Ah well, a new year is here. I don’t think there has been any other year in my memory where it’s been looked on as a beacon of hope and optimism as much as 2021 is being heralded as. It starts with a definite burden of expectations but then honestly after last year, the benchmark is also quite low to make it relatively better.

As for me, this is now the fourth year of starting an yearly run by declaring a few goals publicly, veiled as new year resolutions.  I have realized that in a way I end up committing to them in a far stronger manner than just keeping them in my head would do. While in the first year I made it solely about the blog, gradually I have been embracing Elementum Money more and more as my personal space on the internet to help explore more aspects of life and keep me grounded.

So, I will keep it quite short this year with a usual number of five new year resolutions. Some of them are lofty goals while some are simple habit tweaks and one more of a guiding statement. Take a look.

1. Atleast 80{76b947d7ef5b3424fa3b69da76ad2c33c34408872c6cc7893e56cc055d3cd886} of a manuscript I am happy with

Although my first novel Second Serve did not garner any traditional publisher, so far I choose to be satisfied with the kind of reviews it has received. More importantly, now that the manuscript I worked on over a few months in 2018 and 2019 is out of the way I can and want to focus on a new writing project. I did start with a Personal Finance book but I am still figuring my way in it. I might make some headway there after picking some more brains from the industry.  Apart from that, I have a hazy plot brewing in my brain which will really need me to hunker down and give a shot to see where it leads. In 2021, in a utopian world I want to make the time to work on both these ideas while writing atleast once in 1-2 weeks for Elementum Money. And of course all this writing is just meant to be the icing on the core of my time consumption, being my job. But, as a compromise I would be happy even if I get to 80{76b947d7ef5b3424fa3b69da76ad2c33c34408872c6cc7893e56cc055d3cd886} of one of these ideas.

2. Fuel entrepreneurial aspirations

If you ask my parents, they would claim that I have had entrepreneurial aspirations since childhood with my greatest aspiration being to sell yoghurt in tiny earthern pots on Indian railway platforms. Thankfully I outgrew that flight of fancy. However, enough and more times I have had that nagging sensation at the back of my mind that I am not cut out for corporate. Don’t get me wrong. In my almost 11 years of experience, I wouldn’t trade my working life for the world, considering the experience and shaping up that it’s done for me. But, beyond a point I know I want to dip my toes into the swirl of entrepreneurial career. For a few years now, I also have an inkling of what I want to do. I am hoping to make 2021 an year where I spend time to work on setting a foundation or ground work for it.

3. Get back to cycling and to a minimum 10 km route

I have always found cardio workouts inexplicably boring. Last year, I aimed to run a 5K just to break through the mental barrier of finding running boring. By March I was done with that goal and went back to finding it a challenge. This year, I am eyeing the bicycle my husband bought more than a year back. Now that the initial enthusiasm of the idea has worn off for him, I know I can get it adjusted to my height and make cycling a reason to get up early in the morning. Here again I know that 10 kilometres is not a big deal. But, in my case, this resolution’s job is to act like a carrot to get me back to cycling. As for my love for strength training, that shall continue to hopefully add up to the cycling and get me back on track to a minimum three times a week workout schedule.

4. Have one fruit a day

If my parents read this, it will be proof that their daughter still listens to them. My excuse of forgetting about it or always being short on time to eat fruits has been their constant grouse for years. Now that my eating habits are decently healthy, I figured this was a small moderate tweak that could be added. There was an year when I tried to track my zero added sugar days but that wasn’t going too well. So when it comes to sugar, for now, I am happy trying to moderate consumption on my own as well as I can. But, a fruit a day seems far more doable and with ample benefits to it’s name.

5. Continue learning

This is a vague guiding factor type resolution for the year but it’s also something which has become a part of me in the last few years. In this context, 2020 was quite decent whereby I passed an exam in my domain and finished the German course on Duolingo. I also almost finished a Social Media course on Hubspot with just the exam left. As for 2021, one of the things I have started on is a Positive Psychology specialization on Coursera led by Dr. Marty Seligman. I am also aiming to give atleast A1 exam in German. Rest, I am hoping to pick up more things of interest on the way and continue being a lifelong student.

So that’s my plan for 2021. I also hope that with the world opening up and things hopefully improving we humans are in a better frame of mind to keep forging ahead. Wishing you a happy new year!

Do you believe in making new year resolutions? Did you make any resolutions for 2021? Let me know in the comments below.

Earlier New Year Resolution Posts:

New Year Resolutions – 2020

New Year Resolutions – 2019

New Year Resolutions – 2018