6. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
An S Corp. And a writing side hustle. I don’t know what that will look like yet, but just putting it out there.
7. What date from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 18 - the day we closed escrow!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Wow, there are so many things I’m proud of this year. Getting promoted to EVP, hitting 100+ consecutive days of meditation, attending BECI, buying a house, starting an informal Filipino community within Edelman and growing participation to 38 people across 3 countries, and following through on multiple stretch goals: getting paid for coaching, publishing my writing on LinkedIn, and asking for a market review of my salary when I suspected I was being underpaid (which worked out positively for me - don’t be afraid to ask for your worth!).
I’ve had an abundant, expansive year, and I’m really excited to see what I’ll conquer next. 😌
9. What was your biggest failure?
Being unsuccessful with my diet and remaining in the pre-diabetic zone.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I pulled something in my glute while poling and it took months to recover, on top of ongoing recovery for my shoulder that dislocated. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can invest in physical therapy monthly, because I’d have a lot more pain in my body if I didn’t (s/o to my PT Ariana at Myodetox!) I was also sick for a few days after getting my booster shot.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A house. No question. 🏡
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Me, because I did a fucking lot, I gave a fucking lot, and I feel really good about it all.
But so many people in my life crushed it last year and also deserve celebration. Liam got his first full-time job and finished his first short doc. My sister got paid to DJ for the first time. Another friend wrote a book. Another friend grew a business. Several friends underwent career changes. It’s inspiring being surrounded by people also looking to do big shit and pursue more fulfilling lives.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The unvaccinated who end up in the hospital and regret their choice. As well as the people who spread misinformation around the vaccines. At the end of the day I get that being vaccinated is a choice, it’s just sad when you hear stories of people who have regrets about that choice when faced with the worst consequences of COVID (but I know that not everyone regrets it, too).
14. Where did most of your money go?
So many things - to debt, to our house, to our wedding (and savings account for the wedding), to my retirement accounts/investments. Real adult shit, basically.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Wow, I sound like a broken record, but I was truly excited about all of my major achievements this year - buying our house, getting promoted, surpassing what I perceived to be the limit of my earning potential, attending BECI, etc. Plus, going to Colombia.
But you know, practicing gratitude and savoring is scientifically proven to increase your happiness levels, and I love reflecting on and savoring everything I have to be grateful for in this life. And doing what I can to share what I’ve learned and earned with others. Because yeah, there’s a lot of bullshit in the world, but as long as we each play our part in doing as little harm as possible, to ourselves and to others, that’s all we can really ask for.
16. What song will always remind you of 2021?
Agoria, STS, Glowal - Call Of the Wild, Donna Missal - Bothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, Elderbrook, Bob Moses - Inner Light, Lil Nas X’s INDUSTRY BABY and MONTERO (bc pop culture), Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan, Dylan Brady - Supersonic (My Existence), and basically everything from RUFUS’ latest album (especially Next to Me).
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier. More satisfied and proud, for sure.
ii. thinner or fatter?
A little thinner I think, but could still be fitter.
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer. Honestly, I surpassed a lot of financial goals this year, and I’m now in uncharted territory - growing up, my parents made decent money but the idea of “wealth” has always been a foreign concept. I graduated from college fully expecting to be a starving writer, and I hit my income goals only a few years afterward. Everything I earn now is just icing on top, but if I’m going to keep earning, I would love to be able to pay off my family's debt and take care of my parents through their retirement (Liam’s parents too).
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Read maybe. And cook at home.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating sugar.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
I spent a couple of days with my family before Christmas and then flew up to SF on Christmas Eve to spend actual Christmas with Liam’s family. It was my first Christmas without my immediate family, but I love Liam’s family and I’m really excited to introduce new traditions into my life (like Christmas crackers and taking turns opening gifts one at a time instead of the free-for-all chaos my family and I usually engage in).
22. Did you fall in love in 2021?
Stayed in it. This is long-haul love. ❤️
23. How many one-night stands?
Still none! Hopefully for the rest of my life, which is easy when your fiancé looks like this…