My 21 for 2021 List
I will admit, I seriously considered not making a 21 for 2021 list this year. Not that I wouldn’t have goals, because I certainly would. But I have worked so hard to craft a life and business that I love, finding 21 extra things I want or need to do felt like a lot.
But I did it.
Some of the things on the list are things I probably would have done this year anyway - but having them on this list makes them feel special and will give me an extra sense of accomplishment when I check them off.
Some items on the list are things that I want to experiment with to see if they will fit well into my life.
And a few are big things that I cannot wait to tackle.
At the end of December, I turned 22, which is the age that I’ve always most looked forward to. Some people are thrilled to turn 16 or 18 or 20 or 21, and all of those were certainly exciting, but 22 is the age that has always held the most anticipation for me. That may be because my birthday is on the 22nd, so I’ve always loved that number - or any of a million other reasons.
22 is the age that I’ve always considered old enough to have my life together and young enough to still enjoy the adventures of young-adulthood. I think, for the most part, I already manage to do both of those things pretty well, but I can always work on doing both even more.
As I was contemplating potential themes to focus on in 2021, my mind kept returning to the fact that I would be 22 - and the excitement and maturity I associated with that. So, I decided that my 2021 theme would be “22”. Odd I know, especially since the numbers are off - but what can you do?
22 it is.
And I’m going to try and spend this year leaning into living out what being 22 means to me.
In addition, I want to accomplish all the goals on my 21 for 2021 list. I’ve broken them down by category, as I normally do, just to see what areas of my life I will be working on, and if there is any particular focus. This year my goals seem to be pretty well distributed, which I appreciate. A balance between all areas of life is something I think we all appreciate now more than ever.
Since I have it in the categories, the numbers don’t count up to 21, but there are 21 total, trust me! And here they are:
Academic/Business
Start a podcast - I am so excited to share this goal and also a bit terrified - the Resolve Podcast will be coming in 2021. I plan to have at least 12 episodes released by the end of the year. I know a lot of time and effort will go into getting this podcast running and then maintaining it on an ongoing basis, but I have dreamed about having a podcast for a long time. I did 6 podcast interviews in 2020 and hopefully, I will be doing many more in the months and years to come. I am excited to continue to explore this platform and engage with people around the world through my own podcast. There are so many things that will go into this large goal and I’m sure I will be sharing much more about this in the coming weeks and months. You can visit my podcast page here to see where I am at in reaching this goal.
Finish the first draft of my book - I shared about my book in my Review of my 20 for 2020 list post. I had intentionally planned not to think about writing a book in 2020 and to start considering the concept this year. But then I had a perfect idea In January and then found plenty of time to write in the ensuing months - so I ended 2020 with an 85,000-word manuscript. It still isn’t done, even though it is already much longer than I'd thought it would be. I have a pretty solid list of what still needs to be added, so I need to do that, and then begin a pretty comprehensive edit.
Read a classic + a re-read every month - Last year I experimented with reading books from 6 different categories every month and ended up really hating it. Which is okay! Now I know that isn’t something that works for me! But I do want to try something similar with a slightly different twist this year. Instead of pushing myself to read a book from 6 categories, I’m going to just read books from 2. Each month I want to read a classic I haven’t read before and also a book that I’ve read and loved in the past. I think that having just two categories will be a bit more manageable. Plus, I would love to push myself to read more classics - I pretty much never regret it. And while I normally make myself hit some kind of reading goal each year before letting myself re-read old favorites, this year I’m going to try incorporating them more throughout the year. I have no idea how this will go, but whether I love it or hate it, I only have to try it for the next 12 months.
Buy one of my favorite books every month - I very rarely buy books, and when I do, it is really only because I truly loved a book and plan to return to it or reference it in the future. But since I’ve read hundreds of books in the last several years, I do have a pretty long list of books I would like to incorporate into my personal collection. I plan to buy at least one every month and I’m super excited for this excuse to expand my library.
