2022 is ending in 21 days, and I thought it would be nice to reflect on the things I’ve achieved this year.
Stoicism: On January 7, 2022, I saw Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic (Kindle version) on sale for $1.99. I’ve seen this book several times from my friends’ to Ellen Adarna’s social media posts, so I satisfied my curiosity and bought it! Stoicism is an interesting philosophy, but it’s hard to practice. I try my best to be stoic, but at times, the emotions come rushing down. I guess I need more practice and deeper understanding.
Back to working out: My OB cleared me to work out at six months post-partum. I started with the popular Sweat app by Kayla Itsines because it has a post-partum program. Twelve weeks into the program, I got bored because of how repetitive the exercises were. In March 2022, I restarted my Freeletics journey. I subscribed in October 2020, but when I found out I was pregnant, I contacted them, and they paused my subscription.
Little O’s birthday party: With the help of my second sister, Ate B, Little O’s first birthday party was a success. She helped me with the lootbags, prizes, and decorations. I’m bad at stuff like this, but I guess, as a mom, I should get used to this. Though Little O won’t remember her first birthday party, she’ll look at her photos, and smile knowing that despite the pandemic, family and friends joined to celebrate with her. This birthday party became a mini reunion as well. I was able to see friends whom I haven’t seen in two years – UP friends, RareJob friends, John Dewey friends, and Toastmaster friends.
Raising Little O: Eighteen months into parenting, and I can say D and I are doing well! Little O is a few months advance (proud momma here!) She learned how to walk on her own by 10 months. By 15 months, her communication skills were that of an 18-month old.
Let go of a client (and work I like) to have more time: I liked working with that digital marketing agency, but work was eating me up. All I did were to care for Ollie in the morning, work in the afternoon, exercise for 30 minutes at night, and sleep. I needed to let go of some things to feel more alive. Letting go of this client meant I would earn less, but it’s okay.
Became less anxious of the virus: The past two years were full of uncertainties because of COVID-19, and we were very conscious and strict with the protocols (and our own protocols at home) because of Little O. Eventually, as the first and second quarter of the year passed, we started going out (a few times a month) or having friends over from time to time.
Celebrated my birthday with the family: Since 2015, I’ve been treating my family out on my birthday. But because of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to do so. This year though, we were able to eat out again.
Found out the status of my kidneys and liver: I had my annual physical exam in October, and, really, the only thing I wanted to know if my liver and kidneys were still functioning well. Someone who’s been taking maintenance meds should know how their kidneys are doing. Long-term medicine use can damage these organs, but thankfully, mine are functioning well! Plus, I’m not at risk for diabetes.
Finished 30 days of 100 pushups daily in September: I tried a challenge like this once; I’m just not sure if I successfully finished it. This time, I did it with D and my brother K.
Got let go of a long-term client: I’ve been working with Carlos since 2019, and he was my main client. I’d work with other clients, while working with Carlos. He gave me an Alexa Device, gave me 13th month pay in 2019 and 2021, gave me maternity leave, and health insurance for two years, but sadly, he let me go. My services were no longer needed. The silver lining though is he referred me to his friend, which is now my new client.
Fought for my right to vote: Despite never missing a vote since I registered in 2015, my voting status was inactive. However, my sister, who missed one vote, was still active. Quite inefficient and ineffective the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in the Philippines. You’d agree. This year’s election was probably the most interesting election ever. Before, we used to vote for the “lesser evil” or the one who won’t seem to be corrupt.
This year, who the next president should be was clear – one who has proven herself over the past few years. Unfortunately, she lost to a candidate with a questionable track record (if he has a track record, that is). But I’m proud that I fought for my right to vote! I called COMELEC, and I was told that the system is closed already, and I will no longer get a chance to vote. But with the advice of my fellow kakampinks, I went to COMELEC to prove to them that I voted in 2016. My proof was a simple screenshot of my chat with my friend.
Tried out new hobbies: I’ve been on the lookout for a new hobby since 2021. I wanted a hobby that’s low-cost and requires minimal equipment. Eventually, I discovered crochet – which was not as easy as I thought. I first tried making a square coaster, but I wasn’t successful with it. After a few months, I got my crochet needle and yarn out and tried making a flower. Three tries later, I finally got it. I still have a long way to go!
The next hobby I accidentally got interested in was playing the ukelele. Since D is a musician/guitarist, he wanted Little O to be interested in music, too. I told him we need to expose her to a real musical instrument if he wants Little O to love music. Being the elite musician that he is, he didn’t want to buy a cheap guitar (and by cheap, around Php 12,000 or $216). So instead, we bought a ukelele. It was challenging at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. I’ve mastered The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and I have a few more songs to practice.
Started Hey, Mica: I decided to blog again without the intention of monetizing. I just want to write about my life. I want to have a single place where Little O can look back to. No niche, everything is about my everyday life.
Looking at my year from the society’s definition of success, I didn’t achieve much. But really, when I look at it from my own definition, I achieved a lot!
The lessons here are:
- Have your own definition of success
- Measure your success based on how far you’ve gone and not how far you still have to go.
