2021 Goals - What do you want to change?

[Dheepa]

Hi everyone!

I think we can all agree that 2020 was absolutely chaotic (and that's keeping it polite).

Now that we're only one day away from the New Year, the TCLA team thought we'd share some of the things we're all working towards

My biggest personal goal for this year:

• To regain some control over my anxiety and stress levels. I've always been very open about this on the forums but in short, the application process and university really took a toll on my mental health. This year I want to reconnect with some of the things that make me happiest. For me that's running twice a day, cooking lots of Japanese food and spending time with friends and family!

My biggest professional goal:

• To make full use of my gap year by finding a role that has nothing/very little to do with law. I have my whole life to be a lawyer and I think it will be interesting to do something different in the meantime

What are your goals for this year? Let us know and maybe we can help keep you accountable to them!

 

[Jessica Booker]

2020 was obviously strange. I think I was exceedingly fortunate to have planned some time off in 2020 anyway. Ending the year with Covid was not fun though - I stress to people take the advice around space and washing your hands seriously, you really don't want to Covid symptoms.

Personal goal:

• Is to finally move out of London after living here for the last 16 years. I am not 100% sure I am ready to move back to the sticks (what will I do with no Uber Eats and Deliveroo!) but it is time for me to move back home and be closer to my family and friends.

Professional goal:

• Now this is the tricky one I have to decide on and soon. I basically have three different business ideas, all of which I could launch or I could choose to focus on one of them. If the latter, the issue is choosing which one to focus on. Or I could give up my career and decide to do something completely different (I have dreams of running a dog kennels - but that might be for 2031 rather than 2021!)

 

[Jacob Miller]

2020 has been a really weird year on a number of different levels for me. On one hand, I've hit some of the highest highs of any year in my life to date:
- 2 vacation schemes
- TC secured
- Launched my company with 2 great business partners
- Fiancée secured TC, so we know we'll both be in London together on the same pathway

On the other, it's also included some of the most stressful and challenging times of my life:
- In March, my younger brother was left seriously ill in hospital with COVID (6th confirmed case in Scotland)
- I'm still in long-term recovery from a serious spinal injury from 2018, which poses daily (hourly!) challenges in my everyday life
- My home was broken into in September while my fiancée was home alone- processing that, the repercussions and impacts, subsequent house move etc.

I've never had more commitments than I currently do, albeit I thrive when I'm working at peak capacity. I always find it extremely challenging to make goals or resolutions at the end of the year, in part because I'm a firm believer that a change can happen at any time and doesn't need to wait until Jan 1st, and in part because I've had so many unforeseeable experiences which have turned things topsy-turvy in the past that I'm somewhat reluctant to. I'm also more a fan of moving, dynamic goals that set or stationary ones.

With all that said, in the spirit of this thread, I'll have a go.

Personal goal:
- Settle into life in London when we move in the summer. There are always challenges that come alongside a big move, especially when that move is in excess of 550 miles away to a city I've never spent more than a week in at a time. It'll take a huge amount of getting used to, but I'm definitely ready for it.

Professional goal:
This one is harder. The obvious is just to say to get the 2.1 I need for my TC offer and call it a day, but I feel there should be something more interesting! If I had to make a single goal:
- Continue to develop my professional personal brand so that, by the time I am firmly in the workplace, I have a professional identity in which I am happy and confident.

 

[Alice G]

Hello everyone,

Firstly, before I discuss my personal goals, I wanted just to reflect and say thank you to everyone in the forum for all of your support over this year. It has been such a gift to continue working for TCLA with @Jaysen, @Jessica Booker and @Daniel Boden and it is a lovely way to round off the year to be joined with three new incredible team members: @Jacob Miller, @Dheepa and @Naomi U. I am very excited for what 2021 will bring.

This year has been tough. For me, I think the most difficult has been only seeing my mum twice this year, we are incredibly close and she is a NHS worker and I am more proud of her today than I have ever been - which is saying something as she really is a super woman and my inspiration! But I am also grateful for this year for helping me to be more grateful for my life and everyone and everything in it. My partner and I welcomed our little puppy named Buddy home, back in October, and he is the most wonderful little dog we could have hoped for, we adore him so much and he brings so much light (and energy!) everyday.

Things I am proud of from 2020:

Firstly, managing to get through this difficult year - this is something we can all be proud of.

Getting the call offering me my TC was a feeling I wish I could have bottled up and saved for days when I feel down - this is my proudest achievement and I cannot wait to get started! I feel so grateful that my first choice firm saw my potential and I couldn't be happier to be joining Freshfields.

Managing the first half of the PGDL - it hasn't been easy and the course is tough and I just hope the work pays off!

Doing the TCLA webinars - I have always been quite open about the challenge public speaking poses to me and whilst I always feel nervous, I am so proud that I can now speak to hundreds of people - something which was unthinkable just over a year ago. Thank you all for joining the webinars and for giving me the opportunity to do this too.

I worked for a legaltech startup for the first 7 months of the year which gave me the most incredible opportunities and I learnt a great deal.

