2021 has been… I don’t even know what word to use to describe it. There’s has been a lot of great things but it has also been rough. I thought it was going to be easier and better than 2020. In some was it has been but in other ways it has been harder. Between my personal life and work 2021 has just simply been exhausting.
I have been reflecting back on the past year as we all do around this time. Even though 2021 started a little bit rough for me, I also started it with the best of intentions. I had a lot of goals and while I did not accomplish all of them, I have been going through what my goals were for 2021 and there are a few that I did accomplish that I am really proud of.
One of the biggest things I accomplished in 2021 that I am proud of is starting this blog. Starting a blog is something I had wanted to do for YEARS. 2021 was the year I told myself to stop letting fear hold me back. I am a perfectionist and an over thinker and I finally had to let that go and tell myself that it was okay if it was not perfect from the beginning. No one is an expert at first and we all have to learn as we go. I finally realized that I would never get better at it if I didn’t start. While I only posted my original first post on here in 2021 I am still proud of myself for starting the blog. I have posted more on my Instagram with content than I have on here but one of my goals for 2022 is to create more blog/Instagram/TikTok content to be able to grow my social media.
One of my highlights of 2021 was getting to travel to Nashville with my mom. I love to travel and Nashville has been on my bucket list for a long time. I loved getting to explore Nashville with my mom and spend that quality time with her.
One thing I like to try to do is step outside of my comfort zone and try new things. I used to always want to try new things with someone else so I didn’t have to go by myself but I realized that I can’t always wait around for other people to go with me. It makes me step outside of my comfort zone even more when I try new things by myself. I didn’t try as many new things as I wanted to but I did try an aerial fitness class which I LOVED. I definitely want to take more classes and try more new things.
CONCERTS. I love going to concerts and I finally got to start going to concerts again. In 2019, I went to 12 plus concerts. I went to at least one every month, sometimes more. It sucked not being able to go to any in 2020. I am so glad live music and concerts were back in 2021!
Spending time with my family is extremely important to me and I am so thankful for all of the time I got to spend with them this year. I got to see and spend a lot of time with my immediate family and extended family. I know not everyone is able to do that so I cherish every moment I get to spend with them.
As I’m highlighting all of the good things that happened this year I don’t want people to think this year was perfect and 100% easy for me because it wasn’t. It is so easy for social media and the internet to be a highlight reel and I never want people to compare my “internet life” to their real everyday life. We are all human and trying to figure out this whole being an adult thing. Being an adult is more difficult than I ever thought it would be and I often need someone that is more of an adult than I am to tell me how to navigate it 😅
I read a quote once that says, “Great things don’t happen because of a new year, great things happen because of a new attitude.” I think that’s so important because we can change our attitude at any time. We don’t have to just change our attitude because it’s a new year. Let everyday be a fresh start for you! Reaching your goals is not going to be linear. Don’t let that keep you from reaching your goals! Keep pushing forward. Think about where you will be a year from now if you don’t quit. It may seem like it’s going to take a long time to reach your goals but time is going to pass anyways, might as well do something productive with that time.
I think it’s important to revisit your resolutions/goals every 3 months or so. You may realize you want to add something or that something isn’t working/isn’t feasible for your life right now. Just because we change goals, adjust our goals or don’t reach a goal doesn’t make us a failure. We just have to keep doing the best we can everyday!
Here are a few of my goals for 2022:
1. Make my bed everyday
This is so small but so big! On the days that I make my bed it just helps make me feel like I’ve accomplished something to start my day. As much as I am going to do my best to make my bed everyday before I leave for work the days that I don’t I am still going to make it when I get home or before I go to bed. Why? It always just feels better getting into a bed that’s made!
2. Make habits towards being healthier
As much as I would love to be able to work out 6 days a week I know that it isn’t feasible for me right now. My goal right now is to plan for 2-3 days a week and then if I’m I’m able to workout more then it is a plus. I am also planning on getting back in the habit of meal prepping and drinking more water. I plan to also incorporate small things such as going on walks outside when it is nice outside. I eventually plan to add things such as yoga and running but I am going to start slow at first so that I don’t overwhelm myself.
3. Set boundaries and stick to them
I have always been a people pleaser and I give people way too many chances. I am working on figuring out what my boundaries are, setting boundaries and sticking to them.
4. Leave work at work as much as possible
To be able to accomplish a lot of my personal goals outside of work, I need to do my best to leave work at work as much as possible. This will help me have a better work/life balance. With my job it is not always possible for me to leave work at work but I am going to do my best. I am going to work on doing a better job at work of making the most of my time while I am there and getting as much accomplished as I can. That way it is easier for me to leave work at work.
5. Journal at least once a week
Journaling is extremely therapeutic for me. When I write things down it really helps me be able to process things better. I love being able to go back and look at my old entries and remember what I was feeling at the time and how far I’ve come since then. I go through phases where I journal a lot or not at all. I want to journal at least once a week to help me from going through phases where I don’t journal at all.
6. Read at least 10 minutes a day
I have loved to read ever since I was little. My mom instilled a love for reading in me from a very young age. As I’ve gotten older and as streaming services have become more popular I have started reading less. I get distracted and busy and then reading becomes something I put on the back burner. 10 minutes a day is not very much and I know I can find 10 minutes a day to read. Even if it means listening to an audiobook for 10 minutes in the car everyday.
7. Go to therapy
I already started this at the end of 2021 and I am so glad I did. I have been to therapy before and has helped me through a lot of things in my life. You don’t have to be at your breaking point before you decide to go to therapy. If you are considering going to therapy I highly recommend it! You might have to try a few different therapists before you find a good fit but it is worth it.
8. Save money
One of my HUGE goals is to buy a house in 2022. That means I have to stop shopping so much… 😬 and start putting more money in savings. Even if I’m not able to buy a house in 2022 since the housing market has been so crazy then I will at least have money saved for when I am able to buy one.
9. Keep practicing and getting better at the hobbies I enjoy
I have so many different hobbies I enjoy that I don’t spend nearly enough time on. For example, I love photography and learning how to hand letter. I want to spend more time this year practicing these hobbies and getting better at them.
10. Put more time and effort into my blog, Instagram and TikTok
I would love to eventually monetize my blog but for that to happen I know I have to put more effort in keeping up with content to post. One of my goals is to find the time to put more effort into creating content for my blog, Instagram and TikTok.
Something I did to help hold myself accountable for my goals this year was to make a mood board, write my goals/resolutions on it, then I made it my screen saver. I also put my goals into 7 categories. I got the idea of putting them into categories and making it my screensaver from a friend of mine.
One thing I try to do at the beginning of the year is to pick a word of the year. This year I couldn’t decide on just one so I picked three. My words for this year are: boundaries, create and intentional. Based of my goals/resolutions you can see why each of those words are important to me.
I am vowing for this year to be a year of personal growth, building better habits, rediscovering myself and who I want to be. I am going to do my best to not let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Here’s 2022 and showing up for myself this year✨
Daily Dose Of Chandler 