Year in Review: 2014

2014 was a whirlwind year. Lots of changes, moves, and books. Good times!

Favorite books

Non-fiction
1. Zero to One: The best entrepreneurship book I read this year. Lots of really new and unorthodox ideas.
2. The Logic of Failure: I believe I can learn more from studying failures than successes, and this book goes over so many of the most subtle ways in which we fool ourselves and fail.
3. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Practical, concise, and unconventional wisdom.
4. The War of Art: This book struck home in so many ways and codified really well the concept of "resistance" that all artists, builders, and creators unceasingly struggle to get past.
5. Seeking Wisdom: I love books about Buffett, Munger, and various other sages through history, and this book did a superb job of distilling some of the biggest lessons humanity has learned.

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Fiction
6. Shantaram: So much heart and such beautiful writing. I was so intimidated by the length of this book, but by the end, I was so sad it was over. Breathtaking.
7. Decoded: A chance to read China's bestselling author's novel? And it's about cryptography and math? Sounds too good to be true? It's not! It's true, and it's good!
8. The Martian: What a gripping, modern sci-fi tale, with well-crafted writing and such an engaging story. Incredibly fun to read.
9. City of Thieves: Semi-historical novel about war, courage, love, and Russia. Wonderfully written and a pleasure to read.

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New experiences

• Traveling to Israel with Suzanne: So much delicious Mediterranean food and even some archery! Secret bullet factory, zoo, underground caves -- "кайф."

• Beach yoga

• Residential real estate transactions: Boy did I get some practice with those offer contracts.... But now all that's over, and I'm so happy to enjoy my new home (and got to decorate for Halloween!).

• Scuba diving in Anacapa and Turks & Caicos: Did my 100th and 101st dives finally with whales, sea lions, and turtles!
  

• Kauai: Visited a new Hawaiian island, the wettest spot on Earth. Hiking, roosters, Jurassic Park waterfalls; and got to see it from a helicopter -- ridiculous!

• Talking about CS at my old elementary school and middle school
• Daily Card College practice

Things that were good

I read a lot, incorporated a lot of new ideas, and stayed close to family through some difficult moments. I worked hard on our move and all the related work, and I'm proud of what I accomplished with that. I had fun traveling and learning and deepened my appreciation for and skills in magic.

Areas for improvement

I need to get better at daily gratitude (started a 5 Minute Journal this year) and finding time for myself to be quiet and think. As Chade-Meng Tan says, "Don't just do something; sit there!" I need more time for reflection and creation instead of just processing and motion. I need to get better at formulating concrete goals in all areas of my life, and that will require more thought and introspection.