January 2022 – DeeMuchiri

2021 was a tough year! I experienced several low moments, some of which culminated into my lowest of lows. Someone dear to me however reminded me: it could have been worse. Yes, my eyes still well up on some days, however instead of wallowing in a pity party, I choose to count my blessings – and when you change the lens with which you view things, the days get better. The reality is, life is a combination of valleys and mountains and I indeed have a lot to be grateful for.

This marks my 7^th blogpost reflecting on my annual goals. The previous 6 can be found here:
– Reflection of My 2020 Goals
– Reflection of My 2019 Goals
– Did You Achieve Your 2018 Goals? – Reflection of My 2018 Goals
– Have You Written Down Your 2018 Goals? – Reflection of My 2017 Goals
– Why Writing Down Your Goals is Important – Reflection of Our 2016 Goals
– Dee’s 2015 In Review

My One Word for 2021 was ELEVATE. How did I fare across 7 dimensions of my life?

1. BUSINESS/FINANCIAL:
a. Passive investment in our home country by Q1
In 2021, Chief and I became more intentional about making some investments at home. We identified a few opportunities, did as much desktop due diligence as we could and got someone we trust to do the physical due diligence for us. We ended up making a small passive investment. While it doesn’t really move the needle, little by little, we’ll get there.

b. 2 diversified passive investments by Dec
We are firm believers in investing in an asset class and area we understand extremely well. However, in 2021, we purposed to diversify a bit and in Jul, after careful research, we made a small passive VCC investment that came with great tax incentives.

b. 2 debt repayments by Jun and Dec
While I understand the multiplier effects of healthy leverage – a school of thought Chief subscribes to – I still dislike debt and make it my mission to pay it down as quickly as possible. In Apr and Dec, my mission was accomplished, albeit short-lived as we continue to make more investments.

2. HEALTH/PHYSICAL:
a. Run/walk 900-1000km by Dec
In 2021, I ran/walked 1055km (50-117km every month)!

b. Hike 1x/week
We enjoy hiking as family and continued with this in 2021 which entailed ~10km hikes almost every weekend (at least 90% of them)! Nowadays our little one insists on walking the 1st km before sitting in her hiking carrier bag on daddy’s back.

c. Maintain 2020 fat loss
2020 saw me snatching back my pre-baby body. I maintained this for a good chunk of 2021 until I commenced a 6+month course of treatments. Despite still eating healthily 80% of the time and exercising at least 3-4 times a week, I lost some of my traction. However, I keep reminding myself that this is just for a season and continue doing my part.

3. SPIRITUAL:
a. Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) every week
2021 marked my 7^th year and Chief’s 3^rd year doing BSF. After finishing Genesis earlier in the year, we commenced the study of Matthew in Sep. Recently, I started watching BSF Kids (for 2-5 year olds) with our little one and one of my highlights has been teaching her the bible verses through songs. BSF International is free and has thousands of classes all over the world including online Zoom classes for every age offered at various times all days of the week. Sign up for a class near you today.

b. Family devotion every week
We continued with a tradition we started in 2020 where every Saturday evening, we (Chief’s side of the family) gather together via zoom to share what’s happening in our lives and pray together as a family.

In Jun, we also started gathering together virtually every Tuesday evening as family and friends to pray for my mum in love who has been unwell. We continue trusting and believing God for her healing.

4. MENTAL:
a. 20 – 24 good books
Chief and I are readers – we love how books sharpen our minds, inspire us and help us grow. Be sure to check out the 26 Books I Read In 2021. Also watch out for Chief’s top picks of the 35 books he read in 2021.

b. 1 podcast a day
I thoroughly enjoy podcasts and mostly find myself listening to them over the weekends. I lost count but certainly listened to at least 8 podcasts each week (over 400 in 2021). My go-to podcasts included:
– Focus on the Family Marriage Podcast
– Loving Well Podcast
– The Daily Mastery Podcast by Robin Sharma
– Robin Sharma Mastery Sessions
– The VT Podcast “Ideas That Matter”
– Your Next Best Self with Dr. Patricia Murugami
– Band of Mothers Podcast
– Life with the Lindseys
– Our Love Journey with Mpoomy and Brenden
– Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba
– Gems and Nuggets Podcast Series by MaryAnne Mwaura
– Zindua

c. Mentor
In 2021, I purposed to select one or two mentors whose feet I would sit under and learn. I narrowed down to Robin Sharma and Carla Harris but ended up selecting Robin Sharma. 8 of the 26 Books I Read In 2021 were by him. I also listened to hundreds of his podcasts. What a rich year of learning from him 2021 was!

