Goodbye, 2021. Hello, 2022.

It’s the end of yet another dramatic year. 2020 was a mess for everyone, and the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating—taking many lives and shaking the world.

Although the effect of the pandemic had lessened with vaccinations and other means, it still left us with scary memories. The first half of 2021 was still an aftershock of the pandemic. We had to take precautions (which we are still doing), there were several lockdowns, and people received vaccinations.

For me, 2021 was a year of achievements—not big, yet significant.

I quit my job at the end of 2020 to work independently as a self-employed writer and entrepreneur. At the time, I did not know what path I would take. I only knew that I loved writing, and I would be doing something with my writing skills.

In January, I was invited to speak in a podcast by Mr. Umes Shrestha. I’d never done anything like that before. So, it came to me as a surprise that anyone would want me as a guest on their podcast. But it was a fun experience.

This year, I wrote two ebooks, one of which was had more than 400 downloads. In addition, I grew my email list subscribers to 500+ emails.

One of my articles got published in ShareSansar, which blew up my website traffic. The results were terrific.

I reached 100+ articles on my blog this year. Although I have written almost 200 articles online on different platforms, having written 100+ articles on my blog has a different feeling of achievement.

I got many freelancing clients through different channels, primarily through Linkedin and my blog. It was a great feeling to work online in my own time and get paid for it.

There were also some negative aspects of being self-employed. Most days, I hated working alone and missed the work environment, especially my colleagues. In addition, I struggled financially for some months because of my inconsistent income as a freelancer and self-employed writer. But, other months, I made good money doing the same.

Overall, 2021 was a good year for me. I learned to recognize my strengths and weaknesses. I knew what I loved doing and what I will be doing in the future.

2022

I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions, but I have some big and small plans for 2022.

I will continue to write—there’s no doubt in that. Being able to write good stories and inspire people is something I’m grateful for.

I have been working on a start-up with a friend of mine. We have almost finished the planning stage. So, hopefully, we will launch the company by the beginning of 2022. More on that later.

Travelling has been unsafe since the pandemic. I hope everything becomes okay this year so that it becomes normal again. If it does then, I will be traveling more this year. It is always a great learning experience to visit new places, meet new people, and learn about their culture.

Relationships are an essential part of life. I want to strengthen my existing relationships with my friends, family, and partner. I have always been a sucker at it, so I hope to do my best to build better relationships this year. Also, I look forward to making new friends and building new relationships—personal and professional.

I’m grateful for everything I learned and experienced in 2021. But, I’m excited about 2022 and what it has to offer.