It's common at the start of the year to get ambitious. This is the year I get in shape, I really focus on myself, or I get through that reading list I had built. Inspration and drive bloomed from a tiktok or instagram reel or even from our personal lives - colleagues with side hustles, friends that show off their latest skill.

I'm all too guilty in getting psyched and fired up only to fold at a momentss notice due to unforeseen responsibilities or financial requirements that divert my attention and efforts elsewhere. It's human nature to try things and shelve them again but once you find one that fits that niche, you start to put it ahead of your other needs.

Currently I'm working on:

• Japanese - I've been learning off and on for the past several years and it's difficult. Once you master one aspect you realise there is a whole otherside of the language that you're blinded by - it's quite disheartening. The way I've been able to get around this is to focus on the parts you really care about as that is the fun part of learning. At the moment I'm translating a Japanese game - using my current knowledge of grammar and using the game as a basis to learn more vocab and kanji. This method isn't the best to get conversationalist level or to pass any JLPT but its the way I can enjoy my time with the language

• Programming - At the start of the year I started a web dev course. Something to upskill myself to maybe pivot my career in the future but I don't think tech is in a great place in terms of the job market. The course is coming to an end soon and although it is tough (extra learning and YT tutorials is a must), I've been able to get that sense of achievement and buzz from implementing something that I've learnt.

Last Valentine's day my partner asked me whether I could make her a website. Inspired from Instagram - it's a silly little website that "encourages" people to say yes. Here is a link if people want to check it out. Below is a snippet of code I had used. Going from barely knowing enough HTML or website understanding to make a 'Hello World' to coding this is something I'm really proud of!

What are some projects people are working on? And how do you get over that feeling of wanting to monetise everything? In my circles if I bring up a project I'm working on people ask for the bottom line i.e. 'how do you make money off it?' which I really do think is the hustle culture we live in