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It’s been a while since I’ve given an update on my 2021 goals. I hope in the meantime you’ve had a wonderful fall, and are in good spirits heading into the holiday season.
It’s hard to believe at this time there is STILL so much uncertainty in the world, but here we are. Frustrating as it is, I think I’m finally getting to a point where I’m just going with the flow and letting go of my craving for certainty.
For example, I planned a rather busy travel schedule for myself this fall. With so many trips close to the holidays, I began to feel very overwhelmed and full of anxiety. I did not see cancelling as an option unless 100% necessary.
After losing much sleep and wasting time and energy overthinking, I finally reached the conclusion to simply take things as they come. Therefore, I turned my focus to only the trip that was immediately coming up. This helped me to feel much more organized, and less in over my head. I’ve been sleeping better, and my mental health is feeling much better too.
And guess what? I did have a situation where I had to cancel an entire trip to Spain at the last minute. With the current environment, I may even need to cancel an upcoming trip to Canada.
Even though I never thought we’d still be at this point in December 2021, I’m feeling calm and accepting about it. I would not have been able to say the same a few months ago, when I was freaking out about changing rules when traveling to Greece.
So, about those goals. Let’s see what I’ve been able to accomplish in these messy times.
My 9 New Year’s Goals for 2021
1. Learn How to Make Cream Puffs – Done
I successfully made my first batch of cream puffs back in July. They turned out great, and to rave reviews!
Since them, I have not yet made anymore. However, I watch far too many baking shows, and now want to try making a croquembouche. This is basically a big pile of cream puffs that looks a lot like a Christmas tree shape.
Is is realistic for me to make this by the end of the year? Time will tell.
2. Meditate More
No change here since my last update. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get back into meditation. That said, I could really use it in my life!
3. Read 12 Books
My book reading really slowed down around July. I blame this on travel and knitting. I’ve completed three sweaters since August!
Unfortunately, being an adult often means putting down one task in order to pick up another. Here’s what I’ve been able to read in 2021:
- Big Magic (I’ve read this twice now)
- All the Light We Cannot See (a novel that largely takes place in WWII France. The end was sad, and I actually shed a tear)
- Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown (after watching all the existing seasons of The Crown, this book helped fill the void. It’s an autobiographical novel by Anne Glenconner, lady in waiting to Princess Margaret. It was quite riveting!).
- The Universe Has Your Back (with my new life as a travel blogger, I deal with uncertainty on the daily and am constantly questioning myself. This book helped me learn to let go of what I cannot control).
- Conquering Mountains (a book all about solo female travel. It is written by Kristin Addis, creator of one of the top solo female travel blogs in the United States).
- Little Women: After visiting Louisa May Alcott’s family home during a surprise Massachusetts trip, I couldn’t believe I never read Little Women before. I immediately bought a copy when I found myself at the Harvard bookstore.
I never meet this goal, but am pretty much on pace with what I usually accomplish. Unsurprisingly, it seems I do the most reading during the dark, dreary times of the year, when being huddled under a blanket is much more appealing than venturing outside.
4. Continue Studying French
Good news on this front: I’m back baby! I put French down earlier this year because I wanted to study Greek and Spanish before traveling to Greece and Barcelona.
Those trips were so wonderful, but when they were done, I felt French pulling me back in again. I’ve been hitting the Duolingo pretty hard, and even wrote a whole post about all my favorite self-study habits.
5. Make Another Layer Cake From Scratch – Done
This is technically already complete because I made a chocolate layer cake for my birthday in January. I’d really love to make another one though.
Actually, lately I’ve really wanted to try making an upside down cake from scratch. However, will I be able to do so before the end of the year? And who is going to eat all these baked goods??
6. Pick Blueberries – Done
We finally made it to Baumhart Berry Farm on time for the July blueberry-picking season. It was actually an unseasonably chilly day, and felt more like we should be picking apples.
That said, I made an amazing pie from the blueberries and it is one of my favorite memories of this summer. We also made it back to pick blackberries, and later, apples! It was very fun making blackberry cobbler and apple crisp from fruit me and Aaron picked ourselves.
7. Stop looking at my phone during first half hour of the day
I’m ashamed at how badly I am failing at this one.
8. Post One Blog Post a Week
So, this year has been a strange one with posting for me. I’ve struggled to find a rhythm since I’ve been blogging full time, which I think is normal. With the freedom to travel whenever I want, I’ve been taking full advantage.
That said, I’ve found it difficult to stay consistent with posting while traveling. The exception to that is during my recent two weeks in Boston, when I worked out of a hotel room while my husband went to the office. I was actually super productive in that setting, and think I am much more easily distracted in my own house.
I’ve also done a ton of updates to old posts this year, which was neglected for too long and a very important task. However, I’m ready to stop looking at old posts for a while, and turn my focus to creating new content. That’s actually one of my biggest goals for 2022.
9. Buy a new camera lens – Done
I didn’t just buy one new camera lens. I bought two! One of them is a 50mm lens that I think will be good for more general use. It’s very sharp and I’m loving it so far.
The other is a zoom lens, which is awesome because I didn’t have anything like it previously. I had a lot of fun playing with it at the Isle of Palms in Charleston.
• • •
This list is actually looking better than I thought it would. It’s definitely been an adjustment year, and sometimes kind of hard. No one ever said working for yourself would be easy though!
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, both on the blog and in pushing myself to travel. I’ve made it to three new countries, one new state, one new US Virgin Island, and one new National Park. I’ve traveled alone twice, one of such trips was in two foreign countries, and so far away from my husband and dog.
I often focus on the things I haven’t accomplished and how I think I’m falling short, and these posts always help me reframe things in a more positive light.
Do you set goals for yourself each year? I’d love to hear about them below!
