I ended up writing a lot more this year than I thought I would, and at some point it felt right to look back and do my own little “wrap” of 2025. I kept seeing people post their Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music Wrapped, and yearly summaries on X, and it made me think — why not do my own version too?

Most people share a post on Instagram. I thought I'd rather write something down for myself instead — something I can come back to later that says a lot more than the 10 pictures I might have posted anyway. Choosing those 10 pictures from an entire year would've been a task on its own.

Writing this is less about a recap and more about leaving a trace for myself — something honest I can return to and remember what this phase actually felt like, without filters or hindsight making it prettier than it was.

Anyways, here's my 2025 Wrapped.

Work

• Went through my first startup acquisition. The Commit Company -> Frappe
• Took full ownership of Raven Cloud. Worked on scalable features and the push notification system. Learned what it actually means to own things end-to-end.
• Owned the payment infrastructure for Emotive (US-based client). High ownership, great features, low room for mistakes.
• Got better at solving harder problems. Slowly learned how to review PRs and think beyond just my own code.
• Got better at using AI for smaller tasks, also shipped great features on Raven.
• Traveled for work a lot more. Made some amazing work trip memories I will remember for a long time. Grateful I got those opportunities.
• Built a healthier relationship with work. Still ambitious, but less anxious than before.
• Gave my second talk at a conference. Prepared a lot, learned a lot and gave a great talk. Link here - https://youtu.be/g3VkucbZgkw?si=G-Gn0CsWVuT-AxvS

Health

• Stayed consistent with the gym. Over 200+ days this year. At this point, lifting weights feels more like an obsession than a habit.
• Ate cleaner. Occasionally had cheat meals, but very rarely did I miss eating clean daily.
• Motivation faded, discipline stayed. That's probably the biggest win here.
• Sleep cycle still needs work. I don't even know if that's possible.

Travel and Leisure

• First International Trip - Thailand(Phuket). Also my first proper boys trip. Very chaotic, very unfiltered. Had a proper Hangover moment. One of those trips that will never be recreated again.
• First cousins-only trip — Uttarakhand. Jim Corbett, Ranikhet, Nainital, Rishikesh. Insanely beautiful places. Felt good to just be around cousins and make some great memories.
• Took my family on a trip fully sponsored by me — Coorg. Seeing your parents genuinely relax and enjoy without worrying about money hits different. That feeling alone made everything worth it.
• Took a lot of flights this year. Spent time in airport lounges, stared out of airplane windows a lot. Some flights were genuinely unforgettable experiences.
• Stayed at places I once thought were way out of reach, and got to take my parents along too. Watching them experience things we couldn’t when I was younger brought me a quiet kind of joy. Good stays, good food, a few expensive mistakes — but no regrets. Just memories I’ll always be grateful for.
• Somehow ended up with good photos of myself. Didn't think this would ever happen. Took me 25 years.

Life

• Moved from my parent's home and went to a new city. Pune -> Mumbai.
• Learned the hard way how heavy choosing growth over comfort actually feels. Taking big risks isn't glamorous. It's lonely and uncomfortable. But nescessary for me.
• Started over once again before comfort set in.
• Figuring routines, loneliness and all sorts of feelings in this adulting phase.
• Bought PS5 for the younger kid in me. Felt proud.
• Learned to carry gratitude and guilt together.
• Turned 25. Quarter-life check-in. Realised I've done some things right, but I'm still far from where I want to be in life.
• Faced difficult decisions this year. Often chose what felt right over what I wanted. Then spent days overthinking those choices anyway.
• Started trusting God's plan more. Trying to trust the process. Becoming a little more delusional along the way. "God's Plan Baby" became my go to quote.
• Built deeper relationships with family and a very small circle of friends. Kept my life more isolated. Fewer people, but intentional.
• Wrote a lot more this year. Writing helped me process things I couldn't say out loud. Stayed consistent like I promised myself in my SOP.
• Lived months on autopilot, but stayed disciplined enough to keep showing up. Kept showing up and doing what is necessary no matter what. No matter how shitty I felt inside.
• Walked away from a lot of things again. People, comfort, familiarity.

2025 was a defining year for me in many ways. It asked a lot, gave a lot, and took a lot. It asked uncomfortable questions and made me realise that I'm probably never going to be fully satisfied with myself. I don't think I'll ever feel “good enough” — and I'm slowly making peace with that. Maybe that's okay, because I know I'll keep working hard anyway. I think I learned to live with “The curse of competence” a little better this year, and to enjoy the process instead of constantly fighting it.

It forced me to grow up — emotionally, physically, professionally, and personally. I learned how to sit with my overbearing thoughts, with loneliness, with silence. I learned how to keep showing up when motivation disappeared, and how to walk away to do the right thing even when it hurt.

I don't feel like I've won anything yet. I don't feel successful, not even close to the version of myself I've been delusionally believing in since childhood. But I do feel more prepared. It feels like I moved at least one small step closer to that version of me — and that's probably the best way to sum up this year.

What I want from 2026

• More consistency — at work, in learning, and with my health.
• A better sleep routine. Very delusional, but trying.
• A calmer mind. Even more delusional, but still worth wanting.
• Deeper focus at work and learning — and picking up skills beyond just engineering.
• To build things I can be genuinely proud of.
• To continue writing, honestly and regularly.
• To try and sustain the very few relationships I have left — keep them close and value them properly.

On a broader level, that's it. I do have a few more things in mind, but I'll keep those to myself for now. Let's see if I can keep at least some of the promises I've made to myself.🤞🏻🧿