2021 Goals – The Review

When the door closed on 2020, we all hoped that 2021 would fair better. Instead it felt like we were in a double-feature horror film.

With 2021 now showing its end-of-year credits, the question isn’t if, but more ‘how bad’ will the trilogy film be?

How was 2021?

While there was more freedom in 2021, the damage from the winter lockdown had been done.

My mental health struggled with the lockdown at the beginning of the year, and I openly admitted that I wasn’t looking forward to coming out of lockdown.

It has taken me a long time to get back to ‘normal’. However, it is probably more a ‘new normal’.

As 2021 was coming to a close, further restrictions were added and we returned to Plan B. There was this lingering threat to return to some sort of lockdown. However, I think there it is fair to say that I, and many other people, would be putting the middle finger to that idea. Instead, we would be following the government’s protocol of calling all social gatherings a cheese and wine meeting!

Instagram Highlights

At the end of the year, people scramble to post their #BestOfNine.

Normally, I would also spend some time looking back at the photos I’ve posted and create my Best Of Nine, which highlights what I enjoyed that year. This year, after splitting my ‘Today is all about’ into its own Insta account, I couldn’t be bothered sorting that out.

So, I’ve now sat down through both my Insta accounts, and collated my highlights of the year. So exclusively for this blog (like you fucking care), here it is:

Family & Friends

Another year where restrictions were in place, but when we could spend time with family and friends was on the agenda.

2021 gave some great memories with the friends and family including family BBQs, birthday parties, holidays in the UK and abroad amongst other things.

Princess Tiana

The year also saw us introduce another member to the family…Tia.

Princess Tiana was either going to calm Maki down or create World War 3. Thankfully, it was the former

Maki has calmed down immensely and gets on with Tia like a house on fire.

Additionally, Squeebs is getting the respite that she deserves. But she has also found her inner child and can be caught having fun with Tia herself.

Tattoos

Another year, another tattoo…or two!

As I am planning the sleeve, I have since filled in some of the bigger spaces, with some additional Celtic pieces.

I think all the big pieces are now done. I just need a few small pieces to fill in the gaps, and then it is onto the shading. I’m hoping that I can get this finished this year (money permitting).

Cross stitch

Cross stitch was something that I took up to help with my anxiety, and I absolutely love it.

I’ve done a few pieces throughout the year, and I was working on a big piece that I’ve had to shelf as I lost the pattern I created when I lost my phone. But I’ve got a few more in the pipeline, and I can’t wait to get onto them.

Maybe, I should add a cross stitch section to the website?

Goals review

At the beginning of the year, I set out goals on what I would like to achieve throughout the year. And this is how I got on with 2021 goals.

Goal 1: Get fit again

After what was an unhealthy 2020, I wanted to get back onto the fitness train.

I had again become self-conscious in the way I looked. Yes I got comments about it again. So, I struggled with taken my top off, infact they started to get oversized to hide it, and I stopped taken those all important thirst traps photos that no-one wants to see on my social media.

So, I wanted to spend 2021 turning that around. However, the beginning of the year didn’t start that good. Because the first time I weighed myself in the new year. I had actually put weight on! Damn those Xmas choccies.

However, I got my but off the couch and started to do regular walks. I then started to do go for runs around the local park. For someone who has ran a ½ marathon, doing a few laps around the park was a struggle. But I persevered, and was doing up to 18km.

At the beginning of the year, I was running 2-3 times a week (on average 6-7km a run), I was starting to get back into the whole thing again. Although, I couldn’t wait to get my ass back to the gym.

It wasn’t until July that I was able to set foot back into the gym, and it just felt like I hadn’t been away. Apart from everything being a lot harder.

My intention was to try and continue doing at least one run a week, but it didn’t happen as regular as I wanted.

However, I was started to feel more confident in my body. Granted, it wasn’t at the pace that I wanted, but I started to feel good…apart from the belly.

November saw me go on holiday, something that I was quite anxious about, as it meant that I would need to take my top off for others to see. So for the first time in two years, other people saw my stomach. Although, I wasn’t ready for that thirst trap pic to appear on the socials. There was a close one, but a strategic placement of arms resolved that problem.

As part of this goal I set myself some targets to reach:

Weight

Previous	Target	Actual
80kg	70-75kg	74.8kg

Ideally, it would of been nice if I was closer to the lower part of the target, but I have to go on easy on myself.

I was also gutted that at the end of year, I duffed my shoulder to exercise was on hold. And it’s affecting the beginning of 2022.

I’m happy to maintain this weight, as long as I gain more muscle. To do that, I will need to eat properly.

Body Fat Percentage

Previous	Target	Actual
23.6%	15-18%	20.5%

Lets be honest, I think I was being a little optimistic with this target, but I still lost a fair bit of body fat. Which may explain why I was feeling good in myself

Muscle Percentage

Previous	Target	Actual
39.3%	40-42%	40.7%

Small gains are better than no gains. Taking into account that the first half of the year was mainly cardio, then I’m happy.

At the end. of the day, everything is going in. the right direction, and I am happy about that.

Achieved

Goal 2: Reduce procrastination

A lot of people procrastinate, and I am one of those people.

As I mentioned in my original goals post, I got myself a yearly planner and was gonna organise my life away. I am continuing with. theplanner for 2022, although it will be more weekly focused.

So did it help? I’d say yes, for the majority of the time. Especially on a personal level. I didn’t use the planner religiously, but it was being used.

Work wise, there was a few times where procastination creeped in, which meant I was working late to catch up, but it did improve.

Semi-achieved

Goal 3: Sort out the loft

So the loft has been done. When we were getting quotes, the guy stated that it wouldn’t be worth the money, but I disagreed.

The hatch and ladder means that it is easier to gain access. And with. it floored, it makes storage easier and safer.

And I have even gone all Monica Gellar, and everything has been placed into storage boxes, and have been labelled. Everything has a place up there.

There is still a large amount of stuff crap that we need to go through and sort, and this will be done…eventually!

Achieved

Goal 4: Website rebrand

After 6 years of my site looking the same, it was really in the need of a rebrand, and a rebrand it got. It’s not perfect, but it’s done.

The issue that I have, is that I struggle to find a theme that I liked, but I don’t have enough time to sit down and create my own. I was able to find a happy medium, and it works.

I have been able to create areas that I would like to expand on. Including my new hobby, Cross stitch.

However, I would still like to start from the ground up, as I don’t feel I have full control of how it looks. But I am gonna try to get the professional site back up and running.

Achieved