Goals for 2022

I don't think I'll be alone in saying that 2021 didn't exactly go to plan.  In fact, if you read my last blog you'll see that my financial goals really didn't go to plan at all.  This was partly because I just got tired in the second half of the year and couldn't motivate myself to carry on with these goals, but I also think that it was partly because they weren't connected to any long term goals, which meant I didn't have much of an incentive to complete them.

So, what are my long term goals:

• Financial fitness - which is basically the same goal I've had for the last few years, but, whilst we've been very lucky in being able to work these last couple of years, this pandemic has made me very aware of how important building some financial security is.  It would also allow us to carry out the other long term goals we have that are much more enjoyable.
• Sail around the world - I've always wanted to do this and it is very possibly a goal that will never happen.  However, I thought it might be worth aiming for something big and at the very least we might be able to sail to some other countries.  With the way travel is at the moment (and even how it had become before Covid 19) this has also now become a much more enticing option.  It would be good if we could sail to New Zealand and back - and yes, technically that would be around the world but not if the return journey was the same as the outwards journey.  I had always had the attitude before that this would basically be an impossible goal, but now I'm thinking I should just give it a go.  If it doesn't work out it doesn't work out, but at least I can say I tried.
• Long-distance walks in the UK - there are so many multiple-day walks in the UK we really want to do and will hopefully be filling our future with. Not only is it something we love doing, but I feel that it's a really good way of getting to know the different areas of the UK.  
• Keep learning new skills - I've put this in firstly because I enjoy learning something new, but also because it's important for brain health to keep it as active as possible.  It can also come in handy if you learn something useful.  What I have in mind for this year isn't exactly helpful, but it should hopefully be fun.

And that brings me to my 2022 goals.

Financial Fitness.

I'm going to attempt this again, but this time I'm going to keep in mind not only the long term financial security but all the other things this will help us achieve.  By the end of 2022 I want to have:

• Gotten rid of my credit card debt (again)
• Fully paid up our sinking funds for Christmas and car repairs.
• Finally put together our four months savings
• Found additional sources of income, at least one
• Paid into my pension on a monthly basis
• Find an alternative, more ethical bank (not strictly a financial fitness thing, but it's connected to my finances and I would like my money to do positive things whenever it can)

This is pretty much the same as last year, but if we get these completed it then gives us room to start saving up for our next long term goal.

Sailing Around the World.

This is very unlikely to be something we're going to be able to accomplish in one year and if I think about all the things we need to do it's actually quite daunting.  But baby steps.  This year will be the very basics:

• Find out about and hopefully start sailing lessons.  It's been a very long time since I've done any sailing and even that was only on a dingy
• Research the type of sailboat we'd want and also look into the possibility of an electric motor
•  The additional incomes would also come into this as well so that we can carry on earning as we travel

Long-distance Walk in the UK.

Theoretically, I would be looking to organise a walk this year.  However, now doesn't quite feel like the right time with things still being as unsettled as they are with Covid and our finances still needing a reboot. So this year will be more about getting information about these walks instead so we can start organising them from next year onwards. This will be quite a simple one this year:

• Build a folder to 'collect' all the walks into
• Research what multiple days walks there are in the UK
• An odd one is to find another sleeping matt.  I'm finding when I camp now my hips hurt in the morning, which is fine for just a two-day walk but not if I'm doing anything long distance.  

Learning New Skills.

Attempting to learn how to skate was a bit of a disaster last year, basically, because I didn't put any time into it.  It was entirely my fault. So this year:

• Learn how to skate
• I'd also like to start learning how to surf

There are a lot of goals I've given myself this year and realistically I won't get them all done by the end of 2022.  On top of this, I'm also getting married and there's all the organising that needs to go into that.  But I wanted to aim high and actually start working towards some long term goals that we have.  Even if I don't complete all of these goals, I'll have at least started in the right direction.