What 2021 Has Taught Me & What I Expect From 2022

December 28th 2021

Next Up Forever~

When ending a year, I find 2 things to be very important. The first is taking time to reflect on all you have learned in the past year and the second is setting attainable, realistic goals for the year ahead. For the first time in years, I am going into a new year with a glimmer of hope that this blank slate will give me something I can build on more than I have had in previous years. With that hopes comes a personal desire to really turn things around for myself and work towards that potential I know I haven’t been living up to.

2021 was a year of big lessons, big disappointments, big successes, and a lot of personal growth. Even in its bad parts, I wouldn’t change it for anything because I feel like this year is what inspired me to really make a change and become the person I know I can be. So, here are a few things that 2021 has taught me.

1. Even the worst days are only 24 hours. I think that when you’re wrapped up in a terrible situation, you have a tendency to lose sight of there being an end to the tunnel you’re staring in to. However, after making it through quite a few stressful situations in 2021, I have come to realize that sometimes the hassle is worth the peace you gain afterwards.
2. Life puts people back in your orbit for a reason. I lost touch with a good friend a few years ago due to our conflicting mental health issues almost 5 years ago and we just reconnected this summer. Not only did our friendship return to how it once was, but it actually improved since we have both started receiving better mental health help and had some growing experiences as individuals.
3. If you believe the universe is conspiring to give you whatever you want, you will be more likely to manifest it. I had realized early into this year that I had lost myself and my spirituality a bit and that loss caused me to self-sabotage through negative self-talk. This realization (and my therapist) has inspired me to focus more on positive self-talk, affirmations, and manifesting my best life instead of giving off poor energy.
4. It’s never too late to start over. I thought my move was going to be my fresh start, but since that fresh start, I have had about 3 more fresh starts and I am beginning to see that I am in control of how often I start over. Every new job, new activity, new living space, new experience, new anything is an excuse to start fresh. I can wake up on any random day and decide to start over because starting over begins and ends with me.
5. My mental health is the strongest when I focus on striking a balance between physical activity and mental exercise. Doing yoga, reading books, meditating, taking walks, etc. are all great ways for me to focus my physical self and my mental self and put them at harmony.

I feel like my list of lessons was a bit shorter this year, one because I am saving the good stuff for my birthday post and two because I feel like I learned more profound things versus specific things. However, my list of goals for next year outweighs my lessons of 2021 and I am super excited to share. You can also take a look at 5 changes I want to make in my life in 2022 in my previous post to get an idea of how I plan to execute this specific goals!

1. I want to read at least 1 book but ideally 5-7 books. I really fell off reading in recent years and I found that, when I was reading, I was way better with my writing and was way more inspired by life overall. I would love to get back into personal growth books and maybe sprinkle in some realistic fiction. I am super picky with books so I would love to take some time to go to a bookstore and pick myself out some new books to get excited about because I find choosing books to be a very personal experience.
2. I want to lose 40lbs. I know that sounds like a lofty goal but I really think I can do it. I allowed myself to slip between 2020 and 2021 and I want to get back to a place that makes me feel good, empowered and happy. I want to improve my diet, impulse eat less, exercise more, get more conscious about my choices, and get more comfortable in my own skin.
3. I want to develop a workout routine and stay consistent. I want to stop with my all or nothing tendencies and slowly integrate myself into a new physical activity routine. I used to do yoga 5-15 hours a week before I moved and now I don’t even hit my walking goals for the day. Getting in a routine is super important for me to reach my #2 goal.
4. I want to get at least 1-2 tattoos. I haven’t gotten a tattoo since 2019 and I miss getting little pieces of art on my body to express myself. I have a few ideas I am excited about and I want to start slowly getting those checked off my list.
5. I want to go to a concert. This one is more contingent on whether or not it is safe to go to a concert, but I really want to go to see AJR or Betty Who or another comfort artist in 2022. As someone who used to go to concerts monthly and, at points, even weekly, to say I haven’t been to a live concert since 2019 is deeply upsetting.
6. I want to get back into fashion. I used to be really well-dressed and I took pride in creating unique, stylish outfits. But sometime early this year, I really fell off of dressing nice and started dressing exclusively for comfort. I really want to make bolder fashion choices and really elevate my style game.

I think this goals are approachable but should push me to be better. What do you hope to accomplish in 2022 and how do you feel about the new year?

Jess~