In the beginning of the year I decided I didn't want to set any goals. Instead, I created a vision board of how I wanted my life to look. So today, I'll be breaking down all the "visions" I had for myself and see how far I've come.
Work-life balance
Unlike previous years, in 2022 I managed to set my own boundaries and created a more balanced life. Some would argue that working is part of our lives, which makes the phrase work-life balance pointless in the sense that you cannot have life-life balance. But the way I see it, my work doesn't define me, and my PhD doesn't define my worth. I am more than the work I do and I want these two to be separated.
Although lately I've doing some over hour studying, I do it for me, to learn things and to evolve. And if I'm tired, I allow myself to sleep in or take the afternoon off.
Work-life balance achieved.
Daily Writing
This is ambiguous in the sense that when I envisioned this for myself, I imagined I'd be writing my next novel or a short story collection. My PhD however requires a ton of writing, too. And even though I'm not currently working on any fiction book project, I am indeed writing my PhD thesis daily. You cannot imagine how happy writing makes me.
Daily writing, I'd say, achieved.
Slow living
Oh my, have I a lot to say about this. Simply put, and avoiding the risk of boring you, I'll say this is by far the most accomplished thing in my list. It's also probably the second most important.
Slow living achieved.
Strong physical and mental health
Obviously, this is the most important thing in my list and no one should try to change my mind. I've managed to balance my meals and my exercise, I drink more water than I used to and my sleep is adequate. I'm enjoying more time with family and friends. I'm learning to accept my flaws and besides my never-ending quarter-life crisis, I'm doing pretty okay.
Health, although an ongoing process, in terms of 2022, achieved.
Significant progress in my PhD
I am about half-way my thesis, and if all goes well, I'll be defending in July. This is more progress than I had imagined. And I'm really grateful for my scholarship, because without it, my PhD would have been a part-time occupation, and I'd have been nowhere near finishing it.
Significant progress in my PhD achieved.
Taking more pictures and videos of moments that matter
I did take more pictures and videos in general and now I'm glad I have something to look back at when I think about everything that happened this year.
Achieved, achieved, achieved.
Spending more time in nature
Being stuck inside took a toll on all of us. Although the pandemic is still going on and there are many things wrong with the world right now, we are at least free to move around. This year the girls and I made it a habit to go the woods after work on Fridays. Of course, we didn't keep up with it for the entire 12 months, basically because it's cold in the winter and forbidden in the summer (wildfire hazard), on the months we did manage to do it was so fulfilling. It all started with my colleague and friend who used to go there on her own to clear her thoughts. Then she invited me over one day, and suddenly, just like that, a tradition was born.
Spending more time in nature, achieved.
Reading more books
I've been reading too many textbooks (there were days I literally thought I was frying my brain). These don't count, though, since I was aiming to read more books for pleasure, as in fiction books. This I didn't do. In fact I don't remember a single year that I read so little.
Be a disgrace, achieved.
Looking back at the year, there are so many things that happened, it's almost hard to believe it was just 365 days.
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