2021 knocked me on my ass. My goals ended up going out the window along with my engagement, my ability to feel like I’m worthy I’m being loved (which I’m working on regaining), my mental health, and a lot of other things. Overall 2021 just wasn’t the year I needed.

But I’m stubborn, a trait I inherited from my father. Whether it’s a good thing or bad thing I inherited that trait depends on who you ask and how the day has been going and I refuse to bring these things into a new year with me. So I’m not. This year I have only made 4 goals for myself and only one of them is writing related. This year I have decided the best thing I can do for myself is focus on what I need to feel happy, stable, at peace, and like I’m living a life I love. So here are my 4 goals for 2022!

Goal 1: Find a job that makes me happy.
My current job offers me the ability to pay my bills, save money, and have some flexibility throughout my day (i.e. I can take my lunch break whenever I choose and not have to tell anyone). But I don’t love it. On the best days there, I really like it. On the worst days there, I want to scream I quit and storm out angrily and dramatically. It’s a job, but it’s not a career. It’s not in my chosen field. It’s not what I’ve spent years working toward getting degrees in. And it is most definitely not what I want to spend my life doing. So in 2022, I hope to find a job that will make me happy in my chosen field and lead to a career that will make happy.

Goal 2: Have a more minimalist lifestyle.
Since my engagement ended and I’ve been living with my friend’s family, I’ve lived with a lot less than I did when I was living in an apartment. I have two bookshelves in my room and that’s it. I have a place for my clothes and my own bathroom, which is nice. All my other possessions are in a storage unit that I visit from time to time to grab holiday decor, the occasional DVD I want to watch, to some other random item. Honestly, I can’t even remember what’s in most of the boxes. I remember what’s in my Harry Potter bins (for the most part), what’s in with my kitchen stuff, and a few other things, but that’s it. So I’m paying over $90 a month to store things that I’m not missing. So in 2022, I am going to work on reducing the number of items I own and work toward having less. I’m not going to go full minimalist because hello, books exist and I want my own library! But do I need 10 different lip glosses? No, especially when I have my 2-3 favorite shades that I wear whenever I want lip gloss. Do I need wall art that I will realistically never hang up? No, someone else could love it more. If I could halve what I own, that would be great, but realistically I would be happy with a quarter.

Goal 3: Write everyday.
This year I realized holding myself to a specific word count really stresses me out. If I write 300 words that I love and I know I’ll want to keep for awhile, why should I pressure myself into writing 200 mediocre words that I’ll end up deleting in the future? And if I’m having a really bad day, why do I want to force myself into writing 500 words that I’ll hate just simply because I had to write them? If I hit 500 words everyday I write, fantastic. If I hit more than that, great. If I only write 10, it’s 10 more than I had the day before! So as long as I write something, no matter how small or large, that’s good enough for me.

Goal 4: Put myself first more often.
I have this bad tendency to put everything and everyone ahead of myself. I will psychically, mentally, and emotionally exhaust myself to be there for someone else. I will push myself to my breaking point in all three and only once I’ve hit that breaking point will I realize I need to take care of myself. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t keep putting myself behind everything else. So in 2022, I am going to put myself first more often. This means saying no more often. It means keeping a better eye on my physical, mental, and emotional health. It means not stretching myself too thin for other people. It means putting my foot down and setting boundaries with family, friends, co-workers, etc. It means taking time for myself to do what I love and enjoy my life. It means not accepting less than what I deserve and allowing others to disrespect me in anyway. So 2022, I put myself first as much as I can and everything/everyone else second. Obviously there will be exceptions to this (there always are), but I will be the one to decided what they are… and I won’t let anyone make me feel guilty in those moments where I put myself first!

What goals have you set for yourself in 2022? I would love to hear them! I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. See you all in 2022!