# Year In Reflection By [Madhav Goyal](https://paragraph.com/@madhavg) · 2021-12-31 --- ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/0a6eabfea6446a141876ab4b9812f92f600c2511c895d363ac35452c6370996d.jpg) It has been a big year. I didn't want to release this but hey decisions change so here I am sharing the stuff and the nostalgia with you dear reader. As 2021 fades the nostalgia grows. It was a challenging year and a big year for me, made some big decisions about who and what I wanted to become. Decided what I wanted to become at the intersection of the end of 10th grade and the start of 11th grade, my destination didn't change but the path sure did. I was so adamant till just a few months ago on becoming what my parents and society wanted and could even have thought of how my mindset would change this year. The way I think and experience moments changed a lot this year and maybe even the most. If someone would have told me a year earlier that I won't be thinking of IIT as my dream a year later I would have laughed but now If someone tells me that I will be thinking of becoming an artist in near future I would just stay quiet and think because you never know how many possibilities lay inside you and the only way to know is by being open to new futures. The best thing I have learned this year is that Humans change some for better or and some for worse but there’s always a probability that you can be a tiny bit better than earlier. I am proud to say that I am a tiny bit wider than the year before which is kinda unwise to say in itself. This year had a huge impact on who I am as a person. I met some of the coolest and most hardworking people this year who sometimes inspired me and other times made me think of what I am and What I wanted to become. I made many new friends who make me feel more me(if that makes sense). One of the most important parts of this year was discovering Civics unplugged and the best decision was to become a part of it. I found a place where I belong and feel home at. Where everyone pushes you to be a better self of you and accepts who you are as you are. After becoming a part of CU I have become open to meeting new people and making new friendships with people I might think I have nothing in common. I gained more clarity about who I was and what I really wanted. Gained some insights about life from others and tried applying them in my life. I had my interests change a lot of times this year and thought of myself with different futures from interstellar to my home state. I had started my year by thinking of myself as an aspiring physicist and ended it by becoming an aspiring physicist, AGI enthusiast, Man of Numbers, Blockchain futurist, and many more things. I have become more confused about what of all these great things will I do in my future but am glad that I didn’t hold myself back by closing my mind to these wonderful worlds. I had my opinions challenged and change a lot of times this year from all the topics which define who we are. Found whether I believed in faith and God or not. Gained a sense of cosmic vastness and thought of my purpose as a Human and a member of this society.I tinkered with a lot of new things this year and put myself out there by starting this blog and meeting new people from all over the world. Started sharing my thoughts with others and started to document and journal, Learned about the power of words, and put some of mine into use. Dreamed of roaming the world as a free citizen with no flag tied to and how many others who think like me would be out there. Tried being a rational creature by overanalyzing everything and thought of enlightening myself by meditation. Cried a bunch of times and helped others while they cried. Spent more time in front of my laptop than Ever and still managed to read the highest number of books in a single year. Rejoiced old friendships and fostered new ones. Expanded my horizon and thought of myself as a Man of science. I failed and learned and failed again to learn some of the most valuable lessons I had ever learned. Had a hard time grasping people’s intentions and still managed to think how someday I could have an Alien Girlfriend if the earth doesn’t work out for me lol. Became more Independent and started to make more decisions myself and reflected on them when they came out wrong. 2021 was one of the biggest years of my life or probably the biggest. I hope to learn more and become wiser than I am today. Hoping that the year 2022 has more surprises and more learning for me. Excited for the new year to begin and nostalgic for the one passing away. looking backward at old memories and forward to new beginnings. Happy New Year --- *Originally published on [Madhav Goyal](https://paragraph.com/@madhavg/year-in-reflection)*