Happy New Year! It’s 2022. And it’s the time when everyone starts thinking about resolutions.
But I’m SKipping the Resolutions
I’m not a big resolutions person. I have ideas of what I want to accomplish and I have plans in place. But I don’t feel the need to create resolutions.
This year I decided to create 22 rules to live by for myself. They’re the things that I want to emphasize in my life. And here they are.
1. Say Yes More
I talk myself out of a lot of things. I doubt that a new opportunity is for me. I like to stay in my comfort zone.
I’ve been working over the last year to just say yes more. Yes to my kids when they want to do something together. Yes to new opportunities. Yes to fun. And I plan to continue saying yes to even more opportunities in 2022.
2. Stop Letting Fear Get in the Way
What will other people think? Will I be successful? Will I know where to go or what to do? Will I be in over my head?
Fear is powerful. And it keeps a lot of people from doing what they want. Myself included. It’s okay to feel a little afraid, but my new rules for living include not letting fear make my decisions for me.
3. Make More Healthy Than Unhealthy Choices
I’m guessing one of the top New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight/exercise more/get healthy. And a lot of people fall off the wagon before January even wraps up.
So instead of setting some unrealistic goal about losing weight or getting super healthy, I’m simply going to have a health goal of making more healthy decisions than unhealthy ones.
I’m not going to cut out sugar or chocolate or fried foods completely. But I’m going to go for fresh fruit or roasted veggies more often than those less healthy things.
I’m not going to eliminate sweet iced coffee, but I’m going to drink more water when I can.
I’m not going to commit to some insane workout routine that I’ll end up quitting in a week. But I’m going to try to move my body more to stay active sustainably.
I just want to be more healthy than not. But I don’t want to cut out everything because it’s not sustainable or enjoyable.
4. Savor the Small Moments
The older I get, the more I know the little moments are the best.
This summer this really hit home with a trip I took with my teens. It was an amazing trip that involved mountains, the ocean and a day at Disney.
But it was the little moments that I really treasured. Inside jokes during the car rides. The stinky hiking shoes we left in the car that almost knocked us out every time we got in. Seeing my teens bond when they don’t really have a lot in common.
I’m going to hold onto more of those moments in 2022.
5. Speak Up More
I don’t like to upset people or disagree with anyone, so I usually don’t speak up when I have a different opinion. Or I worry people will judge me for what I say. I’m working on saying what I think in the moment instead of holding back.
6. Travel More
The previously mentioned trip with my kids reminded me of how much I love to travel. I have several trip ideas in mind for 2022.
7. Take More Photos
It’s always a tough balance between being in the moment and capturing it. But I often wish I had more photos of the people I love and the fun moments we share, so I’m going to work on that this year.
8. Set Boundaries Without Guilt
This is another tough one for me. But if you don’t set boundaries, you constantly let others dictate your life.
9. Be Spontaneous
It’s tough for me to just do something without planning. Our trip last summer had a lot of spontaneous moments. And it was so much fun. I guess this goes along with the life rule of saying yes more. You don’t have to wait until you’re fully prepared to say yes and participate in life.
10. Remember That Risks Are Worth It
As they say, nothing changes if nothing changes. If you want more from life it’s time to take some risks. And I’m ready to do that in 2022.
11. Stop Playing Small
Have you ever been told you’re too much? Me too. It’s easy to shrink down to fit into what other people
But if someone wants to criticize you, they will. It doesn’t matter what you do. They’ll find something.
So live out loud. Just the way you are. Some people won’t like you. That’s okay.
12. Accept Praise
Anyone else have trouble accepting compliments? I tend to explain them away or downplay what they’re saying. I’m ready to stop doing that. Being able to accept praise can help you boost your confidence.
13. Worry Less
I’m a recovering worrier. I learned it from my mom. I’ve worked hard to worry less, but I want to work even more on that in the new year.
14. Apologize Less for Things That Aren’t My Fault
I apologize for everything, even when I don’t need to. I don’t want other people to be upset. But apologizing for no reason reinforces the idea that you did something wrong. It makes you feel bad.
When I feel the urge to apologize for something that’s not my fault, I force myself to rethink it. Recent example: I’m a freelance writer. Right before the holidays, I had a lot of work and one of the managing editors I work with asked me to take on more work. My normal response would be, “I’m so sorry, but I’m too busy to take on more work.” This time, I skipped the apology. She was asking me to take on extra work that I have no obligation to take. No need for apologies or long explanations. I simply told her I didn’t have time and moved on.
15. Try new THIngs
Do you ever see something that looks fun but you think you can’t do it? Because you don’t have the skills, don’t have enough money, don’t have enough time? I’m working on trying new things when possible. Life’s short. Try something new!
16. Make Sincere Connections With Others
I sometimes feel like everyone but me has a bestie that they tell all their secrets to. I have friends, including a few that I can talk to about personal things. But I want to take friendships to a new level and make more efforts toward connecting with friends.
17. Stress Less about Things I can’t Control
I guess this is a little like worrying less, but I felt like it needed to be said again. I lost lots of time worrying about things I couldn’t possibly control. Now, I’m focusing on putting my energy into what I can control. When it comes to the rest, all I can do is plan for the possible outcomes and see what happens.
18. Leave Time for Quiet Moments
I’m terrible at having down time. As a freelance writer, there’s always work available to me. And I always feel like I should be working. Of course I take breaks to do things with my family. But I have a hard time just experiencing quiet moments without being busy.
19. Take Care of Myself Mentally and Physically
This one is self-explanatory, but I haven’t always done a good job of this.
20. Try to Better Understand Different Viewpoints
I feel like I’m pretty accepting of people who are different than me. But I have to admit, in the escalating division over politics lately, I’m not always the most empathetic to people who have different opinions than me. Or people on the extremes of either “side” of politics. I’m ramping up my efforts to recognize that those differences don’t mean we can’t be friends.
21. Love OPenly and Freely
The world needs more love. I’m quick to tell people I love them, including my friends. And that will be even more noticeable in 2022.
22. Be Unapologetically Me!
This is becoming easier and easier the older I get. I’m getting more to the point where I just don’t care if someone else likes me or not. Whether they think I’m annoying or embarrassing or too loud or too anything. This is my life. I only get one. So you’re getting the real me. And if some people don’t like that, I completely understand. But I won’t change to make others happy.
What are Your Rules for 2022?
How do my rules stack up to what you envision for your 2022? What would you add to the list?
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