New Year’s Goals for 2022

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I’d like to start my first article of 2022 by taking a quick glimpse backward. If I’m being honest, I began January 2021 in a negative frame of mind, and wasn’t feeling like myself. I usually head into a fresh new year motivated and eager to see what’s in store.

It’s now been two crazy pandemic years, and I am feeling a bit different lately. In a lot of ways I’m tired, and could easily spend my days distracting myself from doing any real work.

However, there is another feeling that is much stronger. It feels like a new layer of resilience that I didn’t have before. When it comes to fight or flight, I am choosing fight. I’ve learned how to keep the fire of my spirit ignited all on my own.

Whereas last January, I barely had it in me to make goals at all, this year I feel like having goals to work toward is as essential as breathing.

If I’m being honest, things going on in the background around here have been a bit of a shit storm lately. It’s brought me to my knees on many occasions, and made me wonder if I deserve to pursue a passion like travel blogging. It’s even made me wonder whether I deserve travel at all.

Too many times in my life though, I’ve blamed and punished myself when things outside of my control began to fall apart. But the truth is, keeping myself from happiness won’t do a damn thing to make things better. What I do or don’t do in my own life cannot help or hinder anyone else from moving forward and doing what they need to do.

What I’m trying to say through all this rambling is that in the face of hardship and uncertainty, I am not going to let myself down this time. When things are at their worst is not the time to let up or quit. In fact, I think it’s the time to push even harder to keep moving forward against the tide.

So, that was heavy. Don’t worry though – what follows is a very much not heavy list of my New Year’s Goals for 2022. If there’s one thing I like to do, it’s trying to find some levity when things are feeling their most dark.

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My 11 New Year’s Goals for 2022

After trying to shrink my New Year’s goals list from ten last year, it’s crept back up again. I guess some things never change…

1. Visit 8 New Places

This is a bit of an odd way for me to say that I’d really like to visit new countries, but will settle for new local places too. After the uncertainty of the past couple years, I now work hard to always have a backup plan.

I honestly shouldn’t even use the word “settle” either. Last year, I ended up trading Spain for Boston and Montreal for a Cleveland Christmas weekend. It’s not how I planned it, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

2. Snuggle My Dog

It’s my goal to snuggle my dog, Bennie, as much as possible this year. After all, I work from home with him most days, and puppy snuggles are basically a form of self-care.

3. Paint Our Upstairs Hallway

There always has to be a home improvement project on this list. The upstairs hallway is the only place Aaron and I haven’t repainted since moving in to our house in 2017. I think it’s finally the year!

4. Bake Homemade Bread

One of Aaron’s Christmas presents from me was a bread recipe book. We are going to get after it this winter.

5. Bake French Pastries

One of my Christmas presents from Aaron was a French pastry cookbook (how does he know me so well?). It’s my goal to make at least a handful of recipes from the book this year.

6. Continue Studying French

I love learning languages, and have really come to love French. That said, it’s very easy to put learning French on the backburner when things get crazy. It’s my goal to stay as consistent as possible this year, and push myself to dive deeper into the language.

7. Read 12 Books

I make this same goal to read twelve books every year, and never meet it. That said, I want to read more, and maybe one of these years I’ll actually make it to twelve.

8. Post 52 Total Blog Posts

I used to make a goal of posting once per week. However, I found that when I missed a week, I’d get off track and wouldn’t really bounce back.

Instead, I decided to make my goal 52 total posts instead, since some weeks I know I’m naturally going to be more “on” than others.

9. Take at Least One Solo Trip

Solo travel has become a part of my life since I started blogging full time. Though it feels like a blur now, in 2021, I traveled to St. John, Malta, and Barcelona alone.

Solo travel has helped me feel braver, more self-sufficient, and more fulfilled. It definitely gives me anxiety, though, so it’s important for me to write this goal down, so I don’t chicken out.

10. Buy a New Phone

My current iPhone is slow and quickly going downhill. While I like my low monthly phone bill, I think it’s time to make the splurge again.

11. Visit One New State

I’ve already shared my goal of visiting “8 new places”, but I definitely want to make it a priority to see at least one new state in 2022. Last year, my new state was Massachusetts, and it would be great to see more of New England this year.

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Well, here we are. Another year and another fresh new batch of goals. At this point, I’m ready to stop talking about them and commence with taking action. As usual, I’ll see you in a few months for an update.

Wishing you a 2022 filled with love and positivity in all that you do!