Looking Back at 2022: A Year Full of Bumps

Can time please slow down?  I can’t believe it’s December 12, 2022.  I remember my final six-day trip as a flight attendant (FA) in January as if it happened yesterday.  Time is flying by, and I’m very much like, “Slow down, bitch!  What’s the rush?!”

Let’s forget about time for the moment, and let’s focus on the kind of year it’s been because it’s been quite a year.  But before I get into my thoughts, let me ask you about your year?  How was it?  Did you meet any of your goals, if you set any?  Did you even bother setting any?  Did you travel?  Did you switch jobs?  Talk to me.  Drop your 2022 good and bad bumps in the road in the Comments section.

What a Year!

I can’t believe 2022 is coming to a close because just yesterday, what feels like yesterday, I was sitting in the midtown library teaching myself how to create a website using WordPress.org.  I was outlining future content in a notebook I dedicated to blog posts (where the hell is that notebook?).  My mind was full of ideas that I wanted (still want) to share with the world.

Being off for four months during late spring and early summer allowed me to accomplish the spontaneous goal of creating a blog.  I spent the first few months after leaving my FA gig working and studying journalism at NYU.  I was excited to take on a new endeavor I hoped would take me in a different direction.  And even though I was angry and upset that my receptionist job didn’t last for as long as I wanted, I picked myself up off the ground, dusted myself clean, and continued onward.

I never imagined myself returning to an executive assistant position, but it’s where my path led me.  It’s been a bumpy road since I started in August (dealing with a male Cruella de Vil), but I know I landed at a good company and I’m positive things will work out in the end.  And if things don’t work out, I’m a survivor and a fighter, someone who lands on their feet, and someone who isn’t afraid of meeting challenges head on.

But I do hope the challenges get easier as I get older.  I’m turning forty (40) in December.  I’m in good health, have a good job, have a great relationship with my mom; I have great friends; I have a little bit of money.  Yes, I have very little at the moment but I’m proud of having a positive net worth instead of a negative one.

I’m not freaking out about turning the big 40.  I’ve been marching to the beat of my own drum, and there’s nothing quite like living life on your own terms.  I think I’m just shocked that it’s here.  The big 40 is finally here!

And I’m shocked that we’ve reached the end of 2022.  Let’s get into what I got done, what I didn’t get done, and what’s next for this gal who’s on her way to starting another great decade.

Goals

Does anyone really like setting goals?  I’m not a goal setter.  I’m more of a “wing it” kind of gal who’s honest about dropping activities or endeavors I no longer find appealing.  I’m all about sampling different things in life to see what I like and don’t like (jobs, hobbies, food, books, teas, people), so I find it difficult to set goals at the beginning of every year.  There is one exception, and it had a rough start until I made it into a habit.

Every year since 2014, I’ve set a reading challenge in my Goodreads app.  It didn’t have a great start and going through past reading challenges, it looks like I completely skipped 2015.  Whoops!  Nevertheless, I persisted and it’s one goal I set every January.  After reading an article about someone who read 52 books in one year, I decided to set my goal at 52.  I’m not on track to meet my goal of 52 books, but I am on track to beating all the previous years.

Official goal #1 is being met (partially).

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At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted to study journalism because I thought it would lead to a more creative and fulfilling life.  I interviewed friends for a class assignment, and I enjoyed it for the most part.  My enthusiasm waned when I took an overpriced class on pitching stories.  It cost around $400, and it covered material that was already covered in one of my first classes.

The class brought me back down to earth because it made me realize that I would have to chase money and constantly negotiate a rate for my work.  Forgive my ignorance, but what the fuck?  I never expected to make bank, but I did expect a steady paycheck.

This class forced me to be more honest with myself because I don’t want to chase money; it’s one of the reasons I left the airline industry, and it’s one of the many reasons some of my former FA colleagues are considering leaving their careers in aviation for something more consistent and predictable.

Spontaneous goal #1 was officially dropped in the summer.

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The thought of getting into journalism prompted me to think about starting a blog.  Before I quit the accounting firm, I began using the free LinkedIn Learning courses the company provided to learn about WordPress.  After I quit, I signed up for a free trial and continued learning.

I gave myself three-four weeks to get my blog up and running.  I chose to learn about WordPress instead of just paying for a host like Squarespace or WordPress.com because I thought it was a great skill to have on my resume.  It’s also just good to know how to do shit.

With this skill under my belt, I took my website live in four weeks.

Spontaneous goal #2 was officially met on May 14, 2022.

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Knowing that I would have to return to work full-time, I set out to find a high paying executive assistant position.  I spent fifteen (15) years acquiring career capital to back up my salary requirements, and there was no way I was going to settle for less for that role.  Because I always think of potential negative outcomes, I did apply to unrelated positions that paid less.

After three weeks of searching, I found my current position with the salary I expected and great benefits to match.  It’s been a bit bumpy ride, but I expect everything to work out in the end.

Necessary goal #1 was officially met in mid-August.

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A couple of months into the new role, I found out that the company is working very hard to expand its presence in Europe.  The company is targeting the French and German markets specifically, and this news reignited a goal I’ve been half-assing for close to fifteen (15) years.

Back in 2008, I decided I wanted to learn French.  I purchased a Living Language CD set in my target language, but I found myself struggling to maintain interest.  Rosetta Stone was all the rage, but I wasn’t going to spend $400 on another CD set when I barely touched my existing language set that cost $25.99.  There was nothing really pushing me to stick with it.

When I returned to college full-time in 2009, I decided that I was going to take French classes and finished two semesters of it.  Unfortunately, throughout the subsequent years, my interest waned, returned, waned, finally returning with a vengeance early last year.  I was practicing on Duolingo every day until I stopped in October 2022, having logged a total of 225 days straight of practice.

I didn’t stop learning or practicing French altogether.  Instead, I found new ways to keep me engaged.  I downloaded two podcasts (Français Authentique et Le français avec Fluidité) and subscribed to two YouTube channels (French Mornings with Elisa et Français avec Fred).

My next step is setting up private lessons on Preply or italki.  What am I waiting for?  Confidence.  Enough confidence to finally get the words out.  Right now, I can text in the language without having to constantly look up words but can’t speak without subjecting someone to long pauses.  Awkward.  For them not me, by the way.

Reignited goal #1 is in full swing.

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Staying in character.  I signed up for the CAPM certificate.  “What is she doing?,” you may be asking.  I’m trying out something different, and the company is footing the bill.  After speaking with Ana and a friend about project management, I figured I would try it out.  Project Managers are expected to be in high demand at some point in the future and as someone who would prefer to stay employed until I either start my own successful business or win the lottery, I thought it would be beneficial to pursue a CAPM and increase my career capital.

I am noticing that the videos are incredibly boring, but I’m going to try very hard to stick with it.

Key words: try very hard 😉

Spontaneous goal #3 is in progress.

Looking to the Future

I don’t expect 2023 to be easy.  Nothing’s ever easy, and it shouldn’t be.

I do expect the following:

• To be employed with the same company because I really don’t want to be anywhere else;
• To be at a higher level of reading comprehension and speaking fluency in French;
• To continue posting on my website and perhaps increase my posts from bi-weekly to weekly;
• To have a five-figure net worth.  With my current savings rate, I better be worth $32k by this time next year;
• To travel a few times since I haven’t traveled in a year;
• To continue exploring avenues that increase my personal and professional growth.

And with that, ladies and gents, I hope you had a great year.  I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Here’s to the future and a fond farewell to the past; to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories we hold dear.