Mid-Year Resolution Check-In
Happy Canada everyone! Half of the year has already passed by, with most of that being in quarantine. When I first wrote my post "My 2020 Goals and Resolutions," obviously no one knew what the future would hold for the year 2020. It seems like this Covid-19 virus is flipping the world upside down and who knows when it will be eradicated, with talks of 2nd wave, especially if we don't discover a vaccine entering into fall/winter again.
However, life must go on, and I decided to make the most out of it and still chug along with my New Year's Resolutions. Let's revisit those just for a moment:
1) Build my personal brand and share my experiences to help others.
I did start my Youtube channel and website, and trying to post consistently at least once a week. I'm still trying to figure out my brand, but I've decided to focus on personal finance, career, and work life balance in the meantime.
2) Become more financially independent by investing in stocks and/or real estate.
I did buy my first property (in time for my 28th birthday!) and I've started investing somewhat consistently in my Questrade account. Instead of trying to make quick bucks, I'm investing in the long run and focusing more on value investing.
3) Build my career by obtaining another designation: a US CPA.
My plan was originally to study over the summer. I'm just about to order the review books right now! I've also taken on reduced hours at work, so now I have a a three day weekend to focus on studying for the exam :)
4) Expand my knowledge by reading at least one book a month.
Since it's July st, let's see if I had managed to ready 6 books in 2020:
(i) Principles by Ray Dalio (audiobook)
(ii) Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)
(iii) Think and Grow Rich: Original Version by Napolean Hill (kindle)
(iv) Beat the Bank: How to win the mortgage game in Canada by Paul Meredith (kindle)
(v) 3 Months to No.1: The 2020 "No-Nonsense" SEO Playbook for Getting Your Website Found on Google by Will Coombe (kindle)
(vi) The Intentional Accountant: Your Roadmap For Building a Next Generation Accounting Firm by Darren Root (kindle) - still reading
(vii) Warren Buffett: 43 Lessons for Business & Life by Keith Lard - still reading
(viii) The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (audiobook) - still listening to it
(ix) Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (audiobook) - still listening to it
Hmm.. I realized I have quite a few unfinished books, though it seems I've (almost) managed to read a book per month. My goal is to finish the four books I've started over the next little while.
5) Work on my relationships with family and friends to build a stronger bond. I have to say I've been slacking in keeping in touch with everyone. I had made the effort to call my mom while she was in Korea, and only made the effort to a few friends. I will continue to work on this.
6) Build my network by meeting like-minded people and those with similar goals as me. This one was hard given the current circumstances. I'm going to continue working on this as the quarantine starts easing.
7) Work on my well-being, both physically and mentally.
Working on my body and mind is especially important during these unprecedented times. I have taken up daily meditation using the Calm app - it is part of my morning routine now. I have also taken up daily journaling before I go to bed - though, I have to say I haven't been as diligent in writing nowadays. I will try to be more consistent as it gave me the chance to reflect on the day.
As for physical health, I'm trying to lose my "quarantine weight" as we speak (I even made a video about it). My goal is to just eat healthier, eat smaller portions, and exercise regularly. When the weather permits, I go out for walks, as well as do some HIIT and strength training at home on my yoga mat with some dumbbells. My biggest roadblocks are sometimes the cravings I get for sweets, which totally sidetracks my diet. Also, wine is my biggest guilty pleasure, gotta ease out of that one too.
After reflecting on my resolutions, I feel like I made good headway during the first half of the year. This exercise also gave me the chance to know which areas to focus on more, so I can be on track to hitting every single goal. I guess I will be revisiting this in another 6 months time at the end of 2020. I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that the world will all be well, and that we will be able to come out of this pandemic relatively unscathed.