As mentioned in my 2020 Resolutions post, I'm someone who sets various goals each year and genuinely reviews them throughout the year in a bid to accomplish them. After a year of uncertainty due to the pandemic, I was keen to make 2021 a big year and achieve many goals, which looking back, I believe I have. On New Year's Day, I divided my 2021 resolutions into 5 categories: Bucket List, Habits, Experiences, Skills, and Miscellaneous. I will use the same headings here, which will hopefully make more sense as you see the resolutions within them.
Bucket List
For me, this was the most exciting category and is based off of my actual Bucket List or are things that I've wanted to do for years now.
Visit 2 new countries
In previous years, I've aimed to visit five or six new countries, however given the nature of the pandemic I thought that even two was ambitious. Despite this, I actually managed to visit several new countries, including Malta, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Gibraltar, and the United Arab Emirates! I also managed to go on several road trips with friends and explore a lot of Portugal and Spain over the Summer, for which I am very grateful.
Read War & Peace
I deliberately wanted to avoid setting a goal to read x books this year, as having read over 80 in 2020 due to the lockdown, I wanted to spend less time indoors reading and more time enjoying life. That said, I do love reading and War & Peace had been on my Bucket List for a while, although I wasn't sure at what point I'd have either the time or the motivation to even attempt such a feat. That said, after a lockdown was announced over the opening months of 2021 and with no impending ACA exams, there couldn't have been a better time to take on the challenge. For my thoughts on this book and how I'd break down the task, click here.
Move out
Despite most of my friends living in London, very few people I knew where looking to move out (either due to the pandemic or because they already had a tenancy), and I wasn't keen on living with strangers given that my parents have a house in London and I wasn't desperate to move out unless there was a better option. Around March I started house hunting as I was thinking about buying a house, however I didn't have much success and then with travel back on the table and various exams to sit in the later months, it became less of a priority. That said, I would like to buy a house in 2022 or perhaps move in with friends (provided that we are not in another lockdown).
Live abroad
This has been an aim of mine for several years, although I finally got a taste of living abroad over Summer when I managed to work remotely from Lisbon for a couple of months. I met many incredible people and explored a lot over this period and given that it was my first trip abroad after my first Professional Level ACA exams and after an extended national lockdown, it couldn't have been sweeter and I look back on this Summer very fondly.
Get balayage
I had wanted to lighten my hair for several years, but kept putting it off as I wasn't sure if it would suit me and it's a big expense for something you might dislike. Regardless, after several months of lockdown, I made the appointment and in April finally sat through hours of hair treatments. To my surprise, I really loved the results and am set on redoing it in 2022. Read more about my experience getting balayage here.
Get a tattoo
I have wanted a tattoo for several years, however my indecisiveness has kept me from actually booking and getting one. Luckily, I'd planned my road trip across Spain in July to go via Murcia, which is where one of my favourite tattoo artists (Liosmiostattoo) has a studio. Unfortunately, the trip got cut short (and I got covid), so we never actually made it to Murcia. One of my best friends however finally got a tattoo in Autumn, which has inspired me to book an appointment and finally get one early next year.
Ride a vespa
You might think that a motorbike accident would be enough to get me off of two-wheeled vehicles, but in actual fact the main reason I even got on a motorbike in the first place was because I'd been wanting to ride a vespa ever since I'd seen the first episode of Gossip Girl when Serena announces that she'd ridden a vespa in Italy. After several failed attempts to rent vespas (it turns out others weren't so keen to have this experience), I finally managed to rent a Yego moped in Seville over Summer and it was exactly what I'd hoped for.
Hire a boat
Similarly, I had never piloted a boat and was very keen to. In fact, I'd booked to hire a boat in Malta in 2020, however the trip had gotten cancelled due to covid. I was still planning on going to Malta in 2021 so assumed it would be there that I would hire a boat, however whilst visiting the Lake District in May for my mum's birthday there was the opportunity to hire a boat for an hour or so and since my family was keen to give it a go, off we set down the beautiful lake, which was definitely a highlight of the trip (despite it being a very slow ride).
Habits
This category included things that I wanted to make regular in my life, and although I managed to make some of them stick, the majority are fairly boring (such as flossing and maintaining a healthy weight), so I'll just provide a snippet here.
Donate blood regularly
Donating blood can be difficult with regular travel as you have to wait a few months after visiting various countries. This wasn't an issue at the start of the year as we were in a lockdown, however towards the end of the year as I travelled more frequently and got my covid vaccines (and covid itself), I found myself postponing my appointments. That said, I managed to donate blood a few times this year and always have my next appointment booked.
Post regularly on this blog
I have been fairly consistent in posting on this blog, with the aim to publish a post every Sunday at 9am. This can be difficult during exam periods or prolonged periods of travel (I definitely missed a few weeks after my stint in Iberia), however I have made a conscious effort to schedule posts over busy revision periods and am happy with the consistency of my posts, though I would like to work more on my blog next year in terms of both a schedule and the quality of the content.
Donate to food banks regularly
Following an incentive at work, I wanted to make donating to food banks a regular occurrence, however I wasn't as successful with this as I'd hoped. I believe that this was due to a lack of planning as it was always at the back of my mind but without reminders or a regular schedule, it kept getting forgotten. Therefore, this is one of the things I'd like to work more on next year too.
Experiences
Go for afternoon tea at the Dorchester
For my 23rd birthday we weren't able to travel, so I'd been planning to go for a Jazz Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester as part of my celebrations. At the last minute, it was announced that London would be going into a full lockdown over the Christmas period and so, this celebration was postponed for the New Year. Instead, we managed to go in 2021, and I even treated myself to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz with a couple of colleagues over Summer.
Watch Les Mis live
Despite being an avid theatre-goer, I'd been putting off Les Mis due to the long show-time and my perception of it being a very boring play. This was mainly because I couldn't get into the film the first time I'd watched it so I thought it wasn't for me, but after listening to the soundtrack and rewatching the film, I realised that I actually liked the storyline a lot. The play was great, although I definitely think that watching the film beforehand helped me to follow the storyline (albeit, ruined the ending).
Banana boat
Despite having tried out a lot of water sports and loving anything to do with the sea, I've never been on a banana boat, and this is still on my Bucket List.
Run a half marathon
During 2020's Christmas lockdown, I went on a couple of 10km runs with my dad and realised that although I was very proud of my consistent 5km runs, I wasn't actually challenging myself as much as I'd thought, and so I determined that one of my resolutions would be a running challenge. Initially this was simply to run at least one 10km each month (which I did until about August), however during the lockdown, running was one of the only things we could legally do, and as someone who loves a challenge I started to consider signing up for a half marathon at the end of the year. Coincidentally, I received an email at work in February asking for volunteers to run a virtual half-marathon in April for our partner charity. I only had a few days to decide and despite feeling doubtful and that I was way out of my depth, I signed up and promptly followed a running schedule (albeit starting a third of the way through). I actually mostly managed to keep up with the training and felt comfortable that I'd be able to finish the race, although I didn't want to set any time goals for myself so that I would enjoy it without any pressure. I ran the half marathon in 2 hours 6 minutes and was extremely proud of myself as I'd never even considered the possibility of me running a half marathon until this year and it took a lot of resilience and determination. Read more about my experience here.
Festivals
I love music festivals and hadn't been to any weekend ones in several years so was very keen to get back on the bandwagon, especially a couple in Portugal. Unfortunately, all of the festivals I wanted to go to were cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic but I'm hopeful that in 2022 I'll be able to make it to at least one.
Go to a black tie event
Although I got invited to a couple of black tie events, not many people I knew were going so I wasn't very keen to attend, however similarly to with festivals I haven't attended a black tie event in years and would love to get properly dressed up for a fancy do at some point in 2022.
Salsa lessons
Despite my Latin roots and musical abilities, I have two left feet. This is a shame since I love Latin American culture and music, so after returning from Mexico and Cuba my friend and I agreed to take some Salsa lessons. Covid hit a couple of weeks after our return and this was postponed until further notice. Unfortunately, that further notice wasn't in 2021, and if in-person lessons return in 2022 I would like to challenge myself with some Salsa lessons in anticipation of my big South America trip in the pipeline.
