Personal essay · 2024
A New Year's Pledge
A public, dated commitment — professional and personal — renewed and graded each year.
Every year I write down a pledge — a mix of professional targets and personal commitments — and make it public. The point isn't the list itself, it's revisiting it a year later and being honest about what actually held.
This Year's Pledge
- AI Product Launch
- Discover novel use cases and launch 5 impactful AI products and services.
- Build a high-performing team
- Constructing a highly collaborative and goal-oriented culture to build a great team and make work meaningful.
- 3 Embedded Finance Partnership Launches
- Deliver 3 successful product launches with embedded finance partners.
- 20 Networks
- Build 20 networks meant to last — forging meaningful connections that enhance personal and professional growth, and contribute positively to the community.
2023 Pledge
- 4 Profit-Generating Product Launches ✅
- Launching Umify's MVP in Q1 '23 to offer assisted payment solutions to freelancers and their clients.
- 20% on Passive Income ✅
- Learning and testing strategies to generate passive income in Q1, building toward a viable, sustainable approach by Q2.
- Long-Term Financial Planning 🛠️
- Constructing a long-term financial plan tailored to my family's requirements and my own.
- 20 Networks 🛠️
- Building 20 networks meant to last.
2022 Pledge
- Zero New Fashion ✅
- Swapped 50+ pieces of clothing instead of buying new, using Swapaholic, a Singaporean startup for recycling clothing and accessories.
- 5% a Month ✅
- Donated regularly to causes supporting education, senior care, children and women, and mental health — aiming for 5% of income every month.
- 1,000 Hours ✅
- Became a mentor on ADPList, coaching aspiring career explorers, career movers, and junior product managers.
- Daily Gratitude ✅
- A daily practice of gratitude, to reset a tangled mind and open it back up.