Another year has come and gone, and as always we may find ourselves wondering where the time has gone, what even happened, and even feeling an extra kick of inspiration towards embracing what is to come.
As I have reflected over this past year, I was once again inspired by James Clear’s, the author of “Atomic Habits”, annual review and how doing something as simple as looking back on and checking in with ourselves, can better prepare and arm us for the future.
Here is a quick recap of my 2021, where I will be answering these three questions:
1. What went well this year?
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
3. What did I learn?
This annual review is a general format inspired by the one James Clear creates every year on his website of his wins, challenges, and lessons learned in the past year. I encourage you to take the time to do the same to notice your progression and how you can continue to move forward well in the year to come.
1. What went well this year?
Consistency & Joy in Writing 
As I have taken the time to consistently create and build upon ideas through writing, it has naturally become something I look forward to doing on a regular basis.
Both creatively and business wise, I look forward to planning and typing out on my laptop ideas that I know will teach and inspire others, including myself.
Writing allows me to expand my mind, deepen my love for learning, better appreciate the world around me, to strengthen my voice, and to reach out to those that need to be lifted and changed for the better. I’m not saying that my words are of greater importance than others, but I hold firm to the thought that words and ideas can change the world.
So I want to be sure to fill it with goodness and truth through the words I write and share with all of you. Doing so on a consistent basis brings me such joy and drive!
Being Outdoors More
Making the daily choice to go outdoors, on my own and as a family, has brought a very noticeable change in my mental health, attitude, and aura in our very home. I can tell when any of us start to get edgy, short with one another, or low that some fresh air is in order to change and clear the mood.
Having the amazing opportunity to be close to so many parks and hiking trails has made it so easy to get out and take in all that nature has to offer. That time to breathe in fresh air, clear the mental cobwebs, and spend quality time as a family, or some one on one time with myself, has always brought a great increase of joy and much needed clarity.
Between going on walks, going to the park, or going on hikes, I’m oh so grateful that it has become a regular habit and I so look forward to renewing it in 2022, once the weather is a little warmer.
Being More Mindful of My Body’s Needs 
The past couple of years, both circumstances and choices have led to my body not getting the proper care that it deserves. While pregnant and afterwards, up until the middle of 2021, I struggled with kidney stones and even went as far as having to go to the ER for a couple especially severe attacks.
I also wasn’t taking part in much physical activity like I had for years prior with dance, theatre, and hiking, which I could also feel taking a toll on my energy and endurance, and I could even see it affecting my mental health.
The past couple of years I’ve strived to take the situation firmly by the reins, so to speak, by doing morning stretches, going on hikes with my family, walks with my family and on my own, and being more mindful of my body’s needs by seeing a specialist about my kidney stone situation.
After a couple surgeries and a couple minor diet changes, I haven’t experienced any kidney stone episodes in over 6 months. That may not sound like much but I was experiencing them almost every other month, so this is an absolute miracle and relief.
I have experienced a huge increase in my overall energy, drive, endurance, and joy that I didn’t realize I had been missing out on prior to being mindful and taking action towards my body’s needs. This has truly set me free and allowed me to accomplish more, personally and for my family.
Read 10 Books 
Now this might not seem like something worth celebrating, let alone noting as something that went well in the past year, but this is a huge win for me. Growing up I was an avid reader but throughout my adult years this habit and love slipped away drastically by the wayside.
In 2021 I wanted to improve upon this, so I set a goal to read one to two books a month. Even though I didn’t achieve my set goal, I was still so proud of myself with what I did achieve. Ten books is the most I’ve read since my early 20s and becoming a Mom.
From children’s literature to motivational business books to spiritual, self-help books, having the opportunity to learn, having my mind expanded and enlightened, and allowing my imagination to run wild was an absolute joy.
Making this a regular habit gave me something to look forward to, and the reward was found in the feel of a book in my hands on a regular basis; like being back in touch with an old friend. Cheesy, but oh so true!
Traveling 
Unlike 2020 where all of my travel plans went to pot like most people, this year I had the marvelous opportunity to travel home to Canada twice, to Texas, and to Utah.
Getting to travel is a luxury and a gift that I won’t be taking lightly ever again, I can tell you that. Being with family and friends, especially during the Christmas season, filled my heart to the point of overflowing.
Having the opportunity to be surrounded by loved ones who remind you how good life is and creating beautiful memories together is what makes the world go round.
