It’s 2022: Let’s Live it Intentionally (Come What May)

We watched the ball drop from the comforts of home. My family dutifully yelled out the countdown to 2022 after our quiet evening of watching football and playing games. And a New Year began. Perhaps you’re wondering: what exactly happened to the last year we all had? For many people I know, 2021 went by in a blurry haze, yet 2020 before it seemed to last an eternity. We’re learning that, during a global pandemic, steeped in extra stressors at home and around us, we don’t experience time the way we once did. As I consider where we stand now, launching into our 3rd year with Covid-19 in our midst, I wonder what we need to take the reins for 2022 and not let time play tricks on us.

How can we use our time more intentionally while recognizing how unpredictable our current landscape is? When I was a kid, the movie “Cocoon” came out, a movie about peaceful, stranded aliens who had survived on Earth for many years by remaining cocooned and soaking in a pool containing an energizing life force. The concept feels apropos. For these past two years, it feels to many of us that we’ve been trapped in a cocoon, merely surviving rather than thriving. Yet it wasn’t all just hibernation (with the appropriate winter fat packed on). We have had to grow. We have transformed in key ways. We all do in times of crisis, to keep on going.

What have you made happen in the last year or two, beyond merely surviving? What positive qualities have grown in you, alongside others in this boat? (I PROMISE you've grown)

I invite you to pause and close your eyes. Consider the moments that stand out to you from the last year or so. Take your time to scan your memories. What are the moments when the light shone through the clouds, when you could relax, or when you felt stronger or more positively alive? What has given you Energy? Comfort? Strength? Healing? This will give you some clues as to what energizes and sustains you -- the ingredients of your own life force pool. Notice: Were you learning? Creating? Connecting? Taking a needed break? Moving your body? Exploring? Immersing? Enjoying “me time?” Being challenged in a good way? Getting outside? While not all of what has sustained and energized us has been within our complete control, we can peer underneath these moments for themes we can build on to get more of what we want and need.

What themes could light up your year? For me, learning new coaching concepts and tools has been lighting my fire these past couple of years. Taking classes on mental fitness, trauma, stress management, and somatic coaching. Creating beautiful & comfortable spaces in my home. Connecting with friends and family while in motion — walks, hikes, biking. Trying new restaurants (outdoors or takeout) and foods. Setting out on exploratory adventures, even when short or limited to mostly outdoor time. Can you see themes in here to tool a more intentional 2022? If I choose one to three, I can better focus my time on them. I am sharing mine here with a hope to inspire YOU: 2022: Wendy's year of:

• High-Impact Growth

• Creativity at Play

• Fun in Motion

From here, plans can spring forth. Plans infused with more energy and a sense of spirit and vitality. I invite you to choose one to three 2022 themes for yourself in the next week, alone or with friends or family, and write them down. Share them. Make them real. We all know there are no guarantees these days. And yet, there is still probability to count on. Probability would suggest that aiming at a desired outcome consistently will deliver more rewards than not taking aim and leaving it up to chance. Time may be fickle these days, but it is still ours. Let's grab it by the horns. Here’s to a restorative, inspiring and energizing 2022. - Wendy