My 22 for 2022 List
New year, new goals.
As 2022 approached, I had a long list of words that I thought about using as my theme for the year, but not too many goals. I went back and forth between the words for quite a while, but then a different one came to mind and I instantly knew it was perfect.
My word of the year for 2022 is alignment.
I definitely feel like I am acting and moving in alignment with the direction that I want to be heading. A lot of the decisions I've had to make over this past year have gotten me to this point, and a lot of the work I'm going to be doing next year is going to keep moving me in that direction.
The word is also a good reminder that if things start to get out of alignment, my greatest focus is going to be getting them back to that point - to assess and analyze why they're no longer in alignment and start moving again in the direction I want to be heading.
It took me a while to decide on my word of the year, and it took me even longer to decide on my list of goals. It even took me a while to determine if I was going to create a 22 for 2022 list for the year, but as in several years in the past, once I started, it evolved pretty naturally. Actually, one of the first things I decided, inspired by a friend (and which I share about in a recent podcast episode), was that I wasn’t going to break down my 22 for 2022 list into my usual categories. Normally I separate it into material goals, educational goals, business goals, relationship goals, or whatever categories are appropriate based on the list itself. But this year I decided to throw all of those categories out the window and instead use just two categories, activities and achievements - with 11 goals in each.
Only in hindsight did I realize that alignment, activities, and achievements were like the alliteration trifecta and that made me even more certain I was on the right path.
As far as activities, in 2022 I want to undertake the following:
Try cryotherapy - I am completely fascinated by the idea and the science behind cryotherapy and am generally just intrigued to try it. I’m not sure that I know anyone who wants to try it with me, but I am excited to undertake it in the coming months.
Try a sensory deprivation tank - Similar to the last one, this is another activity I've also been fascinated by for a long time. Also like experimenting with cryotherapy, I likely will do both of those things once and never again, but I want to try them. Plus, both are things that are relatively easy but still things I want to do. So I can check them off with ease and they provide an element of balance to some of the larger goals I’ll share about at the end of the list.
Go on one trip with a friend - I have several ideas of where I may visit and who I may bring along with me next year, but have no concrete plans yet. So far it is just another thing I want to do that will add an element of anticipation and fun to 2022 - COVID permitting, of course.
Take a typing class - This is something I’ve had on my mind to do for years since my right hand is pretty proficient when it comes to typing, but my left hand lags sorely behind. I don't have a certain end goal or words per minute that I want to get to, I just want to at least use all five fingers on my left hand when I type. I’ll probably just use a free online program with the goal of increasing my typing efficiency and efficacy. I’m ready to finally upgrade my typing ability.
Start going to the gym again - I stopped going to our local gym about a year before COVID, in favor of running outside and doing my own workouts at home. But in order to reach some of my fitness goals (both those on this list and off), I want to get back into a gym. I'm not exactly sure when this goal will happen, or what the procedures or requirements are going to be with regards to COVID, but it is something that I want to do.
See the northern lights - I added this (and the two following items) from my bucket list. They’re things I’ve wanted to do for years but since I may have a natural opportunity to do them this year, and because they add an element of whimsy to the list, I decided they were perfect to include.
Go on a dog sled ride - I’m sure that this will be as fun and as cold as it sounds. Either way, I am excited.
Visit a hot spring - I have a trip planned in which I will most likely be able to do this and the two items before it, but if for some reason they don’t work out, I will certainly be scrambling to figure out how I can check these things off - regardless, I’m sure that I will find a way.
Get a faux tattoo - The ones I have seen are just like the temporary tattoos I did as a kid, but a bit longer-lasting and intended for adults. I don't really think I want a permanent tattoo, but trying out a fake tattoo is the first step to see if maybe I do. And if I do really like it, maybe I'll get a tattoo next year. I have a friend who has wanted to try this as well and we have been planning to do it, but now that it is on the list, I’m sure it’ll happen in 2022.
Go to the movies one time a month with someone - This is another goal primarily for fun, but also to get me out of the house, to give me a break, to connect with others, and it will help with one of the goals on my other list, too.
Read books that I like more - I read a lot of books. So for a long time, I have used that excuse to say that is why I come across so many books that are just okay or mediocre. I don't even have that many books on my “to read” list that I'm very excited about. And all that makes the whole reading process so much less fun. I give so many books, 2 or 3 stars, and so few 4 or 5, and I want to get to the point where I'm reading more books that I actually enjoy. In December 2021, I shared that I finally stopped reading a book that I genuinely hated, which I almost never do. And I was reminded that Gretchen Rubin stops reading books she doesn't like, so she can read more books she does like. I realized that I was thinking that since I don't read that many books I like anyway, I may as well just finish the book that I hated. Thankfully, I decided pretty quickly that was not a good reason. I’m not sure what this goal will look like, and I'm not setting at a particular number of good books I want to read, but I do want to be striving to read books that I like more.
