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Embracing New Year’s Resolutions: Fresh Goals and Ambitions for 2022
Happy New Year, friends! I took some time off to be present this holiday season with my family. But I’m excited to be back in my routine (yes, even though that means going back to work!). As much as I loved becoming one with my couch, I relish the energy of a new season.
In my Instagram stories, I asked y’all whether or not you partake in New Year’s Resolutions. I wasn’t surprised by the results, but I did get some really cool responses from a few of you.
Only 37% of you claimed to make resolutions at all!
First, only 37% of you claimed to make resolutions at all! While I think that it’s probably true that you might not “swear off coffee in ’22”, I think it’s nigh impossible to not have any plans for yourself. And YES, goals and plans are essentially the same in this context. No I don’t mean plans to run errands or planning a trip. I mean a plan to achieve something specific—yeah babe, that’s a goal. To the 63% of you who claim to not be resolutioners, I’ll see your “nah” and raise you an “mmhmmm….” with a cheeky grin and a wink!
For those of you who do decide to openly commit to a New Year’s Resolution, I commend you. This, of course, is something of a pat on my own back, because I too have resolutions. However, I truly believe in the magic of manifestation. And I’m just SO excited for those of you who have put your plans into the universe! Especially because over half of you (58% of you!) made those plans come to life last year! Amid a prolonged pandemic. Snaps for you babes!
Color me stunned because I didn’t see it coming.
Personally, I’ve been wishy-washy on resolutions up until this last year. But in January of 2021, I wrote down my goals and not only met them, but also surpassed them. Color me stunned because I didn’t see it coming. I was honestly shook because I allow myself space to fail, so succeeding was genuinely a treat.
Here’s what I’m looking forward to in the New Year:
- More travel. This is obviously reallll ambitious, but I think as a vaccinated individual, traveling while following local protocols allows me to feel comfortable jet-setting. Where to? I’m working on that list, but also allowing for some spontaneity. I want to go to a few specific locations like Paris (yes, again) and a few places in California. This early in the year I’m not going to get too attached to any specific plan. I want to remain fluid and hope that travel in a fresh new year can find a sense of normality that seems to be steadily disappearing. But y’all. I miss airports!
- More writing. Gosh I missed writing. Weird considering I have a blog and can write whenever I want, right? But creatively, I’ve been drained. Without going into too many details, my last job was incredibly draining on my energies. So while I was able to format ideas, my creative stores were absolutely empty. But prioritizing this space has become something I’ve been able to get excited about again. Last year I set some VERY intimidating goals. But this year, I’m keeping it simple—anyone notice the new design? The blog is MUCH easier to navigate now! Three cheers for writing this post today—I’m apparently off to a good start! Dare I say, it? New Year, new me? Honestly, I had to… at least once!
- More French. I’m really excited about how much French I was able to speak and understand when I was in France. That being said, there’s room for improvement if I want to improve my proficiency, so I need to keep practicing. I’ll definitely be taking more classes at the Alliance Française de Chicago. And I’ll be looking for as many immersive experiences as I can find. If you hear of anything that might be fun, holla at your girl!
- More photography. I have a really nice camera and I’ve been too shy to be “that girl” doing photos outside alone. Or to take it with me and draw attention to myself. But? Why do I care? I shouldn’t, because literally nobody else does. In fact, when I was out shooting before Christmas I had people honking, and cheering me on (“You’re doing great!” was shouted from a passing car). Taking photos, capturing moments, scenes, really yummy light—that’s something that brings me pure joy. And if I never do anything with the photos, that’s just fine, because it’s just for fun. And we all need more fun in our lives.
What’s next
I’ve discovered if I set some goals with scattered windows for success, I’m more likely to keep up with them. These goals are all somewhat related so I won’t stretch my energies trying to complete an intimidating to-do list in too many avenues of my life.
It’s not perfect, but that was never the point.
Of course, I’m always trying to be less messy, cook at home more, shop less, etc. But to be honest, I got better at those last year. And I’m happy with that. It’s not perfect, but that was never the point. I’ll keep working on them, but tilting my focus a bit to things that are more artistically-inclined seems incredibly nourishing for my soul right now.
I mean, it is calendar year #3 of Miss Rona haunting us! So even though resolutions tend to highlight places in our life that seem weak or need improvement, I’m shifting the narrative to be much more nurturing. And creating space for positivity right now seems like the best way to begin this next chapter of our roaring twenties. Cheers to the next turn around the sun. friends. I can’t wait to see what this new year has in store for us!