Plus my little one was a tremendous little traveler and I was more than happy to share the ride with him every time, whether by plane or by car. Traveling was a definite win for me in 2021 that I thoroughly enjoyed, and look forward to doing more of in the coming years.
Husband Became a Full-time Firefighter 
Happy days the stars aligned, and hard work, service, and perseverance at long last paid off! My husband became a full-time firefighter and I could not be more proud. Such a stellar way to end 2021 and start 2022!
My husband has been a volunteer firefighter for ten years, and prior to that, three years as a junior firefighter. His dedication to the fire service and the community he serves floored me while we were dating and has made me even more proud as his wife.
He has sacrificed so much to make sure our community is safe and taken care of, has gained countless skills and experience to thrive and be his very best for others and never merely for his own gain, and has still made his family his main priority.
This has been a dream in the making and to see it come to fruition makes my heart soar. I am beyond proud of my firefighter husband and look forward to the continued good he’ll do and the blessings that’ll come from it towards our family.
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
Procrastination on “Frog” Projects
On your ever-growing list of things to do, are there any that are harder to swallow compared to the rest for you? Are there those things that you don’t have the drive and motivation to get done, so you try to put it off, but then the anxiety of doing so drives you crazy? Those most important tasks of the day are referred to as “frog” projects that tend to remain unsolved.
My “frog” projects usually come in the form of website updating that feels beyond my knowledge or drive to get done, an in-depth project, a large, out of the norm task at home like cleaning out the garage, and the list goes on of a few major tasks that kept getting moved to someday on my list of to-do’s, or that I procrastinated to the very last minute.
If I had bit the bullet, so to speak, or even worked on those “frog” projects a little bit every day, the overwhelm and the stress would have been lessened tremendously. Plus I would have felt a great sense of satisfaction in accomplishing those tasks instead of having them loom over me.
I’m striving in 2022 to get on top of those “frog” projects right away by planning, managing, and taking action to better handle and take on those most important tasks, instead of procrastinating them and causing unnecessary overwhelm.
Late Night Snacking
The older I get, the more I’ve come to realize that I’m more of a graze or snack type of person, rather than a big three meal a day kind of person. Especially after being pregnant and needing to breastfeed, I found myself snacking even more so than ever. This carried on after the fact, to the point that I would find myself late night snacking on a regular basis.
Not only is this not a great habit to take on, it is bad for your health and also affects how you sleep. The later you eat, the less your body is prepared to sleep, and the less able you are to perform well the next day.
I noticed I was more sluggish, that I would become more forgetful, and that I started to have a slight weight gain. However, when I really came to notice this at the end of 2021, I noticed that a few things that really helped deter this was: having something to drink instead of snacking, setting aside a time where the kitchen was “closed” so that I wouldn’t have anything extra past that point, going for a walk, and striving to better understand what my body was actually telling me it needed.
As I have started to implement these simple actions, it has helped me to be more mindful of my late night snack habit and how to better face it. I still slip up, but I have the tools to be more prepared to strive to do and be better.
Not Fulfilling My Original Reading Goal 
When it came to reading more in 2021, my initial goal was to read two books per month, or 24 books total by the end of the year. Well as you read in my previous section on what I had accomplished, that goal was not met in full.
At first I was pretty disappointed in myself for not meeting the goal I had set for myself. But the more I thought it over, the more I came to realize two things: 1) that I had still accomplished the goal by reading – period, no matter the number of books read in the end, and 2) that when setting a goal, I needed to make it achievable.
I had not read very much in the past few years, so going from a couple to 24 was asking for quite a bit. I had to recreate a habit, allow my environment to support that habit, and put aside time that I had filled with other things for that habit to take effect. There was a lot going into play here and I had to keep in mind the process required for this to come about.
So if anything, it taught me how to set more manageable, achievable goals, what needed to change to allow those goals to happen, and instead of shaming myself if a goal was not met in full, to view it as an opportunity to learn, and to then make better progress.
Not Seeing Through My Music Goal
Another goal I wasn’t able to achieve, unfortunately at all in 2021, was practicing the piano every day for fifteen minutes. I had played the piano for about eight years growing up, and over time, other things took priority of my time and efforts required to keep up that skill. This resulted in my skill diminishing, with the exception of a couple simple songs, but nothing like what I could play prior.
A couple years after this started to take effect, I noticed what a loss this was in being able to serve others with that skill of playing piano, not to mention the fun lost in different gathering settings or for my own personal pleasure. So every now and again I would try to nurture this skill back to what it was, but each time I failed as once again, other things took priority.