In addition to my activities, I have 11 achievements that I want to check off in 2022.
Watch Ted Lasso - Everyone is talking about this show and watching it is apparently the “must do” thing. I’m skeptical, but planning to watch it to see if it actually lives up to the hype.
Watch Frasier - A friend recommended the show to me and since I know that it is set in Seattle, a city I know and love, I’m sure that I will enjoy it. I also look forward to this additional means to connect with a friend and enjoy a new (old) sitcom.
Get TSA Pre-Check - I have several trips planned for 2022 and not having to wait in a super long security line seems like a great bonus. Since the initial steps for this have been very easy, I have already started the process and can’t wait to get this checked off early in the year.
Do 50 pushups at one time, altogether- I can do 30 pushups at one time now. So although 50 still feels like a lot more, I know that I can get there.
Do an 8-minute mile - Similar to the last goal, I'm not quite there yet, but since I set the goal, I'm sure I will. I’m also confident that hitting the gym will make both of these goals easier, and ultimately, inevitable.
Get new shoes - I know myself pretty well and one of the things I know is that in order for me to feel like I can justify buying something, at least expensive things, I have to set it as a resolution or goal. Otherwise, I generally just buy the cheaper version or decide I don't need to spend money on the particular item. I need to get new shoes because I went through a shoe buying phase about 5 years ago and a lot of the ones I got then are still in my closet. Many of them are in pretty bad shape and although I still have (and wear) most of them, I do need to replace them.
Get a robot vacuum - Vacuuming is one of my least favorite chores, and when I reminded myself that there is an easy way to get out of doing it, at least most of the time, I knew it was something I needed to pursue. Also, since I ended 2021 by taking in a cat, vacuuming is something that needs to happen much more often now than it used to, but is always at the bottom of my to-do list. So outsourcing to a machine was the clear solution.
Get a nice puffer coat - Since I live in the PNW, this is pretty much a necessity, and while I have several that work, none are quite what I want. My favorite puffer coat is one that I got in England several years ago but was 12 euros - which equates to how warm it actually is, and also the shape it is currently in. I know that this is a worthwhile investment, but one I knew I needed to set as a goal to actually make.
Use all of my gift cards - I probably have a decade worth of gift cards to the most random places, but also places I go all the time, and yet, I don't use them. Setting this resolution will hopefully get me to the point where I can and do use them. And my goal about visiting the movies every month will help with that as well. This is also another resolution that I've had in the back of my brain for years. And finally, I knew I needed to set it because I couldn’t have it weighing on my mind anymore.
Publish my book - I normally have a couple of big focuses for the year, so this is the first. I've shared on the podcast and blog about what the process of writing the book was like. Right now, it is going through an editing phase, which will be followed by another review phase and likely another editing phase before going to the people who will format it, and so on before it will be ready to be published. I also need to have a cover designed before figuring out how to actually publish it. There are a lot of moving pieces, a lot of which I'm not directly in control of, but I am okay with that. Even if the book doesn’t get through publication, I will at least be working towards it this year. Whether or not the book comes out before December 31st (which I expect it will), I will be moving in the right direction.
Graduate from grad school - In the last month, I have officially decided to register and enroll in a graduate program that has been tempting me for months. I’m super excited to dive in, although I know it will take a lot of work and effort. It's an 18-month program, but I should be able to get it all wrapped up in 12 months and graduate in December 2022. This goal is going to require a lot of work, which is part of why I focused on keeping many of my other goals more light and fun. I’m hopeful that they will balance out all the homework I will be doing, in addition to work and running businesses. Somewhere in the midst of all of that, all of this will get done.
I love setting my goals for the year and identifying my intentions and knowing that the months ahead are going to be filled with all of these things.
Often I’ll find myself at this time of year setting all my goals for the following year, or coming up at least for the huge list, because I'm so entrenched in the fresh start energy, and ideas, and the things that I truly want, and everything is so in alignment that it just kind of all keeps flowing out of me.
I actually had a bunch of ideas in January last year of the book I was planning to write in 2022 and the goals that would go along with it, but as I entered this year I was able to recognize that many of those things were no longer in alignment with what I ultimately want. However, I was still able to pull some of those things out for my list this year and get great practice in determining what is no longer in alignment.
I’m not sure of all that 2022 will hold (probably lots of surprises if 2020 and 2021 taught us anything). But I’m sure that it will include checking off the things on the list above and moving me in the direction that I want to go, as I become the person I want to be.
Until next time,