Counting My Wins: 2021 Wrap Up
It’s that time of year where we start reflecting on everything from our playlists to our life’s purpose. Ahead of that #newyearnewme energy that January brings, it seems like we all want to take stock of our lives.
As a high-achieving, goal-oriented kinda girl, I measure EVERYTHING. Especially my success. It’s like I still get report cards, but I grade harder than any teacher I ever had! Of course it helps me see how much progress I’ve made, but sometimes it just comes back to bite me in the ass. As I reflected, I started to get a little down on myself thinking about everything I didn’t accomplish this year. Then it hit me: I have done SO much this year! There’s no way I can just let all the good stuff slide.
So I wrote a list. I challenged myself to think of at least three highlights from each month of 2021. It could be personal, family or work-related. A win is a win! Let me share some of my highlights with you:
JANUARY- I started the year with a little travel to the beach and back to DC to set my intentions and get me motivated for the year ahead. Home keeps me grounded and getaways make me go harder. It worked: that same month I furnished my parents’ LA home and landed an Expensify partnership!
FEBRUARY - February I was in grind mode. I secured another partnership with Havenly, while still making time for family movie nights at the drive-in theater.
MARCH - One of my big goals for the year was lowering my expenses and by March, I made it happen! I saved hella money this year by budgeting as if I made $52,000 annually. Lots of negotiation, credit card points and connections were used to make that happen. I was even able to reduce my rent by $800. Best part: all that saving made room for me to plan an AMAZING family trip to Cabo for Juju and my mom. She still talks about everything we did there. So worth it.
APRIL - Work hard, play harder. I cut up a little in April for my friend Zee’s bachelorette party. We all deserve to have as much fun as I had that weekend. That’s it. That’s the win.
MAY - In May, I celebrated 2 years of being a doctor! Getting my PhD was such a milestone for me, I always try to do something to commemorate it. I also hosted a book and wine club event to start the summer off right.
JUNE - My co-founder and I launched our app, Blaytorbox with a grant (y’all know how I feel about grants lol) and I also sponsored a Juneteenth celebration in my community. It’s giving big boss energy!
JULY - If you’ve been following me this past year, you’ve probably seen me plug Rockstar a few times. July is where it all started. I signed on to a 6-month paid campaign with them which was HUGE. It’s been great working with them. I leveled up my health by hiring a trainer, too. Hot girl summer was not missing me, okay?!
AUGUST - This year, Juju started middle school. Time is flying. Pretty soon I’m gonna be taking pictures at her graduation! Make it stopppp. Since I officially have a middle schooler, I took the opportunity to travel to Zanzibar, Tanzania for a little mid-year refresh. (Sensing a theme here with the travel?)
SEPTEMBER - My grandma came to visit us in LA, which was so special. Having her here made LA feel even more like home.
OCTOBER - October was a month for recognition. First, Teyana Taylor acknowledged my recreation of her album cover that I made as part of my #BcuzSheSaidSo installation. (Check that out here if you haven’t!) But wait there’s more: I went back to my alma mater with my Dad to receive the Bucknell Young Alumni Award. Not gonna lie, it was such an honor to be recognized for not only my creativity but my scholarship as well.
NOVEMBER - My birthday month was lit! My film was cited in a book chapter, I had a little Malibu staycation and a few turnt up nights.
DECEMBER - This month was back to business; I wrapped up my book proposal to send to my agents and pitched my next documentary as well. I did all of this while maintaining all the arms of my business with the help of a solid team that I built throughout the year. Oh yeah and I went blue with my hair just so I could bring in year with a bold new attitude.
Want to do your own reflection? Click here to grab my exclusive Wins Worksheet where I break down my exact reflection process and show you how to use it to set better goals in the new year. Includes 2021 reflection sheet, plus a 2022 goal setting page.
Happy new year!