In 2021 however, I was sure that I would change and bring this skill back to life. I had a greater will, I planned out a day and amount of time that seemed manageable, picked out some old books to ease my way forward, and I chose a couple songs that I was going to play by the end of the year. I tried for a couple months, but once again fell short in achieving this goal of being able to play the piano again.
Now at this point, most people would say, you have tried and the results are showing that it’s not meant to be. Other things were obviously bidding for my time and there’s nothing wrong with that. I still gained something from this past skill like sight-reading, vocal abilities, an increased love and appreciation for music, etc.
However, with all that being said, I still have this nagging to try again. Maybe one day I will throw in the towel, but until then I still have a will, and so I am striving to better manage and plan to make a way.
3. What did I learn?
Patience is More than Waiting
No matter your age, having to wait for something to happen is a real struggle. The anticipation alone is like an itch you can’t quite scratch. Patience may be a virtue, but it is also a constant learning curve for young and old alike.
The past couple of years have put us in a global wait for things to improve and get better, or normalize in some way, so as to move forward. In the heat of those moments, you don’t want to hear that things will eventually get better or this too shall pass, you just want it to pass and be better already.
The last couple of years however, I have learned that patience is more than simply waiting. In the midst of the patience, it’s easy to sulk, be anxious, and complain. But it is better and even healing to put in positive action while waiting.
While I have done my fair share of waiting, I’ve chosen to look outside of myself, for example, by baking for someone that needed to be reminded that they were known and loved. I’ve chosen to declutter, care for, and enjoy the home and vehicle I have right now. I’ve chosen to focus on what’s in my control at the moment before me.
Waiting can be painful and I don’t want to downplay that at all. But in the midst of the pain, we can still remain hopeful, take action, and confidently move ahead one step at a time, while we wait. Making our patience a more positive and even fulfilling experience.
The Power of Grace towards Progress
This, like any of these lessons, I’ve learned is a constant learning curve and one that I’m becoming more grateful for. As we progress towards a goal, towards who we are as individuals, and in life as a whole, we come to learn that progress is no mere straight, easy path forward. It is filled with more than its fair share of curves, drop offs, storms, and setbacks.
But something I’m also coming to understand and that I’m striving to allow is that along the road of progress we need grace. Now I’m not talking about being elegant or having a polite, pleasant way of being. I’m talking about taking grace in action by forgiving our shortcomings, being kinder towards ourselves for our efforts, and more freely giving ourselves a needed stamp of approval.
This is more than giving ourselves a mere gold star on the chart every time we so much as breathe, but changing how we view this life and changing learned beliefs towards how we view life, the world, and even ourselves.
It’s about learning to see mistakes as opportunities to grow instead of shaming sessions. Learning to see 1% improvement as improvement instead of allowing the comparison monster to rob us of our progress. Learning to stop when overwhelm sets in, taking a look around at what needs to change, breathing, dusting ourselves off, and then choosing to keep moving forward.
There is such empowerment when we allow grace to lift us up and guide us forward in a more healthy, positive manner. In doing so we treat ourselves with the kindness and respect we deserve, we become more empathetic towards others, and we come to see what’s possible when we simply try. It doesn’t make every single day sunshine and rainbows, but it does give us the will to find a way, come what may.
Parenthood is Humbling 
A constant lesson I am learning in varying degrees is how humbling parenthood is. Every time you think you have a routine down, you understand your child and their needs, and that you are getting the hang of parenting, BOOM, changes come crashing down and send you back relearning and reconfiguring all over again.
Each phase and stage of parenthood is an opportunity to build your child up, support them in their ever-changing world, and express the love they so deserve to help their confidence, your relationship, and them overall as a person.
Parenthood has allowed me to feel both utmost joy and frustration, allowed me to check myself and why I act or react the way that I do, show forth both discipline and forgiveness towards my child and myself, has made me lean on my incredible village of stellar individuals who advise, comfort, and cheer me on, and to strive to understand the specific, individual needs of my child and how I can not only meet theml but allow him to thrive now and throughout his life, to the best of my abilities.
I fall short on more than one occasion, but this has allowed me to become more teachable, as well as to focus on the most important factor: that my child knows he is loved and of worth. That is what truly matters.
Simplifying My Life Brought Greater Peace 
The past few years, but 2021 especially, has opened my eyes to where my time and energy is placed, what I need to thrive, when I need to rest, and what is supporting or depleting my energy and peace of mind.
