Ahh, 2021. The year we were meant to get over Covid and go back to living a normal life. Fast forward to December 2021 and there are still talks of potential lockdowns to come. When will it ever end?! But what of my 2021 Review…
This was the first year I can remember in my life that I didn’t go to anywhere but the U.K, yet strangely Covid has not been without its merits. It has forced us to stay put and appreciate what we have in our own countries.
And whilst I am no strangely to admit that I have failed on many of my 2021 goals, I was very happy with how the year went. It falls mainly into three categories that I call Ted Lasso, the paddle, and the walk.
A Summary of 2021 - January to June
The first six months of the year were seated firmly with work. In January I celebrated my birthday as we were messing around with Tier systems across England and then went into a lockdown 2 days after. I really enjoyed my birthday with my girlfriend doing not much but the peace was short lived. We broke up weeks later and I started looking for work.
Of all the things I thought I’d be doing with my life, being part of a Covid Team on a Warner Brothers show called Ted Lasso was never one of them. But for months I got into a great routine.
Wake up at 4am most days, meditate, do some yoga, make a coffee and travel to London to work mostly 12 and 10.5 hour shifts on Ted Lasso: Season 2. By the time I had commuted home each night, I was ready for a cup of tea and a snack then off to bed.
The routine was so predictable and yet I enjoyed my time immensely. I saved up money. I focused on my wellbeing, exercising by being on my feet at work a lot and eating a whole load of great veggie food (than you TV industry for having great food) and working on my yoga.
By the time the season wrapped up in June, I had my sights set on my next endeavour, and nothing would hold me back.
The Covid Team at Ted Lasso on our last day
A Summary of 2021 - June to October
After my work contract finished in June, I decided to take a month to plan to become the first pair to paddleboard from Land’s End to John o’Groats…. And then do it.
I was obsessed with the idea since Summer 2020 and I couldn’t put it down. I’d found a partner in crime, a weather manager, and whilst I was not ready to go in the slightest, I felt it was a case of now or never.
We initially were meant to launch on 4 July but due to bad weather, we watched for a good window for 2 weeks. On 16 July 2021 we pushed paddleboards off Sennen Cove in Cornwall and then 64 paddling days later (with 25 days off the water too) we made it to John o’Groats.
The first pair ever to do such a feat, 1703km on paddleboards. You can find out more about the trip at www.supitandsea.uk
Coming off the sea in Cornwall on our World First Paddle - Photo courtesy of mandythomasphotography
A Summary of 2021 - October to December
The last part of they year was almost, but not quite, a continuation of our paddle. Before finishing that epic voyage, we had decided that we would walk back the length of the country.
After 1 month of planning and rest, we headed back to John o’Groats and started walking on the 9 November 2021.
As I write around Christmas, we are 680km down having made it to Edinburgh. We envisage that the trip could still take a further three months, especially with the lack of light past 4pm each day.
Touching the signpost before hiking 2211km to Land's End
2021 Review: Travel Resolutions
Success Rate: 14% (1 of 7)
Succeeded:- SUP LEJOG
Failed:- Climb Denali, Climb Elbrus, Climb Puncak Jaya, Visit 5 New Countries, Complete 3 Peaks/3 Lakes, Complete 214 Wainwrights
The need to work the first half of the year combined with the continued restrictions around travel meant my travel resolutions took a beating.
My Denali trip was postponed to 2022 by the operator, Elbrus could have been completed but I was still paddling and the restrictions to enter Russia were still strict, and the others fell by the wayside due to either covid restrictions or my own time.
However, without talking too much about it, being able to paddleboard the length of the UK has been an amazing experience, and it took up 4 months of my time so the third of my year gone doesn’t really equate with a 14% success rate on my goals. In fact, oddly, I’m elated with how the year has gone in terms of travelling. It’s just the focus has been wholeheartedly on the UK.
Seeing snow on the Beach in Golspie, North East Scotland
2021 Review: Health Resolutions
Success Rate: 50% (2.5 of 5)
Succeeded:-Yoga 5 times a week (for half the year), 100 Days of Meat, 100 Days of Alcohol (debatable)
Failed:- Lose Weight to 11 Stone, Fruit and Veg Daily,
Health resolutions are probably the hardest to keep. My goal of 5 days of yoga weekly became a routine that centred me for the first half of the year, especially when I was stressed at work. But during the paddle and with bad hips and knees flailing, the practice dried up.
Likewise I didn’t drink much alcohol in the first half of the year after January. I would allow myself ciders on a Friday night. But in June planning for the paddle I started drinking – sometimes every day. By July I had 55 alcohol days and then I stopped counting. I’m not sure what my final tally for the year might have been.
I did stick to my 100 days off meat in my continued effort to cut down. In fact, I’m finishing the year on 58 days and really I wanted that figure to be once weekly anyway rather than twice weekly. I’m going to be more selective with my health goals for 2022 – for instance, I don’t feel like a drop to 11 stone is conducive or appropriate with everything else I’m doing and would like to focus my energy elsewhere.
Paddling the canal network from Bristol to Blackpool
2021 Review: Business/Blog Resolutions
Success Rate: 0 out of 8 (0%)
Succeeded:- None
Failed:- Increase DA to 30, Have 100 Posts by end of 2021, Make 3 figs per month, Write a Mountian book series, 5000 Unique visitors per month, Write a newsletter monthly, Pinterest, ASMR
Work on my blog continues to be a frustration. This year I had little time for anything else but the day to day job at Ted Lasso and the paddle which took over my life wholeheartedly.
Whilst my website did climb to a DA of 21 this year, the website I made for the paddle generated more unique visitors and within a period of three months had already climbed to a DA of 17 from 1.
In 2022 I’ll need to decide where to put my focus as with too many adventures going on, I have limited time.
Meeting one of my legends, the actor Anthony Steward Head
2021 Review: Lifestyle Resolutions
Success Rate: 33% (2 of 6)
Succeeded:- Gratitude, The Miracle Morning (for half a year)
Failed:- Read 50 books, Random Acts of Kindness, Learn Italian, Learn Guitar
Again I worked on my gratitude and my miracle morning whilst at work for the first 6 months of the year and succeeded. During that time I was also reading a book a week.
And then, you guessed it, the paddle came. I ended the year on 20 odd books read, learnt a little Italian but not much, and didn’t even pick up my guitar.
Ending the year with the girl in Edinburgh after hiking 680km of our 2211km proposed route.
2021 Resolutions Overall
Success Rate: 21% (5.5 of 26)
I’d need to think more about how I plan my resolutions and goals for 2022. It’s been a great year, but I have felt stretched with work and adventures. My system for tracking goals makes my success rate look poor. Though I’ll be trying to improve in many areas in 2022, I’ll also be looking to simplify what I can achieve in a year.
If you’d like to know my 2022 resolutions, have a look here.