Ice skate on a frozen lake
Despite having ice skated several times this year, including in Somerset House for the first time (which was underwhelming), the Natural History Museum for the last time (where the skates were far too blunt) and in Tallinn (which was perfect), I didn't manage to skate on a frozen lake or river but it remains on my Bucket List.
Skills
Learn to make a bolognese
This resolution may seem very random, and that's partially because it is, but also in my 23 years I'd never learnt how to make a good bolognese and it was something I was keen to do. Over lockdown I finally made one using this recipe and it went down a treat with the family.
Complete 2 Excel/Python courses
I got put on a big project at work in November 2020, partially because I had done a couple of Python courses, but since joining the project I realised how much I could improve my proficiency with both Excel and Python, and so during the lockdown in January I took several courses on LinkedIn Learning and Coursera in order to develop my capabilities. In hindsight, I don't think that they were that useful as I've forgotten most of it and believe that the best way to learn is through application in your work, but I definitely learnt a lot about Python in particular and what it has to offer.
Do a handstand
This is a skill that I have been wanting to learn for years and am still unable to master. I came very close during 2021's lockdown, however for some reason I just can't gain the momentum to manage a handstand from beginning to end.
Learn how to skateboard
In Summer 2019, I found an abandoned skateboard for the taking whilst on a run and during the January-April lockdown, I managed to actually find my balance and skate a bit. Though there's a lot of work to be done, I am very happy to have the (very) basics down.
Learn how to surf
Since spending Christmas in Australia in 2019, I've been keen to get back into surfing. Several years ago, I had a surfing lesson in the Canary Islands and enjoyed it, despite not being able to stand up. Therefore, my aim this year was to have another lesson or two and finally be able to stand up on the surfboard and ride a wave. The day after I arrived in Lisbon in June, I booked a lesson and it was from this lesson that I met some of my closest friends from the trip. What I wasn't expecting was how much arm strength was required to brace against the waves as you went further out to sea and I was knackered by the end of the lesson. I definitely would like to develop this skill the next time I have a prolonged trip by the coast.
Give a presentation at work
As someone who values their career and interpersonal skills highly, I believe that public speaking is a very valuable skill to have and despite not loving presentations, I would like to develop my confidence and abilities as a junior so that when I actually have to give important presentations as a senior I will be able to do so confidently. I actually presented more in the first 3 months of starting my grad scheme in 2020 than throughout the whole of 2021, however I would like to carry this resolution into 2022.
Miscellaneous
These are the random things that didn't quite fit into any of the other categories.
Pass all ACA exams
As a Forensic Consultant, I have to sit 15 exams over 3 years in order to become a Chartered Accountant. I took several exams this year, including 3 Certificate Level exams (the lowest of three levels) and 4 Professional Level exams (the middle level), meaning that (provided that I passed my last sitting), I only have 5 exams remaining (as I sat the other 3 Certificate Level exams in 2020), which I will sit over the next 2 years in 2 or 3 sittings. Given that the Professional Level exams are extremely time-consuming and fairly demanding, I am very proud to have sat so many exams, alongside considerable travel and lifelong accomplishments (including a half marathon) and I aim to keep up the momentum in 2022.
Eat less meat
Although in an ideal world I would be vegan and save the planet, my goal this year was to just reduce my meat consumption and try other alternatives. Similarly to the food bank donations, I feel like without a solid plan to follow this sort of went out the window, however I did make sure to try tofu (which I actually enjoyed), and quorn (which was decent), and am a fan of the Beyond Meat burger patties even more so than regular beef patties, so hope to incorporate more vegan alternatives in 2022.
Go on a couple of holidays with mates
Each year, several friend groups insist that we should go on holiday together, and every year very few of these trips actually happen. Although I did manage a trip to an island off the south of Portugal with some mates and a couple of trips to the Baltics with two mates (as well as reunions and road trips in the UK), I'd really love to go on a ski holiday with some friends, which will hopefully happen within the next couple of years.
Despite my hefty list, I'm actually shocked at how much I managed to achieve this year given that I didn't feel very burnt-out and that we were in a lockdown for a few months. Stay tuned to see my 2022 Resolutions!
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