Why 2022 was the best year of my life so far

As with every year, it’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, however, there have been considerably more ups than downs. It’s been a year of tying up loose ends, closing things out and looking ahead.

Highlights

Graduation

The first positive standout highlight is graduating from University. University as a whole is another topic but I managed to get a First-Class and also had my graduation in one of the hottest days of the year in July.

This was a great experience, we went for food and then for drinks and games of pool after that. So that’s one thing closed out and out the way, what’s next?

Here’s a photo of me and my dad from the day, it’s a shame it’s not that clear but I’m grateful anyway.

Moving Out

Not long ago at the beginning of November me and two friends from University moved out to our own place in South London! It’s a lovely place, very modern, has a balcony and even came furnished with the essentials (bed, dishwasher, washing machine etc.) while it is pleasant to be in, when I have to leave it, work is about an hour and 15 minutes away and Central London about 45 minutes. Another gripe I have is that I had no idea moving out costed so much, November was a rough time, but now there’s Christmas and my bank account is still drained.

Connections

This is bit of a difficult one for me, on the one hand I feel like I’ve made many connections with like-minded people this year. But on the other hand, most of them feel shallow, maybe it’s because we’ve only shared a small amount of time together but I’m not sure.

I’ve also continued to be on Twitter, although since getting @banf and having to start from almost 0 it’s been difficult, but I’ve followed most of the same people and my experience is still the same, I’m not trying to gain followers, I barely tweet, but the connections and the ability to engage with inspiring people is where the value lies for me.

Love is a feeling that when kept within causes a cavity in one, but when shared with others, elevates everyone up. I am full of love to give out but there’s no one to recieve it. I’m trying to manage this by walking and caring for other people’s dogs, but I’ve discovered that a dog cannot fulfil the desire of a partner. This is the battle I’m fighting at the moment, I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone by exploring new hobbies and putting myself out there, this will be one of my goals for 2023. I strongly believe that if you make a concious effort at working towards what you want, that thing will eventually happen.

Future plans

We’ve only got our current house for a year, will we stay for another year? For me, maybe, for the others, I’m not sure of their plans. One thing I am sure of though is that I desperately need to increase my income, while I can live paycheck to paycheck, I’m hardly saving any money at all. I’m currently actively looking for another role, I’m done with my current employer. Come new years I will hand in my notice and eventually quit in April. Even with no job lined up currently, I’m confident that I’ll be able to find one throughout my notice period.