Take a suicide prevention class - Since this is something I need to do in 2021, I decided to put it on the list. That way, checking it off will feel like an accomplishment and not just one more thing. I’m really proud to be a certified coach with the Life Coach School, largely because of their high standards for excellence. In order to maintain certified status, they are requiring all coaches to take a suicide prevention class. So I need to take the class, and while I hope that I never have to use the information, I am really glad I will have the additional knowledge at my disposal.
Physical
Do Whole30 - I originally had this on my 20 for 2020 list, but switched it out for intermittent fasting - which I still do and love. I do want to experiment with Whole30 though at some point, so I put it on my list again for this year. I am curious to continue to improve my relationship with food and work on eating the things that fuel my body in the best and most effective way possible.
Weigh myself every day - I was a bit hesitant to set this goal, and even more hesitant to share it. I wasn’t hesitant because it was something I didn’t want to do, but rather because I felt like it requires explaining. I’ve actually been doing this for a while, but not as consistently as I would like, and I would also like to track my weight for a whole year. And so it made the list. Part of why I wanted to do Whole30 was to learn more about the relationship between food and my body, and I think that this goal is another way for me to do just that. Even when I am not doing Whole30, I want to see how different ways of eating or different foods affect my weight. I’m not doing this in an attempt to lose weight, although it might happen. As Gretchen Rubin says, we manage what we monitor! So I am using this as a way to monitor my body and keep track over a year. I also know I won’t do this every single day (sometimes I just forget!), but I want to do it most days, and having this on my list will push me to do it consistently all year long. Finally, I know that this will be a great opportunity for me to do thought work and manage my mind - no matter what the scale says.
Recreational
Start composting - This was something it would have been nice to tackle in 2020, but there were enough other things going on that I just didn’t make it happen. Now that I’m explicitly setting it as a goal, I’m sure that it will get done this year. Since I live too far out to enroll in my community composting program, I will have to start backyard composting on my own. But I have done quite a bit of research and feel confident that I can check this off.
Take one trip - This may be my most hesitant goal since COVID still seeming to be hitting new heights. I have no idea where I might go or for how long, so that part can be flexible depending on how 2021 plays out. To set myself up for success, I let this goal be a bit amorphous. I just know that I want to go somewhere in 2021, and I added this goal to my list to ensure it happens. My trip may end up being a stay-near-home type of getaway, but even that will allow me to support my local economy while also getting away - even if just for a bit.
Whimsical
Wake up to “22” every day - Not too many ages have a dedicated theme song, but “22” by Taylor Swift is pretty iconic for 22 year-olds everywhere (And lots of other people too! I loved the song long before I hit the age I am now). But since I am now 22 and trying to live into that identity this year, I’m going to set “22” as my alarm every day this year - or at least until I turn 23. There is no great purpose to this goal, other than it being a continual reminder of my theme of the year, and to add a fun, whimsical goal to the list.
Find a default meal - There haven’t been too many opportunities to have people over for dinner (or any other reason) in the recent past, but we all know that won’t be the case forever. I moved into my new apartment the week we went into quarantine, and I am excited for the day that I can finally have friends and family over in an official manner. I keep my apartment very clean so, by default, I am ready for guests at a moment’s notice. The food aspect of entertaining, on the other hand, is something that takes a bit more time and effort for me. To simplify that, I want to decide on a default meal. That way I will be sure to always have the ingredients on hand and I can get really good at making the dish. Plus, I will know that when someone is coming, I have something easy, quick, and delicious to make. And since I’m also beginning to work towards a vegetarian lifestyle, I want to make sure that my default meal reflects that.
