It’s been exactly a month since I came back from Switzerland. In the beginning I missed the freedom and structure of Europe, which sounds contradictory. Freedom to hop on a train and go wherever I’d like but also the structure of public transportation. I lamented how I needed to drive to pick up groceries and even panicked when I forgot to bring my own shopping bag. I live in AZ though and for the first time in 10 months I didn’t need to pay for bags at the store, which isn’t a good thing. I also experienced travel withdrawal, so I spent the first week or so back scouring cheap flights around the world. I almost convinced my friend to go to Portugal.

Coming home was supposed to be a deep cleanse, and that has been successful. I was probably the least productive I ever remember being the past month. I submit one out of the three assignments I had due this fall. I didn’t want to think so I read fantasy for the first time since high school. I started baking again.

A month is my limit for how long I can chill. I’m starting to recover my motivation to be productive, which for me translates to coding, working out, reading (non-fantasy), and learning a new language. I’ve been volunteering to help a Ukrainian high schooler to apply for college apps. I’m trying to write more. I’m in the process of joining a build team on their navigations subteam. I have no idea how I ever managed/wanted to travel weeks at a time. In short, I’ve re-entered Mindy GSD mode (if you know, you know).

I realized I never wrote a review for 2021. In all honesty, 2022 was not my best year. When I set out to write this, I thought about what I wanted to write, and I could only come up with things I would change about myself in 2023. However, I realized I did accomplish a lot of things I never would have expected to on January 1, 2022. As a result, I added a section on highlights/things I’m proud of and things I will work on in 2023. With all that being said, here’s my 2022 in review.

Highlights/What I’m proud I accomplished

In decreasing order

  1. Running THE original marathon in Greece. A marathon wasn’t even on my life bucket list.
  2. Starting my transition to space, participating in the NASA RASC-AL challenge, and actually winning it/publishing a paper.
  3. 6.115 with my women in STEM ❤️
  4. Travelling + solo travelling
  5. Being more fiscally responsible and conscious.

Lowlights/Things I’m not proud of

In decreasing order (1 being what I’m least proud of)

  1. Overcomitting – socially during the summer in NYC and recruiting during the fall
  2. Getting swept away in startup fever in the fall and straying from my long-term goal of building space infrastructure
  3. Most (80%) of my time in Zürich
  4. Not spending enough time with people who I actually cared about in NYC
  5. Spending more time on my phone. This started in Switzerland when I didn’t want to leave my room so I’d start scrolling through my phone.
  6. Not hitting my Goodreads goal of 20 books

Priorities for 2023

Theme: Know thyself.

  1. Don’t get sidetracked. Focus on my end goal and don’t let external pressures sway me.
  2. Don’t overcommit. Don’t do things that won’t bring me closer to my own career goals or social enjoyment.
  3. Spend more quality time with people who matter. Do something active rather than just grab a meal.
  4. Read books.
  5. Get to know people. What drives them? What do they value? Who do they want to be? Why?
  6. Be more disciplined. When the alarm goes off, roll out the bed within two minutes. Don’t scroll endlessly through news apps/Instagram reels. Spend that time working out or reading a book instead. Goal: Get daily screen time below an hour, with 90% being meaningful texts. The rest should go for weather, fitness, and Googling info I need at the moment.
  7. Invest in skincare.
  8. Surround myself with people who positively reinforce me. I took this for granted until NYC + Switzerland. Being surrounded with people who have meaningful goals and motivations makes me more motivated to pursue mine as well. This has been a subconscious reaction for me, so I don’t actively pressure myself to “keep up”, which is unhealthy.
  9. Eat out less. Cook more. One positive from living in Switzerland.
  10. Maintain current fitness level.