2018 was an awesome year for me, albeit 2019 was better - a year of fitting into big shoes. It was filled with God's unending faithfulness.

There's a lot to reflect on, this past year:

Relationship ‍

Good relationships add a good spice to life. I got to meet new people while keeping in touch with the people I met in the past years. I met and had dinner with some of the women in Tech that I admire. God, my maker has also kept His Word towards me to guide, guard and protect me throughout the journey.

Career

In 2019, I filled the big shoe; I was promoted and this came with extra responsibilities that seemed like it was going to break me. I felt like running away but the Lord was by my side to guide me through it all. I set up my home workspace and consciously made effort to study. This was a great deal for me. It really helped. I also, consciously went on a quest to learn how to manage people, think critically and creatively to be a good leader and make wise decisions.

Speaking

Over the years, I've been attending tech events but 2019 felt better as I attended 2 tech events as a speaker.

• At Forloop Lagos Summit, I spoke about Avoiding Shell Hell: Aliases to the Rescue

• At Vue Vixens, I spoke about Working on your Soft Skills as a Software Developer

Though my aim is to be known as a builder and not a speaker, I hope to speak at more tech events and grow this list sometime.

Writing

Having in mind the goal of creating quality learning resources, I wrote 16 articles in 2019. My most popular article was Sizing in CSS: px vs em vs rem. I will improve and explore more writing options this year.

Poetry

Asides coding, I like art and poetry. Playing with words and leaving the brushstrokes of one's imaginations and musings in print is amazing. I wrote 5 poems and spoken words in 2019.

New Language

In July, I started learning German on Duolingo. It feels awesome learning a new language and I try to use it at every opportunity I get to communicate with my friends in Germany. Feel free to add me, let's hit the target.

Reading

I read a lot of articles and 7 books in 2019. I will read 12 books or more in 2020. My favourite ones were:

• The Smart Money Woman: This had the Nigerian feel. Everything was relatable as it was set in Lagos, Nigeria. It taught me about financial independence - to have goals, invest, and make wise decisions financially.
• Atomic Habits: This taught me to focus on the systems (building better habits) rather than the goals (chasing better results) and make each day count.
• Bridge to Haven: This taught me that despite our unfaithfulness, God remains faithful and ready to have us back when we run to Him.

What's Next?

New lifestyle delivers new results. In 2020, I need to make deliberate effort to build stable systems and achieve a lot more than I have ever done.

• Grow in my role as a Software Engineer and explore new grounds
• Engage in creative drawing. I've neglected this over the past few years
• Get more involved in open source projects
• Read 12 books and write more
• Keep fit and prioritize self-care
• Enrol in a driving school.

Generally, I had an exciting and rewarding 2019. Goodbye 2019, cheers to the new year 🥂