As 2023 comes to a close, I find myself looking back at the year as one full of growth, with experiences that ranged from super meaningful and fulfilling, to challenging and painful as well.
Top 3 experiences:
China Trip: In April, I took an emergency trip to China after finding out my grandpa was in critical condition. He ended up passing away on my trip, and I got to be there in community with my extended family whom I hadn’t seen since 2018. As I’ve had time to reflect on this trip, I believe it was the most meaningful experience of my life to date.
The Commons: Joining this “community living room / third space” in SF this year has led to meeting really inspiring people and feeling a sense of belonging that is hard to put into words. It perfectly complemented the career break I’ve taken at the end of the year where I focused on personal growth and exploration, and I can only think of one or two other communities where I felt like I felt this full of a sense of belonging.
Coliving hikes: I went on group hikes with friends from the coliving space I lived in 2020, Tribe. It was great to explore some of the world-class nature the Bay area has to offer while feeling a sense of shared experience and community with coliving friends.
Some of my other highlights of the year included starting the year off in Playa del Carmen, Mexico celebrating New Year’s with friends, experimenting with being a digital nomad there afterwards, going on hikes every weekend over the summer, spending a week living on an off-grid farm in Northern California (more here), taking an east coast trip that included my 2nd Third Nature summer camp retreat, and taking a dating course taught by the Director of Relationship Science at Hinge with 120+ others virtually.
While those are the “highlights”, I also think it’s important to look holistically at the journey I went on, including the challenges and lessons learned. While I felt some initial aversion to fully accepting the challenging parts of the year during my reflections on the year, I eventually realized that a lot of my most meaningful moments were catalyzed by lessons learned and challenges overcome in some of my most challenging moments.
Biggest challenge: learning to slow down.
This came with the initial realization of being faced with the mental challenges of not slowing down. Throughout the year, I found more ways to slow down and find calm and experienced a lot of the benefits of doing so (more here).
Top lessons learned:
I learned that some of the best things in life don’t always require a lot of planning or control, and that sometimes letting go is the more effective way to go. My China trip was something where I had little control over many things, such as when my grandpa would pass away. In addition, I realized that some of the most fulfilling moments can come from just being present in simple moments instead of coming from “highlight reel” moments.
Intentions that guided my 2023: self-kindness, acceptance, letting go, self-trust
An intention I hope to embody going into 2024: surrender
Hope everyone has a good new year!
-Ray
love to read how many meaningful experiences & learnings came out of 2023! here’s to a year of surrender :)
Love how you organized this wrap-up. This was my favorite takeaway: "I learned that some of the best things in life don’t always require a lot of planning or control, and that sometimes letting go is the more effective way to go."