2022: A Clean New Slate

2021, in all honesty, is probably the best year I had in a while. It was a year of self-discovery and growth. I've graduated, realized new dreams and insights on who I am and who I aspire to be as I move on to adulthood. There's been a lot of changes in my surroundings, in particular, now being a "full-time working adult", and transforming my social circle. At the end of it all, these changes are what created a version of myself that I am so proud of and it's what will make the new year, truly, a new one. One with bigger dreams and goals, and exponential growth.

2022 is going to be a clean new slate. It is a new chapter for me and I'm currently exploring unfamiliar territory. How am I supposed to g about adulting? What is my career trajectory? How can I be more financially independent? But more importantly, how can I achieve my freedom and stay true to who I am?

So here, I've written down a couple of my resolutions. 2022 is going to be THE year I start taking action. 2021 was the year to discover myself, and now it's time to bring everything I learnt and build the life I want for myself (in no particular order), the theme being: Growth financially, creatively, socially and personally.

1. Start Making my F-You Money and Get the F Out of Here

Yup. First and foremost, my goal is to be financially independent. I am so glad to be wrapping up my year of reading with the book, "The Simple Path to Wealth" by J. L. Collins (shoutout to Joyce for suggesting this beautiful book). Building my wealth is going to be an important part of 2022 as it paves the path to having a means to many ends I set for myself. J. L. Collins coined the term F-You Money, money that essentially, could be used to support ourselves without having to be tied to any corporate obligations. Want to go on a sabbatical? Start your own business? Your F-You Money is what you have to let all of that happen. J. L. Collins teaches us how to accumulate that wealth the simple and steady way, as well as how to budget more efficiently. Are we spending on things that are necessary or are we being impulsive with our wants? No, it's not a book about how you can become a billionaire. But it's at least a book that teaches us how to be in a stable place financially.

2. Living Up To My Values: Professionally and Personally

Once I got out of university, I realized how much freedom I have on my choices from now on. Perhaps I always did, but now, it's much more recognizable. The possibilities and paths you can take are endless when you're not labelled as a student. I can just be who I want to be. So I've been re-evaluating who I am and what my values are. And at the core of it all, I want to make sure that I am empowering communities and making an impact with the work I do. It's why I'm happy with my current job, and it's why down the road, I want to pursue a Master's in Economics and specialize in that field. It's also why I'm doing my own initiatives and activist work as well. I want to stay fulfilled and aligned with the purpose I want to create for my life.

3. Telling My Stories

In 2022, I want to meet more people. Unfortunately, the pandemic has taken a halt in my travelling and talking with fellow travellers and locals, but that does not mean Hong Kong has it's own fair share of interesting people. There's so many friends I want to make (the app, Meetup, comes in handy) and share stories with. And there's so much I want to document while I'm at it! Whether that's blogging, creative writing or literally just talking with others, I want to make sure stories are a main theme of my year, whether it's others making a mark in mine or vice versa.

4. Nurturing My Creativity

Creative writing and reading are two hobbies I've had ever since a young age. But in the midst of all this adjusting to adulthood, my reading pace has been slower and my writing (oof), well, it's quite rusty and cobwebs are starting to grow around my stories as it waits for me to come back. Next year, I want to at least spare an hour or so a day into these interests of mine. I already made a whole reading list for 2022 as well, containing books on business/investment, personal development, history/culture and fiction; and I am definitely doing another 24-hour readathon, just because the list is quite long lol. The world of literature is such a beautiful one, so I really want to make time to explore and appreciate what it has.

5. Staying Healthy and Going Beyond

2021 was a year of healing (mentally and physically). Since I finally recovered from my hyperthyroidism, I can do a lot more! I plan to go for a 10k marathon for one of my 2022 challenges. Other than that, I do want to pick up some new skills, like aerial yoga, pole dancing and/or Krav Maga! If anyone has any recommendations on specific centers, I would love to know!

6. Redefining the System

Now this is one of my bigger goals. As I got out of university, I realized that there are many things we currently normalize: casual racist / sexist jokes, non-environmentally-friendly habits and practices, and mental burnout. All a big no-no, yet these are things we find normal in a capitalistic society. We have to start changing the system and how we treat others and the environment.

Yes, it's a huge vision, but I don't think it's impossible. Change can start big and small, so I plan to do both. That refers to the way I change my lifestyle, how I treat the people around me, and how I can raise awareness. But of course, nothing's stopping me from going big. I've been continuing to widen the vision of my initiatives, and that starts by changing the culture in schools. I've been talking to high schools and universities on how we can create a more supportive and inclusive culture, and I'd like to think this change is not so far-fetched.

7. Continue Learning

I'm not a know-it-all, and there's still so much I have to learn. Regardless of how big my aspirations and visions could be, I also know that there is a lot of refining to do if I truly want to make desirable change. I plan to stay open-minded and listen to new perspectives, and continue to be receptive to constructive feedback as I start my new year's journey. All the resolutions I've made, from reading to meeting new people, encompasses just that. 2022 is going to be a LOT of fun, I can just feel it!