In terms of my goals for 2021:

Personal goals: I want to try to find new ways to help my rather overactive mind; to help me wind down and be peaceful. I tried a bit of yoga earlier in the year and meditating but I didn't stick with it as I was advised to. I hope to commit to doing some yoga and meditation a few nights a week in the evenings to help me to hopefully sleep better and feel more calm.
I want to get out in nature more and really be present - taking Buddy on walks is my favourite so I hope this will be an easier goal to achieve!
I also hope to continue training Buddy and spending quality time with my family.

Professional goals:
I hope to be able to pass my PGDL exams - it has been tough going back into education after 3 years out and I have been quite nervous about the exams so I just hope it all works out.
Work on my natural propensity to be self deprecating and doubting myself. When I don't get something I do tend to just think i am not good enough, rather than saying to myself what I would to a friend: 'you just find this element of the course/this concept hard - that's all'. I want to start being a bit kinder to myself and speak to myself in a way I would to my friends and peers. I hope positive affirmations will help me achieve this!
I am also going to try and set some boundaries, if I get a LinkedIn message late at night I often feel terrible for not responding instantly. In future as a lawyer, I will often need to be by my phone and responsive so I am trying to have these boundaries now and to lower my use of technology.

 

[Naomi U]

As we can all agree 2020 was definitely an eventful year.

I’ve had some amazing ups but also some downs (I share in Jessica’s warning- Covid is truly not a pleasant experience!).
Nevertheless, I am grateful for all the experiences, challenges, and memories 2020 has brought me.

My personal goal for 2021:

To be more adventurous. As Dheepa mentioned, focusing on university and applications can become all consuming. This year as I enter a new chapter outside of the undergraduate bubble, I really want to focus on myself. This is through trying out new hobbies, discovering new passions and saying yes to the opportunities that come my way.

My professional goal for 2021:

To graduate! I need a 2:1 to begin my training contract, so the plan is definitely to keep my head down these next few months.

I would also like to start a project. I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what this is going to be just yet. I have always been a keen writer with a passion for female empowerment and all things self-development. My new role on the forum team has only reconfirmed just how much I enjoy writing and interacting with a community of people. With this in mind, another goal of mine this year is to find a way to merge these interests to create something unique and great!

 

[Jaysen]

My biggest personal goal for this year:

• To regain some control over my anxiety and stress levels. I've always been very open about this on the forums but in short, the application process and university really took a toll on my mental health. This year I want to reconnect with some of the things that make me happiest. For me that's running twice a day, cooking lots of Japanese food and spending time with friends and family!

I can relate to this - things have been a bit bumpy this year for me due to family circumstances. I think I'm far better at setting goals professionally (and over-working), but I don't spend near enough time looking at my own anxiety/stress levels. I noticed I said the same thing in my 2018 review, but I'm hoping to stick to my gym routine this year and try to do more things outside TCLA. In particular, I want to try switch off some nights and read.

Now this is the tricky one I have to decide on and soon. I basically have three different business ideas, all of which I could launch or I could choose to focus on one of them. If the latter, the issue is choosing which one to focus on. Or I could give up my career and decide to do something completely different (I have dreams of running a dog kennels - but that might be for 2031 rather than 2021!)

I'm curious about these business ideas. If you ever need another perspective, I'm here!

- Continue to develop my professional personal brand so that, by the time I am firmly in the workplace, I have a professional identity in which I am happy and confident.

This sounds great! I know so many people mention 'personal brands' these days, but I do feel that it's a great thing to invest in.

Doing the TCLA webinars - I have always been quite open about the challenge public speaking poses to me and whilst I always feel nervous, I am so proud that I can now speak to hundreds of people - something which was unthinkable just over a year ago. Thank you all for joining the webinars and for giving me the opportunity to do this too.
Work on my natural propensity to be self deprecating and doubting myself. When I don't get something I do tend to just think i am not good enough, rather than saying to myself what I would to a friend: 'you just find this element of the course/this concept hard - that's all'. I want to start being a bit kinder to myself and speak to myself in a way I would to my friends and peers. I hope positive affirmations will help me achieve this!
I am also going to try and set some boundaries, if I get a LinkedIn message late at night I often feel terrible for not responding instantly. In future as a lawyer, I will often need to be by my phone and responsive so I am trying to have these boundaries now and to lower my use of technology.

I always find this interesting as it's very impressive watching your public speaking - you always seem so calm! Unfortunately, I can also relate to the last point; like you, I often feel guilty for being unable to respond to so many people.

I would also like to start a project. I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what this is going to be just yet. I have always been a keen writer with a passion for female empowerment and all things self-development. My new role on the forum team has only reconfirmed just how much I enjoy writing and interacting with a community of people. With this in mind, another goal of mine this year is to find a way to merge these interests to create something unique and great!

This sounds really interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing your project and please reach out if we can do anything to help

As for my own professional goals, you can find all of this in our 2020 Year In Review: https://mailchi.mp/thecorporatelawacademy/the-corporate-law-academys-new-newsletter-5113484.