My 2021 in Retrospect
Updated: Mar 10, 2022
Wow what a year! 2021 has definitely been the year with the most personal changes for myself. It was a bit of a rollercoaster but definitely in the right direction and filled with learning. Here's some of my take-aways from 2021:
Got a job at one of my dream companies
2021 started off quite strong because I got a job offer from the one and only Warner Bros! It was really bittersweet as I loved my team at Bandai Namco, but I knew it was time to move on. Getting the offer from WB was really a dream come true— I've been applying to WB since my second year of college and I finally had my way in. Don't give up on your dreams! Surprisingly I got everything I asked for in a new job— an amazing team, a challenge, and something different. The hard work was all worth it, and luckily timing was on my side too. Being intentional with your career path and knowing what you want goes a long way.
Painted my first mural
I've always loved painting. Fun fact: When I was a kid I use to steal my aunts' nail polishes and used them to "paint" the walls of my grandma's house because they wouldn't buy me actual paint (probably for good reason now that I think about it). I just had so much creative energy as a kid.
When I moved back home in early 2021, I took this opportunity to spice up my childhood room and paint my first official mural. I was empowered to make it happen after taking Lauren Hom (Homsweethom)'s mural painting course. It was the only mural I've painted this year but hopefully I can do another one or two next year! I would love to do mural for small business drinks or dessert shops!
Watch the time lapse video of this mural here!
Learned how to play guitar
Guitar has been something that I've been wanting to learn since I was eight years old. Young me begged and begged for a guitar until my family finally caved and got me a child's guitar with an instructional handbook. I had a really hard time learning from the handbook and eventually the guitar was out of tune so I simply gave up because I didn't have the mental capacity to learn on my own at the time.
Fast forward to 2020 and I discover the music of keshi. As I listened to his music, I realized that I am really drawn to his acoustic guitar sequences and it really made me appreciate how beautiful a guitar can sound. When 2021 came along, I decided to commit and buy an acoustic guitar from my local music shop.
The goal was to be able to play and sing Last Christmas by Wham! by the end of year. I can proudly announce that I met my goal, I'm just not great. But in my one year of learning guitar, I was able to learn a total of four songs! Four more songs than last year. I could have learned more but as the year went on, things got busy and I went from practicing almost everyday to every week and now every other week. But I'll try to get back on it and be more consistent so I can probably learn another four songs this year.
Got vaccinated for COVID
THANK GOODNESS FOR SCIENCE! After living in uncertainty for over a year, my family and I were able to get vaccinated and have some peace of mind. It was such a relief knowing that myself and my loved ones are at a much lower risk of catching COVID. Science is amazing and we are so lucky to live in the United States where we have such easy access to the vaccine and the boosters.
Learning to find balance again
Finding balance this year was definitely a big theme. With my responsibilities at home, the pressures of the new job, starting a new job remotely, Los Angeles opening backing up again, feeling overwhelmed by socializing opportunities with my friends after being in quarantine for over a year, and family obligations there was a lot of balancing that needed to be done. Especially with the new job, I knew that I needed to give it my all since I couldn't mess up this opportunity.
However, that mindset caused me immense stress since I was so worried about messing up and I focused on work way too much. I couldn't enjoy life and it got to the point where I was on the verge of having my first ever panic attack. I also learned that working in my room caused me to not be able to relax in my room anymore due to the association with work. I eventually realized that worrying about work so much was dumb and I didn't want to live in this mental turmoil anymore. I needed to re-prioritize my life, get out of my room more, see my loved ones (safely), bask in the Southern California weather, do something creative, and just enjoy life again. Life isn't very fun when you take it too seriously.
Realizing the importance of community
I am a self proclaimed and proud introvert but I became more extroverted this year. Starting a job remotely honestly can be very isolating. I'm not one to make many online friends and it's hard to get to know people through a screen, especially in a work setting. Not having friends at work made me crave more social interactions and really made me appreciate my current and previous support systems. Starting this new job made me realize how important is it to have a community at work to make the corporate life more enjoyable and so you have a support system at work. But don't you worry reader, I did eventually make friends at work and moving forward I'm going to make more of an effort to connect with people, both in and outside of work.
The art of being alone and self care
The consequences of moving back home after over 7 years of independent living really hit me. One of the biggest consequences was feeling like I lost my sense of independence— which is something I value. I felt like I wasn't as independent anymore since I was always with my family. Going grocery shopping? Someone will tag along. Want to hang out in the living room? There's most likely someone there. Want to grab some milk tea? The whole house wants milk tea too. So I made more of an effort to schedule alone time in my schedule to regain some sense of independence and recharge. I did things like go to the Huntington Library with a book and a beach towel just to read on the grass multiple times. Or treating myself to breakfast at my favorite coffee shop on a Sunday morning. This is definitely something that I want to continue doing on a regular basis moving forward! I just need to figure out a system of daily self care in small/regular doses instead of large doses every once in a while.
Self care also means... seeing your doctors
After getting vaccinated, I felt comfortable to do my annual check-ups. Since I moved back home, I also needed to find new doctors. Luckily I found doctors that I do like and things looked mostly good— except for my teeth. I found out that my previous dentist didn't really take a preventative approach so it turns out that I had an infected dead tooth that needed a root canal and crown. But from that experience I learned a lot about my teeth and how to properly take care of them for long term health. Now in a few weeks I'm going to see my dental hygienist to find out if I need to come in for a cleaning every 4 or 6 months. Hopefully my gums cooperate and I only need to come in the regular every 6 months. Wish me luck! Go see your doctors and floss everyday!
Got serious about my personal finances
Wow I'm really an adult now! I have a 401K, ROTH IRA, high-yield savings account, and investing brokerage account. For the first time, I felt like I had a good hold of my money and I was able to automate my cash flow. It's a good feeling. I have some financial goals in my life and I believe my consistency with my finances will help me achieve them.
Enjoying the present
I spent a lot of 2021 worrying about my future. Where will my career go from here? How much money do I need to save for a comfortable retirement and for a house? How can I bring my family out of generational poverty? I had so many worries that kept on replaying in my mind that I couldn't really appreciate what is in front of me. Later in the year I started gratitude journaling because I needed to remind myself to focus on the positive things that are going on in my life instead of worrying about what I don't have. I think the gratitude journaling did help as I was in a better headspace by the end of the year. I really do have it good here. An exciting job, wonderful coworkers, a support system, and living in beautiful Los Angeles.
Life doing its thang
Life always does find a way to humble me, remind me to never take things for granted, and not get too comfortable. There's no way that I could have predicted that I was going to need a root canal this year, that I was going to attend a funeral of a friend, or that COVID was going to mutate into Delta and Omicron prolonging this pandemic. But life is about being able to roll with the punches, adapting to change, and appreciating the little things. Live for yourself as life is too short to live for other people. Be proactive in the goals you want to achieve and always cherish the ones you love before it's too late.
There is my summary of my 2021. Now in 2022, here is what I hope to accomplish:
Set-up a stream of passive income
Start posting art/designs online again
Figure out a system of sustainable daily self care
Paint another mural or two
Learn another four songs on the guitar
Get involved in my community in some way
Have a generally healthy balance between my personal life, family life, social life, and work life
Finish my 3D for Designers online course
Finish my Paid to Passion online course
Have a mostly consistent sleep schedule
Start going to therapy consistently again
Be nicer to myself
I'm ready to move on and take on 2022, excited for what the year has in store for me.
Until next time my friend,
Amanda ^_^
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