Make a life timeline. I have heard several people talk about this idea, and I think that it is brilliant. My brain holds dates really well, and I have kept a journal every day for almost a decade - so I don’t normally forget when things happened. I could probably even tell you what I was doing six years ago today. But even though I remember all of this information now, that probably won’t be true forever. And I think that by writing much of this information down, I will allow my brain to not have to remember it - whether or not it will continue to anyway, I guess remains to be seen. I’m not going to create a day by day timeline or anything, but I want to jot down major (and semi-major) life events and when they happened so that I have a running list that I will be able to add to going forward. I know that I could easily make this super strict and turn it into a huge, stressful project - like trying to put something for every day or going back through my journals to find everything the list could possibly contain. But I’m not going to let myself do that - that’s what my journal is for, after all. For now, this will probably just be a word document, and I will add to it throughout the year as things come to me. I’m not really excited to do it, but I’m excited to have this timeline for reference in 2021 and going forward.
Material
Get new bag/laptop case - Whenever I leave my house on a busy day, I always carry my shoulder bag with all of the items I need on a regular basis, as well as my backpack with my laptop, iPad, and all my other work-related items. It is a lot to manage, and carrying my backpack always makes me feel like a child. I want to get a new shoulder bag that will fit my laptop (the one I have now barely has room for it) along with a sleeve for my laptop - or I want to get a shoulder bag with a built-in laptop sleeve. At this time, I don’t really have a preference, and I am open to whatever I find and love in the coming year.
Get another plant - I have slowly been adding plants to my apartment and I love the life and vibrancy that they bring. I know that people often say that plants seem to multiply, and I think that’s definitely true. I have no idea what plant I will add to my collection, but I am excited about the new addition.
Rent some clothes - I’m not sure that I will have any particular event to rent clothes for in 2021, but it is something that I want to try nonetheless. And it isn’t something that I can ever see becoming a regular part of my routine, but it is something that I read about in my sustainability research in 2020 that I want to experiment with.
Update my estate plan documents - I’ve had Power of Attorney documents in place for years - which is probably no surprise since my dad is a lawyer. But the document requirements have been updated several times recently and I am also reaching a level of assets and income where I need to execute my Will. This will be a pretty easy goal to get checked off, but it is an important one nonetheless.
Finish organizing family photos - I started organizing my family photos last year since it was an item on my 20 for 2020 list and I have carried it over here so that I can complete the project. I know that since our photo collections are ever-evolving, this process will never completely be “done” but I want to at least upload all my childhood photos from CDs, thumb drives, and various computers into Google Photos, organize them there by month and year, and share the albums with family members.
Get my enhanced license - This is the one goal on my 20 for 2020 list that I didn’t get completed or even started. Our local licensing offices were closed for most of the year and when they weren’t, it was nearly impossible to get an appointment. Hopefully, that will ease up the further we get into 2021 and I will be able to get my enhanced license. Luckily, I was able to renew my regular license online in 2020!
Social
Watch Gilmore Girls with mom - I had such a fun time watching Seinfeld (and other shows) with my mom in 2020, so I knew I wanted to continue to share my favorite shows with her in 2021. Gilmore Girls is the next show that I want to watch again and also introduce her to. There is no major “achievement” with this item on my list, but I’m excited to return to a show that I love, continue to connect with my mom, and have a lot of fun along the way.
Watch the Crown with mom - I tried to watch the Crown quite awhile ago, but couldn’t quite get into it. I knew that I wanted to watch Season 4 when it came out though since I have been obsessed with Princess Diana for a long time. But now that I’m going to watch the new season, I may as well go back to the beginning. I know I will be more likely to enjoy the show (and just get through it) if I have my mom watch it with me - and so that is the plan. I’m also excited to hear her take on the show as we watch, since she has lived through many of the events depicted later in the show!
Go on an adventure with dad - Like with the trip I hope to take in 2021, I’m leaving this goal pretty open. Who knows, maybe the two could go together! My dad and I have gone on frequent adventures for most of my life, although not necessarily on an annual basis. Regardless, this is a tradition that I want to continue even as I get older, and so it is something that I have added to my list.
I am so excited for so many of the things on my list, and I can’t wait to report back at the end of the year. Who knows what will have happened by that time! If 2020 is any indication, it could be quite a lot.
Through it all, I will be making intentional progress on the things that matter most to me. I will be growing into the person I want to be all along the way. And leaning into what it means to be 22.
Until next time,