Today's post is a bit of a self-indulgent one as it's about the goals I want to set for myself before I turn 22. I turned 21 almost two weeks ago. 20 was certainly an interesting age, especially as I spent all of it during the pandemic. Here are some life goals that I would like to achieve by my next birthday.
Learn to Drive
Probably one of the biggest goals I have for myself is learning to drive. Up until now, I haven't had a need to drive, but I've reached a point in my life where I do need to learn to drive. It will help me with applying to jobs as it can open up where I'd like to apply to. It would also just be a useful lifeskill and help with me having a bit of independence. As of writing this, I am due to have my first driving lesson this month and I am both excited and nervous for it. Most of my friends can drive, so it's about time that I joined them.
Develop a Creative Skill
It will come as no surprise to long time readers of my blog, but I consider myself a very creative person. I would say my main area of creativity is writing and content creation. While I'm looking for a job, I spend a lot of my free time developing those skills. So while I have the time to, I'd like to develop a new creative skill. I'm thinking either playing the piano or drawing. Both are hobbies I have dabbled in before, but I'd love to pick them up again and become more confident in them. They're also two things I can do that don't involve anything (or much) digital tech as I spend so much time looking at a screen, I'd like to do something that doesn't involve that.
Write One Complete Non-Uni Project
I've lost count of how many times I've included this on a goals list of mine over the years. However, for the first time, I actually have time to commit to it, so you can bet that's what I'm going to do. After finishing my degree, I was very creatively burnt out and I also fell out of love with writing because of it. However, it's been three months since I finished my degree and I'm now feeling ready to start working on a new project. I even have a plan! During this month, I'm going to read the book that has inspired this project. Then in October, I am going to do anymore research and development that I need to do. November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which I'm going to try and participate in. If I do, I will then edit it in December and see where that takes me. It's very exciting to feel ready to write again and I'll probably end up documenting it on my other social media platforms.
Get a Job
This is actually the biggest and most important goal on my list. Getting a job. Starting that next chapter of my life now that I'm a graduate. I've written about my experience job hunting, which you can read here. I'm looking for writing related jobs, but failing that, I'll go into retail. Just anything that can keep me busy. This is a stressful journey, which again, I'll document on my social media platforms. We'll just have to see where this one takes me.
Be Kinder to Myself
The past year has been pretty rough, as I'm sure it has been for everyone. Studying online has left me feeling really drained. The work I was having to do, alongside working on my content creation and I was involved with the student magazine at uni, meant I was always working on something. I would set unrealistic goals for what I wanted to complete in a week and I spent a lot of time being unkind to myself. I want to be kinder to myself. This past year has taught me that I can't burn the candle at both ends. So being kinder to myself is necessary. It's treating myself to time off or saying I can do that work another day if I'm not feeling like it.
Those are some goals I have for the next year. What are your goals for the next year?