5. CAREER:
a. 4 deal recommendation memos per quarter
I am an Investment Professional and one of my key deliverables at work is to originate deals and submit at least 4 approved deal recommendation memos a quarter (or just 1 memo if the deal is sufficiently large). In 2021, I submitted 19 deal recommendation memos, 12 of which were approved (1 was large) and 3 of which I am awaiting feedback on. This was certainly no mean feat and I have God to thank!

b. Take 4 deals to screening by Dec
Another target I set for myself was to take at least 4 of my approved deal recommendations to our screening committee – the next stage of approval. I successfully took 2.

b. Expand my network in my 10 countries of coverage
I am responsible for Southern Africa and purposed to broaden my network in each of the countries I cover despite not being able to travel much given the pandemic. Thankfully with zoom, I was still able to do this in most of the countries and as things eased up towards the end of the year, did a business trip to Zambia. Perhaps 2022 might include more travel.

6. SOCIAL:
a. 2 Destinations
Every year, we plan for at least 2 holidays. With the pandemic, we did 3 local trips in SA (over a few long weekends) and a trip to Kenya.

(i) In Apr, we did a long weekend in Bela-Bela
We accompanied Chief for golf, saw some meerkats and snakes, went hiking, swimming, interacted with elephants and I got a spa treat.

(ii) In May, we did a long weekend in Umhlanga/Durban
We spent hours at the beach, ran on the promenade, went to Ushaka marine world and Chief played some more golf. Enroute, we also passed by the Nelson Mandela Capture Site.

(iii) In Sep, we travelled to Shela/Lamu
We got to see around Shela Town and enjoyed Shela beach, did a boat trip to Manda Island and some fishing en route, plus did a tour of the Takwa ruins. I also did a sunset dhow cruise and a tour of Lamu town.

(iv) In Oct, we did a long weekend in Sun City
We had loads of fun at the Valley of Waves which has lots activities for both the young and young at heart (all of which we sampled) and Chief played some more golf!

b. Date night once a week
In 2021, we purposed to reintroduce our weekly pre-baby date nights (a notch higher than the coffee dates we did in 2020). We modified them to date evenings where we had early dinner and were back home by sunset to release our nanny, a win-win for all.

7. FAMILY:
a. Moms & tots classes
We continued with moms and tots classes. With the pandemic, we opted to do some of the classes via zoom between Jul and Sep. However, for the remainder of the year, we did physical classes and as usual, had loads of fun! Our little one even graduated in Dec.

b. Continued swimming classes for our little one
After doing her swim float infant course when she turned 1 in 2020, we continued with her maintenance classes which are now down to 1x a week. Daddy also practised with her whenever they got the chance.

c. School selection for our little one by Dec 21
In SA, people usually book schools for their little ones immediately they are born! We were late to the party but finally got round to researching and narrowing down our preferred schools. It’s possible we may push out taking her to pre-school by another 6-12 months but at least we’ve done the groundwork.

Looking back over the last decade or so, I am glad that each year, I get to do this exercise! It has stretched me, kept us accountable and helped us achieve a lot! It has also served as a reminder of the things we should be grateful to God for and how faithful He has been in our lives. How did you fare in your 2021 goals? Have you set your 2022 goals yet or selected your one Word? Do check out my blogpost Have You Set Your Goals? 2nd Book Worth Reading in 2021 for some guidance. Don’t underestimate the impact of intentional living. Despite the curveballs that 2021 threw at me, being very clear on exactly what I wanted to achieve in other aspects of my life helped me stay on course for the most part. Remember, failing to plan, is planning to fail and if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.

Until next time,

To an intentional year of putting our best foot forward!

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For more invaluable insights on my journey of marriage and life, do pop into the “Devotions/Life Insights” section on my blog every now and then.

You can also pop into the “DeeLicious Gourmet by Dee” section for a glimpse of some of the yummy but healthy dishes I have prepared while “cooking up a storm” in my kitchen (together with the recipes):
– Breakfasts
– Starters
– Main Courses
– Salads
– Eggless, Wheat-Free Desserts
– Snacks

Thank you!
Dee

Month: January 2022

Reflection Of My 2021 Goals