Something in particular that has helped is recognizing that as I juggle my many responsibilities, aspirations, and goals, the great need to simplify. That has come in the form of two major areas, decluttering and setting attainable, actionable goals.
I saw a post a couple days ago that read, “Your home is an extension of your energy field. This is why practices like cleaning you home, rearranging furniture, organizing your closet, and getting rid of objects that are cluttering your space can have a profound impact on your own mind, body, and spirit.” As I have made decluttering an ongoing process, both with my physical belongings, online clutter, and how I utilize my time, I have noticed that I’m less irritable, I’m happier, and I’m more at peace. My cup feels full and manageable more often, rather than overflowing and overwhelming.
Setting a few attainable, actionable goals has also simplified and brought greater peace to my life. Instead of writing out a long, drawn out series of goals that end up only leaving me feeling frustrated and worthless when I don’t achieve them, I’ve instead set a few goals with action plans, which has allowed me to then manage and keep those goals in check. This has made me feel like I am capable and am enough.
Even when I fall short on my goals, I strive to have the mindset of seeing those as learning opportunities so I can change the goal to be more attainable, dust myself off so to speak, and try again, or try something else.
Anytime I feel agitated or like I’m drowning, I know I need to reevaluate my life, to see what needs to stay, what needs to go, and what needs to be rearranged to better simplify my life, so that I can be filled with greater peace and drive.
Your Environment Needs to Support Your Desired Changes 
Going along with the last lesson of simplifying my life, another lesson that has helped achieve this has been making sure my environment is supporting my desired goals and changes. I learned this valuable, golden nugget from James Clear’s book, “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”.
When it comes to habits, James suggests that our environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. That’s why a prompt is always the first step in performing any habit. It may not always be external per say, but most of the time, it will be.
So for example, if I set a goal to read a certain amount of books before bed, and if I don’t place any books by the couch where I usually find myself at the end of the day, 9/10 I won’t achieve that goal. Or if I want to eat better but my cupboards are full of nothing but junk food, once again my environment is not supporting my desired change.
Shifts in our environment can be just the push in the right direction to support our changes, make them more desirable, and make them far more achievable to accomplish.
Here’s to 2022
As we did the countdown to the end of 2021 and rang in 2022, our eyes may be more open to what we want our lives to become and go full throttle into “a new year, a new me” mentality.
Not to say that this is a bad thing, change and progression are wonderful endeavors. However, we need to remember that we as human beings have the choice on what we make of our lives and how it affects those around us. We need to also keep in mind that such changes take time.
We have the choice to allow our lives to make us bitter or better. We have the choice to heal or allow old wounds to fester. We have the choice to change or sit in our old ways that haven’t served us. We also have the choice that when those changes become hard or we fall short to give ourselves grace, dust ourselves off, and get up and try, try again. It is ok not to be ok, but it is not ok to stay there. We have the power to choose.
It is up to us to see what is in our control and set action plans that are attainable, even if it only makes us 1% better, that will still be the step forward in helping us achieve our goals and set new habits that will boost us forward.
I invite you to take the time to ponder on and create your own 2021 review to remember what went well, what didn’t, and what you have learned. Allow this knowledge and awareness to be the stepping stones towards an effective, positive year ahead that’ll serve you well, and that you can find prosperity and joy in. Happy New Year friends, and here’s to 2022!
Now I’d love to hear from you, what is one thing that you want to change or achieve in this New Year of 2022?
Please comment below and share this post if it has been of value to you or could be to someone else! 😊👍🏻
**If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out these other great & insightful posts:
🎉 https://stephanietracywrites.com/my-2020-annual-review/
🎉 https://stephanietracywrites.com/10-books-i-read-in-2021/
🎉 https://stephanietracywrites.com/28-life-lessons-ive-learned-in-28-years/
🎉 https://stephanietracywrites.com/12-things-ive-learned-in-my-first-year-of-being-a-mama/
🎉 https://stephanietracywrites.com/6-tips-on-finding-embracing-the-simple-joys-of-life-from-a-homebodys-perspective-plus-a-list-of-25-of-my-favorite-simple-joys/
About the Author
Hi there! I’m Stephanie Tracy, a freelance writer, blogger, and copy-editor for hire. I specialize in physical and mental health, parenting, and self-development. I create engaging, inspiring and useful content to help businesses progress in making their viewers into customers. When I’m not writing, you can find me happily playing with my toddler, walking in the park with my family, or indulging in a movie marathon with my husband.