Wins And Losses Of 2014

The second half of 2014 was a total blur for me. Overall it was a decent year, but I definitely had some struggles with stress and its challenging side effects. This time last year, I calculated that I had achieved 70% of my 2013 goals, and wanted to beat that percentage in 2014. The good news is I did beat 70% this year, but just barely! I set 7 goals for the year and succeeded on 5 of them, so that’s 71.4% success. Not too shabby for wins and losses.

Goal Wins in 2014

• Save 35% of my income – I had a successful year in terms of income, and fortunately I beat my goal. I managed to save over 50% of my income, and that feels fantastic. Savings can become a bit addicting and fortunately I like living a frugal lifestyle. I’m uncertain how much I’ll be able to save in 2015 since my job situation is up in the air, so I’m glad I managed to beat my savings goal this year.
• Visit all of my immediate family – I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull this off, but luckily I did. Family drama aside, which is sometimes unavoidable, the visits were nice and long overdue. I even got to see my mother on two separate trips, and help her with a lot of things that she couldn’t do on her own. I’ve also been doing better at using FaceTime a couple times a month to stay connected with my young nephew and sister. Beyond my immediate family, I also got to see aunts and cousins I haven’t seen in many years, and my baby first cousin once removed (my cousin’s baby).
• Get my Yakezie.com Black Belt – I had a lot of fun getting my Black Belt earlier this year, which I’d wanted to reach for a long time. I plan to get more involved with Yakezie in 2015 as well. It’s a lot of fun interacting with fellow bloggers and learning from each other.
• Learn 5 new things on the computer – There’s an endless amount of things to learn on the computer, but it can be a challenge finding the time to actually sit down to learn new things. I learned how the basics of Calibre, how to edit MOBI files, how to modify firewall settings, how to use PrettyLinks, how to use Track Changes in Word, and the Remove Duplicates feature in Excel to name a few.
• Complete 1 item on my bucket list – I almost thought I failed on this goal until I realized I surpassed one of my bucket list items of writing over 250 articles. I’m not the fastest writer compared to some bloggers I know, but I’m proud of this accomplishment, and plan on continuing to write more. I used to have a lot of doubts that I could write anything at all online, so I’m glad that I’ve put my doubts to rest.

Goal Losses in 2014

• Exercise 2x week – I started out great for about a month, and then I totally failed. Regular exercise is a goal I’ve lost badly for as long as I can remember. It’s one I need to take more seriously though, especially as I get older. And my doctor reminded me to get regular exercise too.
• Scuba dive a new reef – I didn’t get a chance to take a beach vacation this year so I didn’t do any diving. I did spend more time at the beach in SF however, which is too cold to dive for my taste, but beautiful nevertheless and also conveniently close.

Other Achievements And Events

• Decided to find a new job – It wasn’t easy for me to face the music, but thank goodness I finally did. I’ve been applying to new jobs and have had several interviews. And I’m hopeful that 2015 will bring a lot of exciting new changes.
• Lost a dear family pet – Sadly I lost a sweet family pet this year. Loss is never easy, but I try to focus on the happy memories and the fact that we gave him a loving home for so many years. Even though I was highly considering getting a cat earlier in the year to help fill the void, I’m taking a break from pets right now. I have to focus on my career right now and that wouldn’t be fair to a new pet.
• Learned how to fix a sink and a toilet – I was thrilled when I figured out how to remove and replace a p-trap in a sink and actually pulled it off without any leaks! I also learned how to fix more parts of a toilet, which wasn’t as fun, but it a good set of skills to have.
• Rode across the new Bay Bridge – The new Bay Bridge span is elegant and beautiful imo. It was really neat to finally be able to drive across it the first time after seeing construction for years.
• Saw baby ducks for the first time – I’ve seen pictures of baby ducks before, but wow seeing them in person is so much cooler! They are unbelievably adorable and tiny! I was thrilled when I saw dozens of little brown and yellow baby ducks at the Palace of Fine Arts. I’d seen baby swans there a few years earlier, so it’s quite a treat to see so much new life right in the city.
• Went to Tokyo and London – I didn’t travel as much this year as in prior years, but I still had several cross country trips as well as two abroad to Tokyo and London. London is amazing, and so much better than I remembered the first time, and I can’t wait to go back again sometime. Tokyo was also a refreshing trip and opened my eyes to many creative ways to do things differently.
• Did some decluttering and remodeling – I made several runs to Goodwill again this year, donating things and decluttering. I still think there are more things I can part with, so I’ll be working on pulling together some more things in Q1. I also setup a new home office, did some painting, gardening, and remodeling. Painting is one of the quickest and most rewarding ways to freshen up a space and it’s not too painful if you do it bit by bit and with a buddy.

So there you have it. Overall a successful year considering my wins and losses, although I still feel like I should have done more. But I think I’m the type of person that will probably always feel that way even if I do a lot. I’m headed into 2015 with all cylinders firing to take my career in a new direction and find more happiness.

I hope all of you are having a relaxing and festive holiday season. And take a few minutes to reflect on the past year in your life and think about what you want to accomplish in 2015. We’re never too old to change and live the lives we’ve always dreamed of!

Untemplaters, how did you do on your 2014 goals? Did your wins beat your losses? How do you measure success of your goals, wins and losses?

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