It was 2016 when I started to set my Annual Goals. More than anything else, this one process has made a huge positive impact in my life.
This Yearly Report is an opportunity. To reflect back on the last year. To capture good and not-so-good aspects of the year. Further, to learn from the introspection, and set directions for the next year(s).
Like in the previous years’ review, there are 3 questions that I’m going to answer in my Annual Review:
When I reflect back on the last year, in many ways it was similar to the year before(2020). The shadow of Coronavirus loomed in every aspect of life. Even though COVID Vaccines were available to everyone, the COVID-19 disease raged on, morphing into a new variant every few months. Masks and social distancing are the new norms. Although booster shots and pill-type medications might help, I personally think COVID is here to stay.
Now, let’s get on with the review.
Sports: Another washed year in terms of the racing; Coronavirus pushed most of the events from 2021. But Matt Dixon, my coach, kept reminding the coaching tribe - “Control the controllables”. Race cancellation was not in my control, but regular training was. I’m overall happy with my consistency.
So, I trained 93% of the days. Kept showing up.
On the race front, not much happened this year. I ran one Marathon (New Delhi Full Marathon, my first full marathon). I finished in 3 hours 49 min, which is not bad.
Health: Despite all the noise surrounding vaccination and hurried trials, finally vaccination showed up for everyone and reduced the mortality. I got both doses of covid vaccination.
Travel: For most of the year, travel was not possible due to Covid. Towards the second part of the year, I went for 3 trips - 10 days solo trip to Sattal (first solo, great trip), a weekend trip to Corbett Resort with boys gang, and a week trip to Kedarnath and Badrinath with mom.
Office: As one climbs the corporate ladder, challenges and responsibilities increase. It is part of the game. 2021 was another challenging year, with a lot of new deployments. But, with a strong team, it was fun to navigate. I did miss seeing colleagues face to face. That informal chit-chat and bonhomie is vital. After all, we are not some automated machines, but people who thrive on the connections.
Friends: I have a circle of close friends and I cherish each and every friendship. Some of my closest friendships are the ones that were formed in the last few years, proving age or length of knowing someone are not necessary for the deep friendship. I’m super grateful for all the friends I have.
Finance: I was disciplined in finance this year. Made good investments, sorted some long-term plans.
Meditation: In the entire 2021, I meditated only for 50 days. Even more disappointing is that I didn’t manage to build a habit streak. Meditation is something that is important to me; I am convinced of the benefits it offers, and I want to lead a mindful life. I’ve explored various options, from different meditation apps to change the time when I do meditation, to experimenting with duration (short 3 min to long 15 min). Nothing has clicked so far.
Writing: I wrote NO blog post in 2021. Writing is important to me, as it helps me to clarify my thoughts to myself, and also share my thoughts and learnings with the community. There is no excuse for this, I need to make
blogging a priority.
Reading: Sports and Office dominated my 2021. I didn’t give much time to reading as I would have liked.
Sports: I’m very passionate about triathlon. This sport gives me many physical and mental benefits. For the past few years, the theme was consistency and laying the foundation. Now, triathlon training is an established daily habit . It is almost effortless to train daily, no willpower is needed. Next Year’s focus will be to improve on the performance.
If Ironman Hamburg happens, I will pursue a sub 12-hour Ironman. If this race doesn’t happen, then the focus would be to get a Sub 3:30 Marathon.
Meditation: The journey to building meditation as a habit will continue in 2022.
Blog Writing: At least one post every 2 weeks, 26 posts a year. Simple.
Reading: The goal is to read 12 good books and blog about it.
Continue to eliminate the non-essential: Few Rules for self:
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their field of endeavor.”
My life experiment continues. I want to be mindful of the limited time we’ve on the earth. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. The journey of learning and un-learning continues. Cheers to a happy and progressive new year ahead.
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Footnotes:
- This review format is inspired by James Clear and Chelsa/Scott at Live Your Legend
- Previous Annual Appraisals can be found here: 2019 2018