Did you know that for thousands of years, people have marked the new year as a time of reflection—taking stock of their current selves and promising some sort of change in the next 365 days? Yep. The tradition started over 4,000 years ago, with the Babylonians pledging to return borrowed farm equipment and pay outstanding debts.

Who knows when we changed things up and started using January 1 as the date we’d swear off carbs and promise to read more books. But, regardless, we can safely conclude that we humans have been making and breaking “resolutions” for thousands of years.

So, no advice on resolutions, just sharing with you the way I thought through my own pockets of life and the questions I’ve been asking myself as I move into this fresh year. In case it’s helpful, I also added my own actions/answers to these prompts.

  2022 Areas of Focus:

Relational
What does meaningful connection look like for my personality and stage of life? Who’s on my “close” list, how do I want to invest in those relationships and what will I do to demonstrate my commitment to these humans?

• Action/Answer: In this season of life, you’re a better fit for fewer, deeper friendships. After developing a list of people you’d like to be in better touch with throughout the year, put their important dates in your calendar and celebrate their milestones. Go back to writing physical letters and phone calls as a way to remain active in their lives throughout 2022.

Financial
What is the current state of my family’s finances? Do I understand them? Do I have a budget I’m working from? What adjustments do I need to make to get my fiscal house in order and live out my priorities and values?

• Action/Answer: Use the month of January to go through each line of your credit card statement and create a list of all bills. Set February 1 as the date to talk through all expenses with Brett. By February 5, create new budget to work from. Start taxes as soon as February 15^th. Assess the first chunk of the year on July 1.

Professional
Am I satisfied with my current career/professional situation? If I am experiencing dissatisfaction, what’s the root of that discontentment? Lack of purpose? Inability to achieve financial health? Frustration with my existing level of status or success? Is what I’m feeling based on something I need to change externally, or adapt to mentally, or learn to be content with? What would success look like in this area of life if I were to fast forward one year?

• You’re starting a new business that will take time to grow. Break up 2022 into quarters and assign realistic milestones to each quarter. Be disciplined, resist the temptation to compare chapter 1 of blue chalet to other high points and financial success in the lifetime of your career.
  
  Be very deliberate about developing a business that fits who you are and who you want to serve. You’ll likely pull away from social media and other established marketing platforms, but resist the urge to develop a business that looks healthy on paper but is a bad fit down the road.

Lifestyle (learn & experience)
How do I generally feel about the way I’m currently living? Are there changes I need to make or habits I need to establish or break? Any addictions I need to yank from their roots or wrestle to the ground in order to gain inner peace? Are there any areas in which I need to adjust my attitude or alter my circumstances in order to live in better alignment with who I am?

Learn
What’s one thing I’d like to learn, master, or just try? What do I need to sign up for or enroll in to start? Do I want to measure or track my progress or repetition? If so, what’s the best way to quantify it? How do I need to adjust my day, or routine, to make space for the learning/mastery of this new skill?

Experience
Are there personal areas of interest or items on my bucket list that I’d like to try to achieve this year? What are they and how will I prioritize the time I will need to complete them?

• Action/Answer: You feel much better about life at the close of 2021 than you did at 2020. You downsized from Washington, DC to set in motion lifestyle changes that will reap benefits down the road. Making the trade hasn’t been without challenges, but you’re already seeing the payout in the form of freedom and finances.
  
  You’d like to think through studying Russian again, maybe just 30 minutes a day via Rosetta Stone (a subscription I already have). You will look for opportunities to develop a greater knowledge of the practice of Pilates or another physical study.

Health
What’s the current state of my physical/mental/emotional health? What were my successes in this area over the last year? Which of these would I like to carry into 2022? Where do I need to apply more attention over the next year and what’s the best way to measure progress and my commitment to these healthy improvements? What supports do I need to make these changes permanent? Do these supports come in the form of people, tools, equipment, memberships? What realities do I need to learn to accept rather than change?  

• Action/Answer: You decided that alcohol was playing a larger role in life than you wanted it to, so you eliminated it in 2021. Doing so freed up mental energy, physical energy, and allowed you to develop really strong, early morning routines and a 6-day-a-week workout habit. You’ll continue this abstention.
  
  You’ll continue with Pilates, but you will need to see a doctor again about possibility of a surgical solution to running. Your knee has not responded to all of the rehab you’d hoped it would and this may be the only remaining option if you want to run this year. You’ll book an appointment with the knee specialist for the second week in January.

Spiritual
Do I consider myself a woman of faith or member of a religious or spiritual group? Am I a believer or a disciple? Is there sufficient evidence of this in my life? If discipleship is my goal, what am I actively doing or prioritizing to reflect this value?

What can I do to gain greater connection with others who are pursuing these same spiritual goals? How do I need to adjust my daily routine, calendar, or time to prioritize spiritual growth in the new year?

• You’re a devout Christian who values active discipleship. You’re also an introvert who hasn’t found a church you want to plug into in your new surroundings and gets worn out by crowds. You’ve gotten a little too comfortable watching church services online due to Covid restrictions. This means you’ve gotten accustomed to your favorite pastor (Greg Boyd, Woodland Hills Church), and it’s not realistic to compare local pastors to his teaching style and skill.
  
  You need to find a small bible study, go to church in-person, and identify a way to serve others, not just look at how church can serve you. Suck less in this area, please.

What about you? Did you make resolutions this year? Go a different route?

Wishing you a safe and healthy 2022., xo, janel