2021 Year in Review!
Hello friends! It's currently a little bit after 5 PM on December 31st, and I've spent most of the day today reflecting on 2021. As I was looking through photos from January and February, it occurred to me that even though time seems to pass faster as I get older, it's CRAZY how much can happen in a single year. Exactly one year ago, I wrote this 2020 Year in Review, where I reflected on the year one month at a time. This year, I'm taking a slightly different approach.
About halfway through 2021, I did a little soul-searching while backpacking through Central America, and I came up with a new framework for achieving balance in my life. I believe that life is ALL about balance and giving attention to whatever area of my life needs it most. I call this new framework my 5 Pillars. There are 5 areas of my life that I strive to balance on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Here they are:
1. BODY- Fitness, Diet, & Sleep
2. MIND- Faith/Soul, Mental Health, & Personal Development
3. RELATIONSHIPS- Family & Friends
4. CAREER- Business Success & Finances
5. HAPPINESS- Hobbies, Fun, & Adventure
So for my 2021 Year in Review, I'm going to share some of my highs and lows for each of these 5 pillars of my life. Thanks for reading :)
Body
On January 1st, I kicked off one of the hardest challenges of my life - 75 Hard. I completed the following activities every single day for 75 Days: Two 45-minute workouts per day (one of them had to be outside); Follow a diet (no alcohol, sweets, or cheat meals); Drink 1 gallon of water; Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book; Take a progress picture. I created a few vlogs to document my 75 Hard journey that you can check out here: First 25 Days / First 50 Days / Finished!
Another goal that I set for myself at the beginning of 2021 was to hit an average of 10,000 Steps per day for the whole year. I was on track for most of the year, but my step count went WAY down in Q4, so I ended up having to do something drastic to get it back up. I ended up walking a Marathon around Seattle and logged over 60,000 steps in one day. I'm ending the year with an average of 10,025 steps/day!
Some other body highlights included doing an ab workout every day for a month (my April challenge) and riding my bike from Tacoma to Seattle. For some reason, my motivation to work out and eat healthy completely went out the window in December. I'm blaming my puppy for messing up my sleep schedule, but it also just felt nice to give myself a break this month. I'll be back at it tomorrow for my January Strong Challenge!
Mind
I think that most humans on planet earth have struggled with their mental health over the last 2 years. I am no exception. There are a few things that usually help me get in the right headspace: My morning routine, working out, quiet time, and practicing gratitude. But every once in a while, no matter how many positive affirmations I do, I can't seem to shake my bad mood. If you ever feel this way, you are not alone. I 100% identify myself as an optimist, but toxic positivity is not the answer. It's natural to experience highs and lows. I've learned to pursue my goals boldly and hold myself accountable, but also give myself grace.
Throughout 2021, there were a number of things that I did to enhance my mind. First and foremost, I read a daily devotional and wrote in my gratitude journal every single day this year. This is an important part of my morning routine, and I plan on continuing both of these habits in 2022. I read 52 books in 2020, and I honestly got a little burned out on audiobooks. This year, I read 14 books and listened to a LOT of podcasts. My favorite is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
I also completed 3 monthly challenges in 2021 to enhance my mind: I did a One-Month Social Media Detox in August, a guided meditation every day in November, and practiced Spanish every day in May (I've actually practiced Spanish on the DuoLingo app for 243 days and counting). Excited to continue sharpening my mind in 2022!
Relationships
I am blessed with some AMAZING people in my life. This year I've learned that loving others and spreading joy is really what life is all about. I'm happiest when I'm doing something to help or impact other people's lives.
As I get older, I've noticed that I spend less time with my friends than I used to. We all have people that we spend more time with during different seasons of our lives, but we also have the ability to CHOOSE which relationships we are going to prioritize and strengthen as we get older. This is definitely something I need to get better at, but I'm grateful for all the unforgettable memories I made with friends and family in 2021.
I went to Watershed for the first time, attended 3 weddings, went on a wine-tasting trip to Chelan, had an amazing 4th of July Party and Island Palooza (2 of my favorite days of the year), and even moved back to Seattle to be closer to friends. I also had a ton of quality time with my family this year. Even though we work together, it's not very often that we get to spend time together outside of work. I also got to see my grandparents more often this year and visited Papa Dick in Arizona for his 83rd birthday!
Career
2021 was a crazy year for Theory. It wasn't without moments of stress and uncertainty, BUT there is a lot to celebrate as I look back at the last 12 months. We celebrated Theory's 5-Year Anniversary, welcomed 25 new people to our team, closed 250+ Transactions totaling over $120 Million of real estate sold, filled all 40 suites in our Beaker Collaborative buildings, launched Edison Square with a Masquerade Ball and ribbon cutting with the Mayor of Tacoma, helped put on the Tacoma Santa Parade, opened a sober living house in partnership with the Tacoma Rescue Mission, and so much more. I also personally helped 10 friends buy their first homes and did a polar bear plunge to sell a house Our marketing team put together this VIDEO RECAP. We have BIG things in store for 2022!
Happiness
This year was full of fun and adventure. Travel is my #1 favorite hobby, and I was fortunate to be able to travel a bit this year. I went on a last-minute trip to Central America in May. I visited Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. I went scuba diving for the first time in Honduras and it was absolutely incredible. I have officially been to every country in Central America and 38 countries total. The travel bug is real!
Outside of travel, I went to my first Seahawks game this year, did a Christmas activity every day in December, went to the post hotel, and... *drumroll please* ... I got a PUPPY! Her name is Stevie, and she's a Goberian (Half Husky / Half Golden Retriever). I took a road trip down to Texas to pick her up, and she's been the center of my attention for the last month. So excited to watch her grow up!
