2021 RECAP

I don't usually set difficult goals with very high expectations, especially for a 12-month period, since I can't "see" that far. But after the single 2020 resolution of being happy and then a pandemic happening, I wanted to give myself something big to look forward to. This year, I set two huge impossible goals: to finish my PhD and to get a book deal (ideally in that order).

So let's break down those two, because one went terribly wrong and the other well...

1. Finish my PhD

There were many things that went wrong with my PhD, from the lack of funding, to all the drawbacks from the pandemic. I could go on and on about it, but in today's post, I'd like to focus on the good things that happened and which I'm grateful for.

I may not have finished my PhD this year - heck, I may not finish it next year, either - but at least a paper came out of it, published in geosciences. I also learned many things about myself and what I want in life. Unfortunately, that's where it stops.

2. Get a book deal

Since getting a book deal was of highest priority this year, I didn't write much. Instead, I spent all my spare time researching and querying agents. It was a long road, but well worth it.

If you've been following my journey, you already know I did get a book deal this year. And I believe it was a good deal. My first novel will be published in 2022, and will be translated in other languages, too.

If you want to read more about my journey writing this book, click here.

Personal achievements

As I mentioned above, this year I learned more about what I want in life, and especially what I don't want. So I learned to set systems to create the kind of life that's meaningful to me, and I'd like to believe that I became more assertive, too.

Even though the first trimester of 2021 was hell, I did manage to even out my spare time after that, and have some quality alone time on weekends. And I know this might sound silly, but I also managed to stay away from work on my days off, even though I was thinking about work all the time (baby steps).

This year I got married to the most loving and supportive person I could have wished for. He was there for me in the lows of my PhD and in the highs of my writing career. And all the little moments we spend together, I cherish deep in my heart.

I'm grateful that my family is safe and that I went through COVID lightly. And even though my spine hasn't fully recovered yet (not covid-related), I'm back to living the life I had before.

15 week challenge

15 weeks ago, I wrote a blog post called Overwhelming Goals in which I break down all my little goals for the remainder of the year. Back then, it seemed like a lot to handle. And frankly, it was.

So let me break down what happened with those goals.

Research projects: compromise my working hours. I did talk to the supervisors and managers, but didn't exactly accomplish this. However, 2022 will be far better.

PhD: finish data analysis and thesis outline. I didn't finish the analysis. Though, I'm almost there. I did create a thesis outline for which I have not gotten any feedback from my supervisors yet.

Writing career: write 3 complete and concrete short stories. I did write 3 stories, but they need editing.

Social media: be consistent. Let's just all pause here and take a moment of laughter before we move on to the next one. I won't stress much about this now.

Health: daily exercise, balanced diet, draw and play the piano more often. Did most of these, but not in the desired frequency. I still consider this a win, though.

ECDL: complete the course. I did complete the course and also passed 3 of 6 tests.

Overall, I think 2021 was okay. And I'll do my best to turn 2022 into a better year. This is the last day of the year, so I wish you all a happy new one. In next week's post I'll lay out my new resolutions and aspirations.

How was your year? Let me know in the comments if you accomplished everything you wanted.