It’s 2025, and as I look back on the past year, one word comes to mind: “Change.” From stepping out of my comfort zone to embracing new opportunities, 2024 was a year of transformation. It’s time to share the key moments in 2024 and what I hope to achieve in 2025.

1. Quitting my first-ever job. This was my first step out of my comfort zone. It was also a tough decision. However, this move gave me a new perspective on work. It also provided me an opportunity to reflect on my past 13 years of work. If I hadn’t made this decision, I wouldn’t have noticed the decline in my technical skills. I wouldn’t tried LeetCode or discovered my love for problem-solving, which led to my solo project journey.

2. A 14-day trip to Japan. I travelled outside Hong Kong 14 times. 9 of which were trips to Japan. I really love its culture, nature and food. Before leaving Hong Kong, we decided to stay in Japan for 14 days. This gave me a taste of the nomadic lifestyle. I hope I could visit Japan again in the future.

3. Moving to London. Since I was a kid, I’ve imagined living in places outside my hometown. This was my dream, but it seemed impossible due to my family’s financial situation. In fact, I hadn’t travelled outside Hong Kong until I was 26. This was the biggest move of my life. Although I’m still adapting to the new culture, language and lifestyle, I’ll never regret making such a big move, even if it required me to quit my stable job and step out of my comfort zone.

4. Launching Blog 2.0. Owning my personal domain was one of my dreams as a teenager, during the dot-com bubble era. I gave up because I couldn’t justify why I needed it, apart from thinking it looked cool. I was afraid that I may give up quickly, wasting a lot of money. Having blogged for almost 3 years, I don’t think I’ll give up now. My pace might vary, but I really enjoy writing and building my personal brand, even if only a few people are interested in reading my articles.

5. Stopping “dreaming” and starting “doing”. I dreamed of owning a personal domain. I dreamed of building an web app. I dreamed living in another country. Enough dreaming. The only way to make my dreams come true is to start doing. Taking action reveals my strengths and weaknesses. Over time, I’ve learned more, achieved more and gained more. I wish someone had told me this earlier.

At the end of 2024, many people shared their highlights on social media. Most of them shared only positive moments. I don’t see negative experiences as truly negative – they’re simply lessons learned. Here are my “achievements” from the year:

• Jan – Apr: Lower back injury
• Feb – Mar: Left wrist injury
• Feb – Jul: Right wrist injury
• Oct – Oct: Right wrist injury
• Nov – Nov: Left wrist injury
• Dec – Dec: Right wrist injury

Every time I hit a personal record (PR) in weight training, I got injured and was forced to stop training for months. These injuries set back my progress, not just in weight training but also in archery. I spent countless hours in physiotherapy and acupuncture in 2024. Injuries are common among athletes, whether professional or amateur. However, I can’t afford to spend so much time and money on treatment anymore.

I’m not a “new year, new me” type of person. Things happen, and direction could change as well. However, I do have things that I want to achieve in 2025:

Work

• Launch 3 products
• Write at least 45 articles for my blog
• Secure a software engineering job in London

Health

• Break my next target PRs: 140 kg squat, 80 kg bench press, 160 kg deadlift
• Become an Archery GB member
• Stretch 3 times a week

Personal

• Obtain a driving licence
• Read 24 books
• Meet 12 new people in the UK
• Go on 12 date nights with my girlfriend
• Finish the post-processing of the photos from my trips to Japan in 2023

Travel

• Visit Scotland
• Travel to 1 European country

2024 taught me the power of change. In 2025, I’ll keep moving forward, embracing every opportunity to grow and make a difference. Let’s make 2025 great.