2022 Recap and Reflections
Feels like yesterday when I was reflecting on 2021. How did a year fly by? The adage is true, "The days are long but the years are short"
4th of July fireworks over the Hudson
Boy, what a hell of a year 2022 was, some highlights -
1) Breaking into my dream role as a product manager at an exciting startup
2) Starting my Podcast and Newsletter
3) Growing my Linkedin to 11k with 1.9 million content impressions
4) Giving referrals and recruiter intros which lead to two people getting offers
4) Reading 51 books
5) Meeting two of my favorite creators - Sahil Bloom and Alex Wieckowski ✍️
6) Attending product / tech events and meeting amazing people
7) Starting to work out regularly (doesn't end well) ️♂️
8) Making my first $1 online
9) Travelling to new cities ✈️
10) Having an in-person graduation
Let's start chronologically!
January
The omicron surge was bad in NYC. My mom was visiting and trying to get a covid test during that time was a painful experience. We were lucky to not get infected during this wave!
The best book I read in January was Influence by Robert Cialdini. I did a deep dive here.
It taught me about how humans have fixed action patterns called judgment heuristics. They help us make quick decisions since comprehending everything is time-consuming.
These are often the mental shortcuts that we use to make decisions. Which often serves us well most of the time but can be exploited by 'compliance practitioners'.
February
I went to India to attend some of my friend's weddings! I am officially of age now, slow crying in the background.
Jokes apart, it's great to see your friends embark upon adulthood! It made me introspect on how funny your 20s are. From people getting married, having kids to people figuring out their education, careers, etc.
It's okay to not have it all figured out! You will figure it out as long as you are true to yourself and have a bias for action.
I also met my niece and nephew for the first time. I love being an uncle! It's great to see how kids notice the world around them.
Their curiosity about everything invigorates me. At some point, we don't necessarily figure out the world, we just stop being curious!
Curiosity is a virtue, I hope to keep that candle lit for as long as possible.
The best book I read this month was Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. I did a deep dive here.
The word negotiation might make most of us squirm. The idea of disagreement and trying to get our way in a hard situation is uncomfortable.
I used to think of negotiation in the context of business only, but I did not realize how pervasive negotiation is in everyday life.
It might range from agreeing on your kid's screen time, making a plan with your friends, or trying to get a raise, etc.
March
As I was working one day, I thought about March 2021. I was manically job hunting and stressed out about graduating without a job.
March is usually the time when people graduating in May start to stress out about not getting a job.
I wrote a post on Linkedin to try to be of help to international students graduating soon. It blew up!
Within 24 hours, I got 200,000 post impressions, 800+ connection requests, 400+ DMs.
I tried to be true to my word and responded to every DM. I almost got banned from Linkedin because of the number of profiles I visited! That was a fun week!
I started seeing themes emerging where students struggle the most when looking for a job.
I started thinking about if there is a better way for me to address most pressing pain points for a larger audience at scale. More on this later!
The best book I read this month was Sapiens by Yuval Harari. I did a deep dive here.
How can 70,000 years of major historical events be covered in 500 pages?
There are some books that you finish reading but they become a permanent part of your psyche. Sapiens is one such book.
It's easy to forget that our time on this planet is so brief compared to how long it has existed and how long it will continue to! (Hopefully!)
It's hard to imagine our life without the internet right? Just think about how it has existed for only 25 years compared to the history of humanity.
April
I visited DC with my team for my first in-person client demo. It was a great learning experience. I understood how different the in-person world is from the remote one.
Eg) Trying to maintain eye contact while presenting in-person, how to small talk, etc.
Biggest takeaway: It's better to be over-prepared than underprepared!
The best book I read this month was 'How I almost blew it'. I did a deep dive here.
How I almost blew is a book in which India's most eminent tech entrepreneurs share their insights and journey along with how they almost blew it on multiple occasions.
Some valuable insights and stories of resilience.
May
I was finally going to have an in-person graduation. NYU decided to combine graduation ceremonies for batches 20', 21', and 22' together.
It was great to meet friends who came in from all over the US. I was thinking about moving from NYC this year and taking on a new adventure. Hearing how much everyone missed living in NYC made me decide to stick around for at least another year. I'm so glad that I did!
I started working out after reading Can't hurt me by David Goggins! I loved the idea of how taking care of your physical health is more of a mental challenge.
