It is the first day of a new year. Today is January 1st, 2022. A day filled with hope and aspirations. Just kidding, today is January 3rd, 2022. The first Monday of the year which is basically the real first day of the year. The one where we’ve all dried out from our celebrations and are finally ready to get our act together. The time when we turn to New Years resolutions.
I LOVE the new year. I wish everyone I come across a happy new year the entire week before New Years Eve and the entire week after. And I truly mean it. I want everyone I come across to feel pleasure, contentment and enjoy good fortune in this fresh new year.
Some people like to knock the new year and people who make resolutions. I call bullshit on this. Even those people are secretly harboring ways they want to improve themselves or some aspect of their lives. They just might not even realize it consciously. But it is innate as a human being to see the new year as the fresh slate it is. It is like opening a notebook to a fresh piece of paper. No human on this planet can resist that pleasure of writing, drawing or otherwise marking up the crisp fresh sheet.
I’ve talked at length about my thoughts on New Years resolutions (or goals or whatever you want to call it) here. I am not going to harp on all the same thoughts again. Today I am going to share a few steps I plan on following to keep me on track for my 2022 goals.
3 Steps to stay on track
The first is to share them here! If you do not have a blog, which I am sure most of you don’t, then I encourage you to share them with a friend or family member. I find verbalizing goals helps keep me accountable. Plus, it gets you excited to work towards those goals. And maybe your friend or family member will have a good tip or idea to help you reach those goals.
Second, I am going to set up a visual reminder. I like lists, charts, vision boards, etc. I find having something in front of me as a daily reminder keeps me on track. Just writing it down on the back of an envelope and then losing it in a pile of junk mail on my desk doesn’t help keep my goals in the forefront. I plan on using a desktop whiteboard and a color-in-the-dot chart instead.
Another important thing to keep in mind, is flexibility. Just because the new year is a great time to set a new goal or resolution doesn’t mean we can’t change our minds at some point down the line. For example, you may decide you want to try and read more this year. Well, come July, you may find yourself sitting on the beach miserable and bored with the same novel in your lap that you picked up in January. Maybe reading isn’t for you. Don’t force yourself to do something because it seems like the cool thing to do if it isn’t for you. I encourage you to make goals to try new things or expand and grow in areas you have dabbled in very limitedly before. But don’t tie those goals around you ankle like an anvil and let it pull you below the water. If it isn’t working or it doesn’t feel right for you then ditch it and move on to something else that brings you more joy.
Now I thought I would share a few of my goals and resolutions for 2022.
1. Save more money.
I think I am a pretty good saver (especially considering how high my student loan bills are!). But there is always room for improvement. I plan on looking for a few areas in my budget that can be tightened up and work on putting those small gains into savings. Maybe someday in the year 2063 I can afford a vacation home… or just a vacation! Ha!
2. Be more consistent with moving my body.
We all know that moving our bodies everyday is important for our health. I have young children and maintaining my physical condition to be able to keep up with them is even more important to me now. Looking better in my clothes and the mental health benefits of moving my body everyday is just an added benefit.
3. Get outside more.
This one is somewhat connected to the above goal. I want to get more outdoor time this year. Fresh air is SO good for the soul. A little sun on your face never feels wrong. And if you combine it with a walk then you’re getting the blood pumping and more feel good endorphins flowing. But all the outdoor time I hope to earn doesn’t have to be about exercise. I want to spend more time in the garden, drawing with chalk with Fin, reading a book with a cup of coffee, etc. This may prove difficult in the winter but I am going to try and encourage myself to enjoy some of the beautiful winter scenery.
4. Drink more water.
I used to be SO good at drinking water. But now I am as dried up as a fossil. I sometimes go almost a full day without letting a drop of water touch my lips. I plan on drinking a cup of water before my morning coffee to start the day off on the right foot now. My initial goal is to drink 60 oz of water a day and then hopefully ramp up to 100 oz of water a day. I just got this cool new water bottle to help motivate me. Cute new gear always helps me accomplish my goals.
5. Focus on my blog more.
I love blogging. It is one of my favorite hobbies that brings me so much satisfaction. But it is always the first thing I drop when I get even remotely busy. This year I would like to become more consistent with this hobby. My goal is to publish 1 post a week. Feel free to drop some ideas in the comments of content you’d like to see on the blog this year to help motivate me! While you are in the comment section, let me know what your goals or resolutions are for the new year.
These are my 5 goals for 2022. I am looking forward to organizing my life away and getting on track to grow and hopefully accomplish some of these goals. I hope this serves as a reminder to ignore all the negative Nancies who get down on resolutions and worry about yourself. We could all use a reminder that it is okay to look forward to the new year and our new crisp slice of paper.
