Taking stock One

Thanks to Sydney Lian the blogging world was introduced to the idea of 'Taking Stock' posts, an idea I completely resonated with. I like the idea of keeping track of life the same way you would keep track of merchandise, because it forces you to value life. For many reasons,  now feels like the right time to start the series. Sydney's original list is too long for a relatively lazy Software Engineer like myself, so I'll share a tiny list of things that I actually care about. So, here we go!

1) Work.

I've been asking a lot of dumb questions lately, like really dumb, like 'I have no idea what I'm supposed to do' dumb. And its OK, Despite the fact that I'm still in the first 6 months of my first real job, I love the space I work in,  a space where its okay to ask 'silly questions', where the growth Mindset is nourished , dare I say I love Microsoft. Sentiments aside, I've really been learning a lot, I've picked up Microsoft tech stack from scratch, implemented a bunch of features, had my first on-call week where my appreciation for our service exponentially increased. Parallel to that, I've also made a number of mistakes, fell into countless rabbit holes and somehow those are the most interesting bits of the journey. My professional life can be summarized in one word, learning. 

2)Money

So, I've invested in a thing. A thing I will  talk about in my next blog post. In the mean time just know that I own a thing that will let me buy more things but instead of buying things I will reinvest in things so that when I fully grow up I can start my own thing. Lots of things, I know ;).

3)Photography

Who knew shooting people and things could be so exhilirating (pun intended). 

You are welcome! Follow flickr page for more pretty things.

4) Reading 

My goal is to read 20 books this year and goodreads report card is looking goooood ( like 3 books ahead of schedule good). I can attribute it to the fact that I started with short books but also reading but the first 1~2 hours of the day is the best form of self-care I know so far. Speaking of morning routines, lets talk about ..

5) Running

You saw this one coming, right? Yeah ..I signed up for the Vancouver marathon. Yes, I will run 42.2 km for the first time. Yes, I' training for it. Progress is good so far, I'm running at least 60 Km per week, running uphill trails, taking the stairs everyday and trying to hike. I'm still slow but I definitely feel stronger. Thanks to my stable morning route that affords me time. In case you are wondering, It involves waking at 5am, reading at least an hour before going on a long run because #Endomorphins #MentalHealthIsRealYo. It may seem crazy or a lot of effort but my introverted soul appreciates the energy afterwards. 

6) Adulting

Lol! 

In my defence, I pay my bills, make my food, I can call some people friends, sometimes read the news. That should count for something, right? Otherwise, its a long long long work in progress, one that I don't wanna rush.  

7) Current Mantra. 

"Be bold, Be vulnerable, Be ambitious. Take your dreams seriously."

Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead.