21 For 21
Forget 16 wishes, at 21 we make plans
Last year, I turned 21 and instead of writing a wishlist, I got serious about my goals. I wrote a list of 21 things I will do at 21 years old. My birthday is sandwiched between Christmas and New Years which is a blessing and a curse. Last year felt more like a blessing because it meant new year, new age, new me. So I didn't’t just make a list of things I want to achieve, I included what I’ll do to make it happen.
Why I did this
A lot of my achievements and opportunities from the year before came to me. That doesn’t mean I didn’t work for it or didn’t deserve it. All my previous, consistent work brought me to where I am today. It just made me wonder, if I can achieve that with a novice level of effort, imagine what could happen when I go beyond. Imagine what could happen when I intentionally plan towards my goals. What I think might take 5 years could actually happen in 5 months. When I blew out my candles at 21, I didn’t wish for the usual. I will share most of the goals that are a mix of personal and professional goals, but some of this tea stays in the pot.
How it works
If you’d like to do the same, regardless of the age you are turning, here is how I did it. 21 was my special number, so whenever I had to quantify anything on the list, I make it relate to 21 if possible. For example, if I want to write x amount of articles, it should at least be the age you have in mind. (You will see examples of this later on). The most important part is not just writing the main goals, but also including steps you are going to take to make sure this happens. You may find that those steps are repeated for some of the other goals, that just means you need to ensure you do it. For example, if you want to get a certain grade, but you also want to be more active on social media - both of those goals may require you to wake up earlier to maximise the hours in your days. So for every goal, I also included 21 things I will do to make sure it happens.
The Official List:
1. Graduate with first class honours
2. X
3. Learn how to confidently canter on a horse
4. Do 12 in depth interviews
5. Read 12 books
6. X
7. Write weekly blog posts
8. Do 21 vox pops
9. Build my dream wardrobe full of unique pieces
10. Workout consistently
11. Define employment options post uni
12. X
13. X
14. X
15. X
16. X
17. Have five articles published
18. X
19. Do 21 solo trips
20. X
21. Watch a ballet performance live
Example:
This is an example of 21 things I will do to achieve one of my goals that is on the list. Some of the steps are directly related to making that dream come true, while others are about creating an environment to increase the chances of that dream happening.
These are some of the things from my 21 for 21 list. Of course, not all goals have to be shared, but sometimes’s it’s good to be bold and audacious. Make sure to subscribe to the newsletter for more blog updates!
