2021 Goals

I love setting goals. There is something so refreshing about dreaming about what the future could hold and about all the good times I can enjoy in the months and years to come. Especially after the mess that 2020 has been, I think we are all hoping for a calmer, more predictable 2021. With the COVID-19 vaccine rolling out this week in the US, I am very optimistic that 2021 will feature somewhat of a return to normal.

That being said, I know that it will take months to get the vaccine to a wide population of people, so I don’t know when things will return to some semblance of what pre-COVID life was like. Because of this, I decided to set goals for only the first half of the year at this point. I plan to take stock of how the year is going at the approximate midpoint and then set goals for the remaining 6 months.

I have broken my goals down into monthly and quarterly goals. I’m sure I’ll add some more of each as the year progresses, but here is what I want to accomplish for the first half of 2021:

Q1:

• Overall goals:
  • STEP STUDYING.
  • Pay off one of my credit cards.
  • Start knitting a blanket.
  • Run a 10k.
  • Start obedience classes with my dog.
  • Read one classic.
• January:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Practice Spanish for 10 minutes a day.
• February:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Practice French for 10 minutes a day.
• March:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Practice the piano for 15 minutes a day.

Q2:

• Overall goals:
  • Start therapy training with my dog.
  • Go to Ireland (if international travel is open and I have been vaccinated) or a COVID-friendly domestic vacation if it is not after I take Step 1.
  • Finish knitting that blanket that I started in Q1.
  • Pay off another credit card.
  • Read one classic.
• April:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Do Arabic DuoLingo every day.
• May:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Meditate for 10 minutes a day.
• June:
  • Read 2 non-fiction books.
  • Practice piano for 15 minutes a day.

I am so excited for 2021. In the midst of everything else the year will inevitably bring, I will be starting my clinical rotations (which means I’ll get to see PATIENTS every day!!) and moving to a bigger city (which means so many more opportunities!!). I hope that my goals that I have set will help me to live a happier, more fulfilling life in the new year.