Elle’s Edit: 2020 Reflection and 2021 Goal Setting

2020, you sure were an interesting one.

For starters, I can’t believe this is my 3rd New Years reflection post!? Dana, we’ve been doing this together for nearly 3 years.. how crazy and awesome is that? Anyways, before Elle’s Edit was a thing, I would always write in my journal or in Word a reflection on the past year and goals and intentions for the year ahead. This year in particular I feel an even stronger need to do this and I encourage you all to do the same. We have been through hell and back this year and it is something that we should never forget. There have been many many negatives however there will always be positive things that come from hardships, they just tend to be harder to find but they are there!

2020 Reflection

Every year is different and 2020 certainly was one of those years. January / February for starters were typical months for me, it was cold in the city, I was adjusting to a new job, and traveling a ton for work. It wasn’t the best time for me as I was in full on work mode and traveled every week to Chicago and didn’t have the time to see my friends or really enjoy life in nyc. I guess as I write this it was kind of a blessing in disguise that life came to an abrupt halt because I just needed it to. Sure it was nice not traveling for work but I desperately missed seeing my friends the last two months and of course they all started to flee the city when it became really bad. I adjusted to work from home life relatively quickly but that doesn’t mean that I enjoyed it. Don’t get me wrong I am SO fortunate that my job allows me to work from home but from an emotional standpoint it isn’t easy for me. I desperately need human interaction and I thrive in the office filled with others so transitioning to my “desk” aka my dining room table in my small nyc apartment during the heart of winter was not easy. Like many many others I fled the city and went down to Naples, FL to be with my parents to ride out this storm that never seems to ever go away. I was here for nearly 3 months before I made my way back to the city to move apartments and enjoy the summer months as best as I could given the circumstances. Since November, election day to be exact, I have been down in Naples again visiting my family and staying through Thanksgiving and the holidays before I head back up to the city mid-January for the foreseeable future.

Now, let’s see if I accomplished all the intentions that I made for myself last year. I laugh when looking at my 2020 goals as the number one thing I wanted to accomplish was to travel more. LOL me and everyone else in the world, right?! The next one is to take care of my body and health and I would say this one is actually true. 2020 was a hard year on our bodies especially with a looming pandemic. Throughout this pandemic I have been smart, worn a mask, social distanced where I could, and took my vitamins. I would always go on a walk either before work or after work to get “outside” time since I was working from home and that honestly saved me this year. I believe for the most part I ate relatively well which makes a big difference too! This goal will definitely continue into next year and the years to come but overall I am happy with the progress that I’ve made there. The next goal of being more open to people and things is also very true. I have to admit I am pretty much a one way sided individual when it comes to most things as I am stuck in my own ways but this year I listened to other people and what they had to say in regards to their political views and honestly just how others should be treated. This election was definitely an eye opener for me and I’m happy to report I am definitely a more open minded individual. Another goal of mine was to just say yes to many things. I have always wanted to be a spontaneous person but to be honest 2020 didn’t give me the chance to even do that but heck who am I kidding, I likely won’t ever be spontaneous and I’m realizing that is just a-okay, it is who I am. My final goal was to make one large purchase for myself this year and I can report that never happened. I was planning on making a big purchase in Paris when I was supposed to go with my bestie in May and since then with what is going on in the world I just didn’t think it was appropriate to do so. There are people that are actually struggling out there and if I want to make an impulsive decision with money that money definitely can go to a better cause.

I think it is safe to say we are all excited to close the books on 2020 and never look back but I hate to break it to you all but the pandemic and all our 2020 problems did not go away when the clock hit midnight on Jan 1st. We need to do our due diligence and be safe so we can end this pandemic once and for all.

2021 Intentions

In 2021 I want to have a better relationship with my job. 2020 was very tough from a working from home perspective but my manager was on maternity leave for 3 of those months and I was brand new to the job. It wasn’t easy to say the least as I was working 80 hour weeks/weekends, not eating lunch, and just not being happy. I have a new job at my current company that I started last Friday (!!!) and I can’t think of a better fresh start. I am going to really try to enforce that work life balance that I severely missed last year as it really has taken a toll on my mental health. I have realized that there is so much more to life than work and I want to constantly remind myself that. Do not get me wrong, I am SO thankful for my job, trust me, however if you know me I am the hardest worker and can take it down a notch and still be a strong contributor to my company.

I need to stop comparing my timeline to others. As you get older it gets really hard to see people get married, have babies, and make all these amazing life decisions when you aren’t remotely close to that. I’ve come to terms that we have our own timeline and the worst thing that you could ever do to yourself is to compare where you are in life to others. It does NOT do anyone good. I’ve come to realize you need to be happy where you are in your own life before you can compare or judge where other people are. I have so much to be thankful for and I am proud of everything I have accomplished and will accomplish in this upcoming year.

Reflection is something that is so important and listening to your inner self. This is something that I want to work on more next year and that can either be journaling more or speaking to a therapist. With so much uncertainty in the world and a lot going on I believe it is okay to want to talk to someone other than yourself or your loved ones about what is going on. This is something I have always put on the back burner but after this year I’ve realized that my mental health and the relationship that I have with myself is the most important one of them all.

I am trying to keep it short and sweet this year as we are not sure of what is to come. Obviously I want to travel and I hope we can at the back-half of next year but I don’t want to say silly intentions that are just so up in the air. I have such small goals that I hope come true next year like even being able to hug my friends, not wear a mask, go bar hopping, ride the subway, you name it! All the things we took for granted I would do anything to get back to doing those things. We will get there… just have to hang in there! One common goal of all the intentions above it to be happy with myself and who I am. This is a big enough task and I know I can do it as I’ve come a long way the past couple of years!

What are your goals for 2021?

Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo