Hey, everyone! I cannot believe that it’s already January of 2022. I mean, how is time flying by so quickly lately?! I have been thinking long and hard about my 2022 goals. At first, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to set any because it’s so easy to fall out of your routine and lose sight of goals that are created in January. But, I wanted to try to create and stick to them…and we’ll see what happens! Either way, I do hope that these goals will help shape my year, allowing me to do great things this year! Here are my 2022 goals (made short and sweet because I’m running out of time this AM!):
Be present
So often, we get lost in the never-ending to-do lists. Especially as a parent, the list that needs to get done goes on and on and on. It’s easy to lose sight of the moment. Lately, when I’ve asked Avery if she wants to go outside and play, she usually says something along the lines of, “let me just check one email first,” which yes, it’s cute, but also…it’s a direct reflection of what I say to her and that makes me so sad!
Yes, work needs to get done, cooking needs to happen, and piles of laundry need to get folded. However, my little baby is only this little for so long. While I do (obviously) need to keep up with my work and other things that need to get done, I am really going to try to make sure that I’m present as much as possible + that I am only doing the things that I “need to” when I actually need to. Work will be around and I’ll have tomorrow to fold the laundry. But, my family needs me right now, and that’s what I’m trying to focus more on, as much as possible.
Reach out to friends
Thanks to shutdowns (and life), I’ve lost touch with a lot of friends over the past two years. At first, I didn’t really think anything about it because everyone was home, and nobody was really seeing *all* of their friends, so I didn’t do anything about it, but now that time has passed, it feels harder and harder to get those connections back. Honestly, there is one event that happened last year that has shaped how I feel about this.
Ian and I lost a close friend of ours, Dan, last year. He was one of Ian’s fraternity brothers and weirdly enough, I actually met him when I was little, at a 4th of July party at Park Place. Dan was the goofiest, most trustworthy, and reliable friend there was. He would call me randomly just to talk and he was always trying to get together with us, but again…life. And life with a baby does not always make it the easiest when it comes to getting together with people without babies (or is that just an excuse?). Losing Dan shook us to our core and made us realize that losing connections with our friends is unacceptable. If we would have just said “yes” to getting together with Dan, we would have had even more memories with him, but unfortunately, in the moment, it didn’t seem that easy to do.
So, no more excuses, no matter how challenging it seems. Of course, there will be times when we have to say “no” because of bed times, naps, or whatever, but overall, we really need to work on creating our connections again and I need to work on reaching out to people. We used to host so many events, but over time, that stopped (again- COVID and having babies). Time to get back to hosting again!
Prepare for a new home
Our biggest goal this year is to get ready for a new home. We need to finish house projects, we need to make sure we are saving appropriately, and we need to start the hunt. We’re looking for the perfect place; hopefully, a “forever home” if we can afford it. We want somewhere with land, good bones, and room to grow. This is not easy to find…and not affordable, so wish us luck! If we find something this year, it will really be a God thing. We also need to figure out if we are going to sell this place, or rent it out. I’m not exactly sure what the right move is as of now, but we will figure it out. That’s on the list for my 2022 goals, for sure.
Be more consistent with workouts
Over the past 6 months or so (maybe longer??), we created a home gym. We have a peloton bike, weights, a barbell, we just ordered a rack, and more. Now, I just need to use it. Typically, Ian works out in the morning and I work out in the evening, but after a long day, it’s challenging for me to find the energy to get in the gym. I need to push myself, even when I’m not feeling up for it, because I know that it makes me feel so much better. Another challenge is that Avery hasn’t been sleeping great. I’ve been up with her 2+ times each night recently and Ian’s usually up with her for 1-3 hours in the middle of the night. This is all thanks to a pesky cough that she’s dealing with at night. It will eventually go away, but right now, it’s really pushing our workout times all over the place. Ian needs more sleep in the AM, so he’s not working out until the evening, and then it’s hard for us to both find time to fit in workouts…so I’m skipping them. I need to figure out how to make sure I’m not doing this. It will probably be a learning curve, but one way or another, I’ll figure it out this year, because it is what I need.
Say “no” when I need to
I have a BAD habit of signing myself up for too much. No need for a long paragraph on this one, but I need to find more balance, I need to slow down, and I need to reduce stress. The best way to do that? Start saying “no” when I need to.
Create more self-care
Not sure what this is going to look like, but I need to be more intentional on setting aside time to take care of myself. Aside from the time that our nanny is here (about 6-7 hours a week) that I work, it’s me on the clock, taking care of Avery 24/7. This isn’t a bad thing, of course, and I love it. However, it is draining, and I need time to focus on myself, too. I can’t pour from an empty cup…and it’s been empty for some time now, because of the lack of time that I have to even shower. Whatever this looks like, I’ll figure it out as I go, and I’ll work on being more intentional with MY time, creating self-care for myself, and opportunities to get away to focus on what I need.
More time outside
Avery and I have a goal of spending 1000+ hours outside this year. I think that with technology, it has become harder and harder for people to escape their houses. But, spending time in nature is SO, so important. We’ll garden, ride bikes, play in the grass, swing, whatever. But, 1000 hours is our goal and I am really hoping that it gets us away from screens and learning more 🙂 Is this a weird thing to put on my 2022 goals? Nah… haha!
There ya have it! My 2022 goals. We will see how this year twists and turns them, but I’m going to try to do check-ins along the way, to stay on track. Do you have any 2022 goals? Have a great year!
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