2022, This One's For You: Goals and Word Of The Year
I’ve been staring at a blank computer screen for weeks attempting to write this post. The new year came, and I felt less than inspired or motivated to do much of anything, especially goal setting. But I believe you can set goals or reflect at any point of the year, so if you haven’t thought about goals for the year… don’t stress it!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been incredibly moved by a few of my friends and fellow bloggers’ posts that are worth the reads if you’re interested. My pal Jess Keys of The Golden Girl Blog wrote a post on skipping the “results-oriented” resolutions this year. I was deeply related to her points on not setting or even being interested in setting big results-oriented goals this year and viewing that as positive. Reflecting on her words made me feel validated in wanting to coast a little bit instead of that constant grind and girl boss mentality. My friend Candace Read of Candacemread.com shared a vulnerable Instagram post on uncomfortableness and navigating through many disappointments of the year, including a failed IUI and IVF. Her words are always soothing and encouraging to read no matter the topic. And lastly, my friend Ashley Robertson of The Teacher Diva shared her word of the year and some attainable goals to support them. I love the idea of choosing a word, I’ve been marinating on that for awhile so today I’d like to dig into that a bit more.
I’ve gone back and forth between two or three different words, so I’ve decided to lead with a few; there are no rules to this thing - remember? My 2022 word of the year is: balance but with the assist of the words abundance and ease.
By definition, balance is “a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions,” and abundance means “plentifulness of the good things of life; prosperity.” Abundance can also mean a massive quantity of something which may offset balance, so that’s why I thought another word that may work well here is ‘ease.’ A good definition I found for this is “freedom from worries or problems.” Often things can feel challenging, but I’ve been working to change my mindset, and while some things feel impossible, I’ve been trying to approach things with more ease… ‘easier’ said than done, though, am I right? Maybe, maybe not.
Anyways, I hope to find more balance in my life this year. The pandemic allowed me to find new and creative ways to work from home, but because of that, it’s a lot harder to separate “work” and “home.” I’m sure many can relate to this. As incredible as this job is, it can be 24/7 without any boundaries or intentional time spent away from it. Over the last year or so, I’ve implemented not looking at my phone (social media or email) for at least the first hour of waking up and an hour before bedtime. While I’m not always perfect at it, this allows me to start and end the day with a more evident mindset, without the constant scrolling. I’m also working on a few things and ways to achieve a balance this year. I also think unfollowing accounts that don’t bring you joy, value, or inspiration is essential. It may sound harsh, but it’s so important to protect your mental health from accounts that cause self-doubt or don’t make you feel great. You are in control of your feed, and that is a beautiful thing! Utilize it.
Here’s to acknowledging and accepting that I cannot do everything all of the time.
I only have so many resources: time, energy, money, etc. While it is understandable to want to accomplish much and please people, I am only one person and cannot always manage to do it all.I hope to get a better grip on my workflow and outsource things that I don’t need to do. This realization came in 2021, but the better implementation of this will come in 2022. I’m learning to let go of the need for perfection and solve all problems. I simply cannot do all that needs to be done, all the time. As a perfectionist, just reading this makes me anxious so I know I have a lot of work to do. Thank goodness for therapy! Going to reflect on this previous post on what to do when I’m feeling overwhelmed.
Instead of big goals, I’d like to spend more time in person with the people I care about (including my online community, hoping to start in-person meetups again when it’s safe to do so) and less time stressed about little things that don’t contribute to happiness in the long run. I want to travel more and complete a few more house projects (hello dream closet and backyard oasis).
I don’t have any answers, but I have always been committed and honest about sharing my journey. Whatever goals you may or may not have already this year–I hope you can embrace and feel good about that! And if your only goal is to stay right where you are, I think that’s something to be celebrated.
Would love to hear your thoughts below, thanks for reading. xx CMK