I remember feeling a strain on my left shoulder as lifted weights one day. I pushed past the pain and kept working out over the next few weeks. Things eventually got worse and long story short, I had to stop lifting weights for the rest of the year.
I learnt the lesson that if you are putting yourself outside your comfort zone, you are likely to get hurt. But knowing when to grit or quit is important!
Ironically the best book I read this month was Can't hurt me by David Goggins! There is something powerful about realizing that everything in the end is a mind game. Even physically challenging yourself.
June
I visited Puerto Rico with my NYU friends for a late graduation trip. My favorite part of the trip was visiting an island called Vieques and doing a night bioluminescent kayaking tour.
The kayak itself was like anything else I had ever seen before. It felt straight out of the Life in Pie scene where Pi's boat is stuck in the middle of the ocean as he crosses bioluminescent waters.
While it was magical, something else struck out during the experience.
On a 2 people kayak, I had the luxury to be paired with the instructor. So I did not have to paddle as much and just enjoyed the experience.
I naturally started talking to the instructor, and she asked me about how my trip is going so far. I told her about how I visited a beautiful beach and a local cafe that day and now ending the day with this wonderful kayak tour.
She paused for a moment and said in all sincerity, that she has never really gone outside of Puerto Rico and that's what her weekends end up looking like.
There I was, having the most fun weekend of my year, and I met a local who lives this lifestyle every week.
It reminded me of this famous parable about a New York investment banker going to a Mexican village and talking to a local fisherman. (Great read)
It made me deeply introspect on the definition of enough and the power of minimalism to live a fulfilling life.
What do we need to live a happy life? Very little.
What do we believe we want to live a happy life? A lot.
The best book I read this month was IKIGAI. I did a deep dive here.
This was one of those books that you can get through quickly but it takes time for the book to get through to you.
IKIGAI is what the Japanese call the reason that we all get up in the morning.
Everyone has an IKIGAI, but it's hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires patience.
July
I had a school friend visiting from India to celebrate her 25th birthday. July was an amazing month in terms of exploring NYC and soaking in all the wonderful weather.
There is something about hanging out with your school friends which is amazing. I think it is because they have seen you grow the most over the years which makes it wholesome.
I also attended a lot of networking events during this time.
On the job front, I felt stagnant. The first year had gone by in a flash, I learnt a lot and there was still more to learn. But I realized the learning from there onwards did not tie back to my long-term goal of being a product manager. I missed building things!
So I thought it was the right time for me to get into product management. I saw a couple of roles open at the company and started looking for an internal switch.
I had a company reach out for a similar role that I was currently in but the role would be a step closer to product management. I interviewed and got the offer.
I eventually decided to turn it down because I thought it might be the best time to get directly into product management.
It was hard to turn down a lucrative offer when you have no other options in sight. I realized the importance of having mentors and friends who can help you make the right decisions!
I'm so glad I turned down that offer because of how things eventually turned out. Wasn't so obvious at that time!
The best book I read this month was The book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams.
It taught me how almost everything in the world is about having the right mindset and attitude. Having the perspective to look at bad experiences as opportunities to grow.
The story of how the Dalai Lama was forced to leave his country into exile and how he managed to overcome the tragedy without feelings of resentment and anger is inspiring.
August
I got close to switching to a PM role internally within the company but it did not work out. That's when I actively started applying to roles outside as well.
I realized the systems that I built for job hunting as a new grad still worked well.
Eg) Setting up notifications from job posting channels from PM Slack communities, tapping into my network.
I had a playbook for how to break into PM and I needed to execute it.
I had always been upfront with my manager about how my long-term career goal and passion was to become a product manager.
I was still pleasantly surprised by how my manager supported my decision to interview for PM roles internally. She even went ahead and put in a good word with the hiring manager. I will never forget this gesture!
Vanity milestone alert: I crossed 10k followers on Linkedin. Felt incredible! Churning out content consistently is tough but I tried to do my best. I was glad it was resonating with people.
I attended a networking event which was hosted by Sahil Bloom and Sam Parr. What incredible energy in the room! I've written about my complete experience here.
The best book I read this month was Range by David Epstein. The book focuses on the idea of how generalists often triumph in this specialized world.
The idea is that having experiences in many domains and learning broadly early on is helpful. This allows people to solve problems more creatively as they are able to combine insights from unrelated sources.
