂). So yeah, learning the French language is unfinished business for me.
This past year, I recommitted myself to learning French and completed daily lessons on Duolingo. Then in December 2024 this year, I took my DELF A1 exam. I don’t know if I passed or not yet. It was an amazing experience irrespective of the outcome. I felt so good and fulfilled after completing this test.
Aside from learning French, I invested in strength training. I did ~30 sessions with a personal trainer 1:1 and ~60 workouts at Barry’s.
Although I don’t have muscular quads yet, I’m now lifting weights that I never imagined I could lift. I was inspired to work on my body strength after reading Peter Attia’s book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.
Productivity & Focus
The big change in 2024 was for me to have my own office shed in the backyard. Thanks to Modern Shed, a few talented contractors, and my dear wife Jinal who all helped make this a reality. Having this new work environment has been game changing because it improved my productivity and focus. The office shed created a separation between the home and work.
I also practiced the Pomodoro technique to improve my focus and time management on the crucial tasks that helped me move my projects forward. Towards the end of the year, I had an opportunity to attend Tiago Forte’s The Second Brain Summit. If you’re a knowledge worker, I highly recommend you checkout Tiago’s work.
Grief
There were six (6) deaths in our immediate and extended Sampat family in 2024. The most tragic death was that of my cousin who was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road. On Thanksgiving day, my dear aunt Nalini passed away. It has been difficult for me and I burst into tears everytime I think about her. I loved my aunt very much and she was an important part of my childhood. I was fortunate to have spent a lot of quality time with her with deep, rich conversations. I shared my thoughts on Facebook, in case you’re interested.
Other notable highlights include:
- Running the Monterey Bay Half Marathon. It is one of the most beautiful running routes in the country and I highly recommend it if you’re into running. There is also a 5K option, which Jinal and Seth participated in.
- Hiked the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan
- Visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. I’ve always dreamed of taking my son Seth to all the US Presidential Libraries and this was the first one we did together. They have a real Air Force One plane here that you can walk into. What a rich experience!
- I met another favorite author of mine, Keith Ferrazi. I read Keith’s book Never Eat Alone in ~2006/2007 and it changed my perspective on networking.
- Spending lots of quality time with my dear wife Jinal and son Seth, my parents, and my in-laws. This to me was God’s greatest gift in 2024.
That’s a wrap, my friend. I wish you a very happy and prosperous 2025 that is filled with love, joy, and laughter. Don’t feel obligated to reply but if you can, I would love to hear from you.
Love,
Kunal