After posting my 2024 review, I realized that accomplishing my goals were the least important things that happened last year. Moreover, I gained perspective on how to balance side projects and goals with the important things.

So what else happened in 2024?

❤️ gains and losses

We experienced three deaths in the family. Gaby's grandmother died, Abuelita Chuy. She was the last remaining grandparent on her side. Our two year old nephew, Noah, also passed away after a long battle with Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome. We also lost our dog, Roman, to kidney disease after 13 great years with us.

But in the wake of all the losses, we added a new member to our family, Charlie. She's a petite golden doodle and we've forged an amazing relationship with her already.

👨🏼 fatherhood

In 2024 I wrote down a bunch of things I wanted to do with the kids and took action on each and every one of them. Over the course of the year we tried a bunch of new things.

• camping
• fishing
• baseball
• basketball
• roller skating
• rock climbing

I also taught them how to ride bikes, and we've been working on lots of musical instruments, like drums, guitar, and piano. It's been so fulfilling to expose them new things, and teach them new skills.

🇲🇽 duolingo

I continued my Duolingo streak and hit 1000 days!

While this was a great goal to accomplish, what's more important is what it has enabled. I found myself having full conversations with my in laws completely in Spanish. The new confidence in the language will deepen my relationship with Gaby's family in the future, and that's what is most important.

✈️ travel and friends

I took more work trips than usual this year. One to Mountain View for Atlassian, and two to San Francisco for Stripe. It truly is great to spend time together with your coworkers in person, and is invaluable for creating friendships and better work relationships.

Gaby and I also made it a point to go visit friends who aren't in town. We flew to Kansas City to visit our friends and see their new home, and we drove up to Dallas to see our friends' newborn baby.

All of these friendships would go stale if it wasn't for being intentional about reaching out and planning time to see each other. And I'm grateful for these friends that have stuck around throughout the years.

🌟 what really matters

The most important things in life are as follows.

• family and friends
• health and fitness
• reducing stress

Only after all those are taken care of, can you persue your goals and hobbies. And what I've realized is that your goals should follow your hobbies, let your interests guide you on where to spend your free time. This will ultimately lead to success because you are less likely to experience burnout along the way.

After all, you can just do stuff because it's fun.