September
My efforts finally paid off, I got a PM offer internally. As I was all set to accept it and was waiting for the official offer letter to arrive, fate intertwined.
A startup reached out to me and since I hadn't accepted the offer I decided to interview. The role seemed perfect for what I have always been looking for. An exciting series A startup with a nice product and a great culture. The opportunity seemed too good to pass over.
The first interview to a written offer took 11 days! I've always heard that startups operate at a great speed and I witnessed it firsthand!
In the end, I went with the startup. I decided to take on the opportunity which scared me more as I knew that's where I would learn the most!
Saying goodbye to my teammates was tough, I had a wonderful time at MediaMath and was so happy to be leaving on such good terms!
I said farewell to my team and embarked upon a new adventure!
I visited Chicago for the labor day weekend and was amazed by the architecture of the city.
The best book I read this month was Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
The main idea is how we predominantly think in 2 Systems. System 1 is the fast intuitive part and System 2 is the slow rational part. How over-relying on System 1 leaves us susceptible to cognitive biases while making decisions.
The book is a primer on effective decision making and understanding how prone humans are to falter under certain circumstances. Highly recommended read!
October
I was officially a product manager. It felt great, the road had been long. I'm glad for all the decisions I made along the way which got me to where I was!
Becoming a great product manager is a completely different journey that I was about to embark upon!
I had been thinking about how talking to product managers over coffee chats played such a big role in my journey.
I decided to recreate the magic of coffee chats for aspiring PMs and with that vision and launched F1APM Podcast.
I was turning 25 this month. I took a solo trip to South Carolina. Such a great time for reflection and practicing gratitude.
You can find the 25 reflections for turning 25 here.
The best book I read this month was Social Chemistry by Marrisa King.
The book focuses on different structures of networks that people build and their inherent pros and cons. It gave me a whole new lens to look at social networks.
November
Since more than half of my product team was new, we decided to do a product offsite meeting in New Orleans.
I love working remotely but there is some magic with in-person interactions and relationship building that remote work can't match.
For Thanksgiving, I decided to travel to Upstate New York with friends.
For my Spotify wrapped 2022, I found out that my F1APM podcast was top 20% of most globally shared podcasts which felt absolutely incredible!
I also posted my first sponsored post on Linkedin this month. It felt great. The day you make your $1 online, your life will change.
The best book I read this month was Think Again by Adam Grant.
Biggest takeaway: Be extra careful to avoid mount stupid when you do from being a novice to an amateur on any topic.
December
I love the holiday time in NYC. The city feels magical with its Christmas lighting and winter villages!
I started my F1APM Newsletter this month, I realized not everyone prefers listening to podcasts. Newsletters are a great way to archive your work as well.
With all things, it's not about the launches, it's about the landings. Consistency will be the ultimate litmus test.
December is also a great time to reflect on the year that has gone by and set goals for the upcoming one!
Three biggest takeaways:
1) Pain from regrets lingers on for longer than pain from failed actions
I try to minimize "what if" moments later down the road
What if I had started a Podcast? What if I started my Newsletter? What if I started working on my side project?
Even if I know some actions would likely result in failure, I still try to pursue them regardless to avoid regrets later
2) If you live until you are 80, you have 4000 weeks
Doesn't sounds that much right?
4000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman, is the best book I read this month
It's simple math, no BS.
I do not believe in hustling 24x7
I do believe in spending my time intentionally
Time is the only thing we have and don't!
3) Passions are developed and not discovered
I would have laughed out loud If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would derive the most joy from activities like reading and writing
It wasn't my first published post or the first book I read that got me hooked
It often takes some sticking around to truly develop your passions
As I reflect on the wonderful year I've had, I cannot be more rationally optimistic about 2023.
I want it to be rife with learning, adventure, failures, meeting new people, and maintaining existing relationships.
All I know is I want to try new things, fail, learn quickly, get better, fail again, and maybe succeed? Who knows, all I control is the effort I put into things.
Goals for next years -
1) Become a great Product Manger
2) Be consistent with my Newsletter and Podcast
3) Take care of my physical health (exercise), metal health (reading and meditation) and spiritual health (reading Philosophy)
Thank you for reading and being a part of this year with me!
I wish you a very prosperous and a happy new year!