Looking back at my 2020 goals and doing some reflections

 *obnoxious sounds of opening a soda can* Alrighty folks, clearly, this year was unprecedented and presented lots of changes in our lives. When I look back at pictures from January and February, I just sigh and think to myself, "Honey, you got a big storm coming". 

This blog post is one that I wanted to write as we approach the new year. The moment that the clock strikes 12:00.01 in 2021, all the world's problems won't be solved. There will still be a pandemic happening, there is still the stress of school/work, and the overall curveballs of life. But! A new year allows us to reevaluate our goals, reevaluate where we are in our journey and take a step back and allow us to wonder what we want to achieve this year. In this blog post, I, yo girl emilia, will be looking back at the goals I set for myself in 2020 and then talk about what I actually did this year. Then, I will talk about adjustments I will maybe make for 2021. 

Write 50 letters: I have been writing letters with my older cousin ever since we were super young and I love decorating envelopes and making each letter special. This year, I wanted to write more to family and friends, and when we were forced to stay home, the letters I was writing increased by a lot. I think I definitely wrote more than 50 letters this year. Were there people that I sent letters to and they never wrote me back? Yeah, but I understand that people have busy lives and I am just glad that I could bring some joy into their lives with my colorful letters. In 2021, I want to continue to write letters, maybe still keep it at 50, especially because my friends and I will be moving across the country for college. 

Get my license: I didn't get my license when I immediately turned 16 due to some personal reasons, so this year I made it a priority to finally get my driver's license. I got my permit in January and then got my license in July. It honestly worked out really well because in the spring months when there was no one on the roads, I was learning how to drive on quiet streets with my dad. He looked over at me one time and said, "You are one lucky duck to be learning how to drive with no one on the roads." 😎

Finally, get my letterman jacket: I have been on Varsity Swim all 4 years and at the beginning of 2020 when I was still a Junior, I finally got the packet to order and customize my letterman jacket. I got it a week before my 17th birthday and it was an exciting day at my house. The funniest part of it all was that I asked to get a patch that was the flag of Poland (which the guy said that it was possible to get one), I got the state flag of Alabama! It was just a strange event and once the facilities for the letterman jacket opened we got it fixed and then I also added a "Captain" patch because I was elected Captain of my swim team :)

Host an Opening Ceremony party for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics: For the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, I had a party with some of my friends where we watched the opening ceremony. It was a blast and I wanted to do it again for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Well, we all know how that played out. The idea of having an Olympics party this year crashed and burned. The Summer Olympics got postponed and rescheduled to the summer of 2021 due to COVID-19, and I am really hoping that the games will continue now that the vaccine is being rolled out around the world. Fingers crossed for the summer of 2021!

Put money into savings: I won't say the original amount that I wanted to save due to privacy, but I was able to find a job over the summer as a lifeguard and I put every paycheck into my savings account. It was definitely a different job that I have had in years past but I am glad about the experience I was able to have and even have a job in the middle of a pandemic. Because I am going into college next year and I will be a #brokecollegestudent I want to continue the mission of saving money and also start applying for college scholarships in 2021. 

Replace social media time with reading and writing time: So... with a global pandemic causing all of us to stay home and with school-going online, communication with my friends and family via social media increased exponentially. Yes, the negative repercussions of this are me maybe spending too much time on social media on some days, but I am proud to say that I still have not downloaded TikTok! I have nothing against TikTok, I just know that I would definitely spend like 12 hours a day on my phone and it is a form of self-restraint and keeping myself productive. In 2021, I think I want to strive for this goal a lot more but also not stress myself out with it, ya know?

Read 23 books: In 2019, I read 20 books which was my reading goal for the year. For 2020 I wanted to increase it a little bit, so I raised it to 23. Do you wanna know how many books I read this year? 9 books. NINE! A very sad testament to my track record. The main reason I think this is the case because of how my style of reading changed. When I was younger, I would read fiction books and just ZOOM through them, finishing like 2 books a week. When I read them, I didn't really critically analyze them, I would excitedly skim some pieces and accurately read other parts. Whereas now when I read books, my mind gets really distracted/is thinking about a lot of other things and I have trouble finishing a chapter. Here's the issue with reading this year: With the stress of the current state of the world, keeping yourself and the family safe, and then trying to manage good grades with school, reading a book where the main character is experiencing a stressful situation does not make me want to continue reading the book. It is not the book or author's fault, it is me wanting to find comfort in a hobby that does not provide much thought and calms me down. That is why I picked up embroidery in 2020! I love it, but in 2021 I definitely want to get back to reading which is why my reading goal is only 10 books.

Well, those were some of my 2020 goals that either turned out okay or they definitely got wiped off the board. I think that reflecting upon your goals keeps you in check with your values and motivations while you are busy with work and school. Thank you for reading this, I hoped you enjoy it and I hope you take time to reflect on what you want your goals to be for 2021! Happy New Year and see ya' 2020!

love,

yo girl emilia

Follow me on Instagram: @yogirlemilia