New Year Tips For Everyone

 

Tips for programmers (and other readers) before 2016

We are about to enter the next year, 2016, and we haven’t yet learnt anything from our mistakes that we have made last year. We may have learnt new things, new ideas and new technologies but unless we learn from our mistakes we are not going to get anything better done in 2016. And, I would hate to hear the same questions in 2016 that I heard in 2015. So, here goes the 5 tips for programmers that I want them to take under considerations before moving forward to 2016!

No C++, no C#, no Java. But a human-to-human talk is all this post is about. I am not going to talk about computers, but you! Programmers make up the computers, computers are nothing but a bunch of transistors passing on electric current from one IC to another. You, my brother (or sister) are the one who matter. Time to share some memories, I guess?

Do not go gentle into that good night

I am a very big fan of Interstellar movie, this poem of Dylan Thomas I remember and I use each time when I am about to lose hope in myself. 2016 is about to come, make up some resolutions, and make up plans for the party as it is “about to happen“. Do not lose hope, if 2015 was not a good year or if you did not get success. There are many reasons to moan and grieve, but there are many other reasons to smile at 2015 too.

A New Year always doesn’t have to be celebration, sometimes you need to consider new innovations before moving on to the New Year. Most of us are still working to make our 2016 better! Think of them and work.

I remember, 2014 was not a very much good year for me. Things were rough, odds were all against me and… I was losing hope in myself. I joined C# Corner in January, 2015. I remember myself posting articles with an intent to just share what I had. I did not want any accolade, just shared them. That made me feel good and I had no wish or dream for anything as a repay. And on the eve of 18th March I received the MVP award from C# Corner! I really feel very thankful to them, for granting me with such a pride. I would like to recommend the same to others.

You can read the poem at Academy of American Poets.

 

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

© Dylan Thomas

Keep dreaming, keep awake

I am not a writer, nor do I consider myself to be a great author but I have a personal saying that I usually use for myself:

Wake up, open your eyes and start dreaming…

I believe dreams are not what we see in sleep. Dreams are something that doesn’t let us sleep. You cannot just simply skip your dreams, you can dream of anything and if you do not achieve it. You didn’t simply dream enough for it! This is a very simple rule.

All of these discoveries have been made through imagination. There was no concept of gravity until that Apple fell. There was no concept of relativity until Einstein imagined something while sitting on a chair. All of these, they are imaginations, dreams, that people work so hard to bring to reality. If you do not bring it to reality, work harder.

Physics, chemistry, computer science and many other fields, including Astronomy, are all based on human conceptions. You cannot just do anything with current ideas. You have to look at the verge of chances and then make a decision.



So, now, can I hope you are going to dream, dream bigger than you did in 2015? :-) The bigger you dream the better the results would be! Take it for guaranteed, brother.

Find a hobby

Sometimes, you get bored and fed up by the same routine that you have. Go get yourself a hobby, work on it. I might say, the following may be great ones:

 

1. Gardening
2. Household works (trust me, they are not just meant for girls!)
3. Sports (football, cricket; spend some time in open air).

Your mind would feel fresh and would get impregnated with impressive ideas. I live in an open area, in Rabwah and I am blessed with an open lawn where I can walk and even sleep at night. The stars outside are also mind freshening. Which most of my friends from Delhi often complain about; I can understand how “not having an open area” feels like. If you could find yourself a hobby along with the job, you can get relax very much as compared to those who just work.

Spend time with your loved ones. They need you!

Digital world has separated us so much, and it our own duty to make sure we are not far away when we sit next to each other. Spend most of your time with your parents, and not your laptops. Spend your time with your siblings and not your hardware! Siblings and parents have feelings and emotions attached to you. Your hardware only has a cable attached to the AC line.

Spend most of your time with your mother, father, who really do care about you! Not just that is a good action, but most of the times your parents would find a better solution to your problems. You should always share your mental problems, regular hurdles and other similar troubles with your parents. Remember: Your parents have more experience with “life” than you! No matter how much lucky, rich and successful you become, they will always be your parents.

Share the happiness

New Year is about to come, it is a happy event for everyone. Share the happiness with everyone, greet everyone you meet!

So, why shouldn’t I be the first one to do so in advance, “Happy New Year, everyone!”.

You made mistakes, but did you learn anything?

Everyone makes mistakes that is not the point. The point is to learn something from your mistakes and to solve your problems that may arise in future. I personally hate to make mistakes, but when I do, I try to dig deeper to learn why it happened and how can I make sure it doesn’t happen again.
I remember I made a lot of mistakes, and most of the times I made mistakes that even made me go mad at myself and to doubt my skills. But, I never gave up. Most of the times beginners who get fed up of making mistakes and causing errors ask me, “How did I become a master?” in any programming language or framework. I reply,

 

I am a master because I have made mistakes more than you can ever make.

Master is not someone who knows everything by birth. But, we come to know everything by experience. I was also making mistakes, the same errors that you get, I got them too! But I never gave up, instead I learnt how to fix them, how to make sure they don’t come again.

Never give up!

Do not have a plan B. Your plan B must always be to complete plan A! Because the moment you decide a plan B for yourself, you have accepted that your plan A is not going to work. Always consider plan A to be the best one, but once it has been implemented, stick to it, no matter what.

The statements like, “If plan A doesn’t work don’t worry there are 25 other characters…” are only meant to be ironic. Do not put your life on a chance, you may not get another.

 

NO PLAN B!

Remember: You can do anything you set your mind to, man

In the end, I just want to say, do not waste another year of your life! With the celebration of 2016, remember that our time is also running out of our hand like sand. I would suggest that you make up some plans before this year ends.



Eminem — my love, my motivator, my mentor, my favorite hip hop artist — has been a motivation to me for a very long time. His songs, raps had kept me on the right path for a very long time! All, what I am, I think its just because of his motivating songs.

You should also consider to find yourself a motivation, then just stick to your plans and do what’s necessary.