I’ve been waiting to publish my 2022 goals until now because there’s some whacky statistic out there that says most people give up on their goals by January 15. Therefore, by waiting until after January 15, I have circumvented this sad reality!

2022 is finally the year to live it up. Less work, more fun!

After a difficult 2020 and 2021, I’m sure most of us are tired. But the good thing is, we didn’t let the pandemic go to waste. We worked hard, took risks, found new jobs, started new hobbies, and discovered what we really want to do. Having goals keeps us focused.

There really is no going back to the way things were. If you are still miserable at your job, in an unhealthy relationship, or dissatisfied with your overall lifestyle, it’s time to change. And change we will!

After sharing my 2021 year in review, here are my financial, work, and life goals for 2022. I’ll be turning 45 this summer, which means I am most likely in the last half of my life. Therefore, I will try not to waste too much time going forward.

I hope you will share some of your goals as well.

And just like that, another year is almost over. I don’t remember too much about what happened at the beginning of the year without scrolling through my photos. Most of your managers don’t either, which is why it’s good to keep a log you can reference in your year-end review, especially if you did something positive.

For this year in review 2021, I’d like to go over three main categories: investments, family, and writing.

Investments are what support my family. Family is what I care about the most. And writing is what I enjoy doing to help others. It gives me a sense of purpose.

When I started Financial Samurai in 2009, my main goal was to make sense of the Global Financial Crisis. That was a scary time period that created massive uncertainty for our careers and our investments. As things got better, I’ve tried to tackle interesting topics to enable us to live more meaningful lives.

Given the bull market has created so much wealth for investors since 2009, one of the challenges I’ve faced is maintaining the motivation to continue writing 3X a week. When things are going well, why not slack off a bit right?

The main reason why I didn’t write less this year is because I spent more time at home. If the pandemic was going to restrict some of my freedom, I would make the most of it by writing more. During uncertain times, I also want to be more helpful.

Further, I still enjoy writing and exploring new topics. There are an endless number of things to write about when you address real-life situations versus just writing articles to generate revenue. During the process, I often have these ah-ha moments that always feel satisfying.

Let’s go over the best of Financial Samurai 2021. These posts are either the most read, the most commented, or the most interesting in my opinion.

If you don’t get screwed now, you will eventually get screwed later. The sooner you accept life isn’t fair, the sooner you can make winning decisions and succeed.

Finding happiness is also accepting that fairness is a human construct. If you plan to play someone else’s game, then you must accept the game will likely be rigged in their favor, no matter how impartial they try to be.

Let me share a story of how I got screwed recently. This was a low-level screwing that isn’t a big deal. However, based on all the banter that followed in our group chat, I thought it would fun to revisit it and share some teachable moments for more important situations.

Never let anything get in the way of pursuing your dreams. If you do, you will regret it.

Remember that annoying kid in school who made fun of you for getting a good grade? The goal was to make you feel bad at doing well so he wouldn’t feel so terrible about himself.

I had plenty of encounters with such kids growing up at my public high school. In the end, I brushed their mockery aside. I decided to be the best student possible to have as many opportunities as possible.

I thought the mockery would slow down as I got older. However, it seems to have amplified due to the internet. Most recently, I was criticized for my idea of starting and keeping a family business going. My idea was to provide options for my children when they graduate from school. The world is a harsh and competitive place.

Andrew from Vancouver, who is 29 with no kids said I was “obsessed.” Another guy named Li from somewhere in Asia, who is also 29 with no kids, called me “crazy” over e-mail. I’m not sure why people without kids feel like they know about the pressures parents face. But it’s a curious phenomenon I’ve observed since having my son.

Why is planning ahead and offering an idea to help other concerned parents considered obsessive and crazy? Besides, what kind of fool would sell a cash cow that is enjoyable to run in a low-interest rate environment?

In my mind, it is stupid not to plan for the future. Globalization increases competition for jobs while technology reduces the number of jobs required to produce.

Paradoxically, life is getting easier and harder at the same time. As parents, we must fight for our children until they can independently fight for themselves.

January 2021 went by so fast I almost forgot to do a review. Although January flew by, it didn’t feel that different compared to the end of last year. COVID-19 is still out there in force.

When I saw 22,000+ fans at the Super Bowl in Tampa, I was shocked! However, later learning they were all vaccinated gave me relief. Now it’s just fingers crossed the vaccine does its job. Let’s hope there isn’t a spike in cases a month later.

Waiting to get vaccinated is like one big marshmallow test. I’ve already accepted my family won’t be able to get vaccinated until around June. Therefore, we need to remain cautious.

At the same time, it’s probably going to get harder to wait as more people share they got vaccinated and more people post about their fabulous lives. Therefore, we must also make the best use of our time.

My beginning of 2021 review will focus on Family, Financial Samurai, and Finances. The three F’s of life!